Tara M. Stringfellow’s Magic Enuff is a powerful collection of poetry that delves into the intricacies of Black femininity, survival, and revolution. With an evocative opening—“God can stay asleep / these women in my life are magic enuff”—Stringfellow sets the stage for a journey through the multifaceted experiences of being both strong and vulnerable, loyal and betrayed, loving and raging.

Stringfellow’s poetry excels in its unapologetic exploration of dualities. She captures how two conflicting truths can coexist, portraying the complexities of having a strong voice while feeling silenced, and the struggle of maintaining loyalty to those who may betray us. The poems are a testament to the resilience of women, particularly Black women, and their ability to navigate a world that often demands they be both everything and nothing.

One of the collection’s strengths lies in its emotional depth. Stringfellow does not shy away from the painful realities of life. Instead, she embraces them, offering a raw and unfiltered look at anger, disappointment, and grief. These emotions are not just acknowledged but are seen as essential parts of the journey towards healing and real love. Her writing challenges readers to confront these truths within themselves and their relationships.

The intensity of the collection can be overwhelming at times. The sheer weight of the themes explored may be challenging for some readers to process in one sitting. Yet, it is this very intensity that makes Magic Enuff so compelling. Stringfellow’s willingness to delve deeply into difficult emotions and situations is what gives her poetry its power and urgency.

The poems are a celebration of Black womanhood, capturing the essence of what it means to be both vulnerable and resilient. Stringfellow’s voice is strong and clear, offering a nuanced perspective that is both deeply personal and universally relatable. Her work is a reminder of the inherent magic and strength found in the women who navigate these dualities every day.

Magic Enuff is a remarkable collection that offers a profound exploration of survival, revolution, and the complexities of love. Tara M. Stringfellow’s poetic voice is a vital addition to contemporary literature, providing a nuanced and powerful look at what it means to be magic enough. This collection is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the full spectrum of human emotion and the transformative power of truth.

What a beautiful collection of work from Tara M. Stringfellow. The poetry in this book brought me to tears. I had to start and stop some passages multiple times because I had tears filling my eyes. "For Trayvon's Mother" is one of them. I look forward to buying a copy of this book for the other Black women in my family so they can share in the beauty of Stringfellow's pieces. "Magic Enuff" reminds of a collection like "And Still I Rise" but for the next generation of Black women. Such a timely reminder that we are in fact MAGIC ENUFF.
Thank you so much to the author, Random House & NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really loved Magic enuff. the poems were approachable but also touched on moments of black history and black womanhood.

This is great read. The characters were engaging and I couldn't put the book down. I would recommend this book for a book club or a friend.

“so I know those words won’t stop bullets
but I was also born a poet,
so I know some words can”

Magic Enuff is a collection of radiant poems that celebrate Black Southern womanhood and the many ways magic lives in the bonds between mothers, daughters, and sisters

I mean how do you even rate a book that
contains deeply personal poetry?

I will always celebrate women empowerment and, although poetry is not my normal reading genre, I very much enjoyed Magic Enuff. These stories need to be told and the bonds between women celebrated so thank you for the opportunity to read this.

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House Publishing, The Dial Press, and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

After reading Memphis, I knew I had to read Magic Enuff. I thoroughly enjoyed reading each poem in this collection primarily for Stringfellow's gift of storytelling. Each poem told a unique story that spoke to me in different ways. Whether it was about love, loss, or simply existing as a Black woman, Stringfellow put together the words that hit me square in my chest. I spent time absorbing the poems and am glad I did so. As a Black woman myself, I felt connected with the stories being told and, when it was not something I could directly identify with, sat with it and thought about how it would feel to go through what was being discussed. Honestly, I plan on returning to this collection in a few months so I can re-read the poems and think about their impact. I'm so thankful I found this book when I did, and I can't wait to read what comes next.

Poetry is a love language I have understood for years. Its the perfect storytelling medium for pain, joy, curiosity, grief, sorry, and love. Tara Stringfellow's 'Magic Enuff" truly is a beautiful written poetry book filled with different aspects of black experiences. There were so many poems within this book I could relate to. Tara's poem 'For Trayvon's Mother' is often the prayer I have for my nephew as he is a young black man and I worry about anyone seeing him as a threat. 'For Harriet' and 'Route to Freedom' were my two favorite poems from the book. I would suggest reading the poems in sequence as they connect with an underlying story. This is my first book that I've read of Tara's but I do plan to follow this up with her book Memphis.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for allowing me to read an advanced reader's copy of this book.

If you liked memphis and you like poetry, you will love this. I this Tara is a poet first and a novelist second. This collection brings alot of similar themes and messaging (southern black feminism) in a new format.

This was a nice collection of poems to honor Black women and their relationships with each other (mother, daughter, grandmother). These poems also highlighted the not so pleasant experiences that women encounter such as divorce, domestic violence, and menopause.
Overall, I enjoyed these poems because I too have had strong Black women in my life and they are indeed magical!!!

Poetry has a unique power to give readers the chance to feel what the author is feeling, and this book doesn't hold back. There are beautiful and soft moments, but more often, there are moments of asking why the world is the way it is, showing what it feels like to be discriminated against and abandoned. It doesn't offer excuses or hopes or threats; it just is, and somehow, that's even more potent. Some of these poems made me feel things I'd rather not feel, but I appreciate the opportunity to inspect these feelings and empathize. I didn't connect with every poem, but the ones that did hit me will give me something to think about for a while.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

It took me a little while to get through this book of poetry. Almost every poem left me something to think about. I found myself rereading and reading a lot of poems, clinging onto each word carefully. This is a beautiful and heartfelt collection. I’m grateful I got to read this.

I'm not one to really rate poetry as I feel it is too personal. Who am I to say how many stars the poetry is worthy of?
You could feel how personal the words and poems were in Magic Enuff. It was a beautiful collection of poems from a woman of color. Within the pages she dealt with many aspects that I'm assuming she went through as a woman, wife, daughter, etc. The poetry was impactful and emotional and each poem led you on a short journey of the writer's life. Although this collection is not too long, I took my time reading each poem and letting it sit with me before proceeding.

In addition to the poetry, I absolutely loved the acknowledgements that Tara M. Stringfellow added to the end of the book. Do not pass this part up when reading this collection.

Thanks netgalley and randomhouse for letting me review this ARC!

I devoured this in one sitting. I deeply, deeply loved memphis, and there is a clear line from stringfellow's poetry to her novel. So many poems i had to sit with for a minute, then read again and again. From the universal to the singular experiences in the life of one black woman, reflecting on her romances as well as police violence and the legacy of racism in america, this book is short, but dense and powerful. Highly recommend.

This was beautiful. There were so many of these poems that I loved and I might quote in a post. I just thought the message they had was just beautiful.

I got an e-arc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Excellent, heartfelt and emotionally raw collection of poetry that speaks tenderly to the experience of black womanhood especially in the south. I really took my time with this collection and pondered every single poem.

4⭐️

I don’t know much about poetry and I really haven’t read much, But this collection was absolutely beautiful. I felt the emotions that was poured into each and every word.

Thank you to Tara M. Stringfellow, Jordan Forney and Penguin Random House for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was such an impactful and important collection! It had beautiful writing that packed a punch and had so much to say about feminism, grief and being a black woman in America. I also especially loved the acknowledgements. I found myself wanting to highlight all of the poems that I liked/made me feel something, but then I was just highlighting every poem! My most favorite poems were: Hot Combs Catfish Crumbs and Bad Men, Poem at 35, Kristen, I Don’t Know Why and For My Ex.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.


Now this poetry collection was the definition of exquisitely beautiful. I don't review a lot of poetry on my NetGalley shelf but I enjoyed the author's novel Memphis. To revisit her writing in a different art form was a real pleasure.



#MagicEnuff #NetGalley.
Expected Publication 25/06/24
1 like

Thank you NetGalley for sending me an advanced copy.
Ms. Stringfellow has a great title and poetic lines that resonate and stick with you:
"sprayed mustard all over his shirt like silly string"
"these women in my life are magic enuff"
"We would rather give a teacher a 9mm handgun to defend her classroom than a copy of "The Color Purple"...

Many poems are 5 star: A Black Woman's Heart, A Sonnet (not really a sonnet), In Yo Life, My Ex-Husband, NOLA vs. Memphis, I Dreamt the KKK were in My Living Room, Route to Freedom...
If you like confessional poetry, this is a strong example. She is a poetic griot.

Don't forget to read the introduction and acknowledgements. This is not a book just for Southern magical black women. It has a history to remind us all and the power of poetry. I would however disagree "there is a prayer that this country will finally see me and mine as beautiful and be ashamed" Ashamed is not enough, it's reading this and reshaping (as she states earlier) that is necessary.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/31858338?shelf=poetry

MAGIC ENUFF
Tara M. Stringfellow


Tara M. Stringfellow’s little magical collection of poems is small but mighty. Words carry a long way and Stringfellow's words carry a whole backstory. What a pleasure to read this was.

THAT ONE TIME MY COLLEGE BOYFRIEND HIT ME gave me chills. TUPAC made me tear up because my body remembers that day. A SONNET, those last three lines, and IN MY GRANDMOTHERS GARDEN, the last sentence.

My only complaint is that it was much too short, but in hindsight, Tara M. Stringfellow will most likely write again so at least I have something to look forward to.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House | Dial Press Trade Paperback for the advanced copy! It was a pleasure!

MAGIC ENUFF…⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐