Is it a coincidence that almost all the poets I think of as using a documentary form are African American: Claudia Rankine; C. S. Giscombe; Tracy K. Smith?

I'm distinguishing "documentary" from "narrative" here, to indicate poetry that draws, explicitly, on real and/or historical experience and texts. I don't have an answer to my question; I read a fair bit of poetry, but I'm not exhaustively intimate with the genre, either. But maybe there's a kind of reckoning that poets of color are especially drawn to?

Load in Nine Times reckons with slavery, the Civil War, and Reconstruction, that is to say reckonings the United States is never liable to be done with (and never done with trying to avoid, if recent book-banning history is any indication). It reckons, specifically, with these matters in the context of Kentucky, a slave state that (if I've got this complicated story right) tried to remain neutral at the start of the Civil War but later threw its support to the Union -- while still enslaving people. "AIN'T NO PLANTATIONS IN KENTUCKY" is followed by a list of several dozen ... plantations.

And: "It is as if so much blood was spilled here our most sacred ground is still dark and wet."

Margaret Garner, whose life inspired Toni Morrison's novel Beloved, says that worse than killing is "making a woman’s body your smokehouse and root cellar, ... believing her sore sore plum is your fresh fruit." In the very next poem a white woman, Matilda Burks, writes a will in which she parcels out to her own offspring the children of her "negro woman Grace." This was the real will of a real woman; Walker quotes it liberally, appropriating it to bring into focus the casual cruelty that is exactly what Margaret Garner killed her baby to protect her from. Poetry arises from the juxtaposition -- by "poetry" I mean the kind of language that sharpens knowledge.

Thus the title poem, in which John Burnside, a member of Company K of the 124th Regiment of the US Colored Troops, talks through the steps of loading his musket and readying it to fire, and in the intervals between steps considers whether he will hesitate to shoot "massa" -- "or remember ... how many times ... he beat my wife." The poem's last word is "Fire!"

In first reading Load in Nine Times I found myself distracted by some phrasings -- "generational traumas"; "you can't never give away my dreams"; "my actions come from a place where ..." -- that rang of inspirational therapy-speak. I was also less impressed by some of the monologues given to white racists. I don't require that such people be fully fleshed out or "humanized," but their rants, their vitriol, are familiar: they don't illuminate anything for a reader at all conversant with the relevant history. But on looking over the book again to review it I could see how trivial these missteps were against the power of language like this:

"I am a man with no son I can ever touch again."

A member of the Colored Troops speaks:

This was the first time
we really look at each other
and not be able to tell
who master the cruelest
who sorrow the deepest
who ground been the hardest to hoe.

A formerly enslaved couple get married legally:
Now that we finally owned ourselves,
we put down the broom and jumped at the chance to own our promises too.

(A technical point: My ARC was a poorly formatted PDF, so in naming and quoting poems I can't be sure of capitalization or line breaks.)

Thanks to W.W. Norton and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐲, 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐞𝐭 𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐲, 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐗. 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐞𝐫, 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐂𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐥 𝐖𝐚𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐲—𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲—𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝, 𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐝.

𝐈 𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬. 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟏𝟖𝟎𝟎𝐬.

𝑳𝒐𝒂𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝑵𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝑻𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝.

𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜 𝐹𝓇𝒶𝓃𝓀 𝒳. 𝒲𝒶𝓁𝓀𝑒𝓇, 𝐿𝒾𝓋𝑒𝓇𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉, & 𝒩𝑒𝓉𝒢𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓎 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒜𝑅𝒞! 𝒜𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝓅𝒾𝓃𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓂𝓎 𝑜𝓌𝓃.

From former poet laureate of Kentucky and founder of the Affrilachian Poets, a collection of historical poetry that gives voice to Black Civil War soldiers. This is a truly collection for refugee of wars.

What a literary gem! Frank X. Walker, former poet laureate for Kentucky, alternates historical documents and breathtaking poems to laud the Black soldiers who fought for the Union. These poems and insights will last long after readers have turned the final page.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley, W. W. Norton & Company and Liveright in exchange for an honest review.

Truly, I hope this becomes required reading in schools. It's an incredibly important poetry collect about a dark time in history.

This was an incredibly powerful collection of poetry. Oftentimes, I have a hard time reviewing poems because it's such a personal genre. At times, it was hard to read because the subject matter was heavy. My heart broke so many times. The persona poems were amazing. I found myself stopping after every couple of poems because I had to research some of the names mentioned. It amazes me that I've learned more from this collection of poems than I ever did in all my years in school. The notes and timeline at the end of the book were very useful and much appreciated. This book should absolutely be required reading. Thank you, Mr. Walker, for writing this book and sharing your work.

Load in Nine Times by Frank X. Walker is a powerful and resonant collection that delves deep into the African American experience, blending history, personal narrative, and social commentary with a lyrical grace. Walker’s poetry is rich with emotion, capturing the struggles and triumphs of generations with a voice that is both deeply personal and universally relatable.

In this collection, Walker explores themes of identity, resilience, and the weight of history. Each poem is carefully crafted, with vivid imagery and a rhythmic flow that pulls the reader in. Walker’s ability to convey complex emotions with simplicity and clarity is one of the collection’s greatest strengths. Whether he’s reflecting on the legacy of slavery, the fight for civil rights, or the intimate moments of everyday life, Walker’s words carry a profound sense of purpose and truth.

What sets Load in Nine Times apart is its blend of cultural specificity and universal themes. Walker’s exploration of African American heritage is deeply rooted in the particular, yet his reflections on humanity, justice, and survival resonate far beyond any one experience. This collection is both a tribute to the past and a call to action, reminding readers of the ongoing struggle for equality and dignity.

Overall, Load in Nine Times is a moving and thought-provoking collection that showcases Frank X. Walker’s talent as a poet and storyteller. It’s a must-read for those interested in poetry that engages with social issues while also offering a deeply personal perspective.

I never read a poetry collection like this before. It was so thought provoking and inspiring. Felt like I was reading a slice of history in a different context besides the normal form of a biography. I will be purchasing a physical copy! Thank you Netgalley for the advanced arc.

Wow, just wow. The life Walker breathes into these poems....he raises ghosts and gives them voices for us. The historical research that went into this is clear but it never feels pedantic or performative. The collection immerses the reader into its harsh world, like an icy dunk tank of hard truths. My best comp titles would be Olio by Tyehimba Jess or "The Book of Training by Colonel Hap Thompson of Roanoke, VA, 1843: Annotated From the Library of John C. Calhoun" by Percival Everett. Strongly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy!
Wow. This was a hard read at times but also so hard to put down. This cover initially drew me in and I'm glad because I learned so much from these poems. The timeline and notes at the end gave so much insight and pulled everything together for me.
Very emotional and raw writing that just sucks you in. History that makes you so incredibly angry but also gives so much perspective.
I'll for sure be reading Frank's backlog!

Thanks to NetGalley and Liveright for the ARC!

Reading Frank X. Walker’s "Load in Nine Times" feels akin to walking through a great museum gallery—you know you won’t get everything the first time around, but it’s so good that you start planning your next trip before you’ve even finished.

I currently live in Kentucky. It’s a weird place because it feels littered with the bones of slavery, but it seems like longtime residents are quick to look past that or find alternate explanations. There’s just a whole history to talk around. Walker chooses instead to let this history talk.

"Load in Nine Times" feels like a rebuttal to the tendency to romanticize the lives of emancipated soldiers. While Walker celebrates their heroism, he also acknowledges a complicated reality—if one is freed into violence, what does that say about our understanding of freedom? In “Unsalted,” the speaker says, “Marvel at how valiantly untrained men die.” These poems confidently explore all the hypocrisy implicit in the space between emancipation and true freedom, and Walker thoughtfully interrogates Kentucky’s resistance to upending a culture built on the backs of enslaved individuals.

I frequently find myself struggling with historical poetry because it often sprawls out of the poet’s control, but Walker never allows that to happen, writing with an accessible style that encourages readers to look beyond the book. This is an incredibly well-researched collection, characterized by polyvocality—almost every poem is biographical in some capacity, and I found myself googling whatever I could find about each individual. It’s a wonderful set of poems because the poems aren’t the point, which makes it feel perfect for, say, a high school or college class because it seems so carefully designed to generate discussion.

All in all, this is an excellent book, and it's one I'm excited to share with others.