Tag Archives: Book Recommendation

Black & White & Read – Poetry Recommendations for Black History Month

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

I was thinking about February, the month of love, chocolate, and honouring the history, contributions, and future of Black folks in our country, and I figured it would be a great time to feature poetry by Black writers.

(My thought process was Valentine’s Day > Love > Poetry. Hence the somewhat pun-y title, because I couldn’t resist.)

I never used to be big on reading poetry—sometimes poems (especially those assigned in school) felt a bit too esoteric or plain baffling for my taste, especially when coupled with assignments to demonstrate what the poems might be saying. But the more I read, the more I slowly fell in love with it, and even began trying my hand at writing my own poetry, some of which I’m quite proud of.

Who knows, one day I might publish a poetry collection and join the ranks of these vaunted writers. In the meantime though, I can recommend a few reads. The following is a small collection of great poetry by Black authors that you can find in our catalogue, featuring excerpts of their poems when available. I find there’s no greater hook for a reader of poetry than the content, which often resonates better than any blurb or synopsis could.

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K-Pop Confidential by Stephan Lee

It is no secret that K-Pop has recently become a larger part of the American music scene in recent years, especially with the rise of BTS on the Billboard charts and their 2020 Grammy nomination. This development has also brought about a new YA book subgenre: K-Pop books! As a lover of both K-Pop and reading, I was a bit skeptical about all these new books. Can a book really describe the visual and auditory aesthetics of the music category? I was pleasantly surprised to find that a book really can do all that.

K-Pop Confidential by Stephan Lee focuses on 15 year-old Candace Park, a Korean-American teenager who loves music and wants to become a singer. Despite her parents dismissal at first, Candace ends up passing an audition to become a trainee at one of Korea’s biggest entertainment agencies. The book chronicles her journey to become an idol and readers will root for Candace as she follows her dreams.

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