2000 Blacks: Poems (Pitt Poetry Series)

Praise for 2000 Blacks: Poems (Pitt Poetry Series)

“The Cave Canem Prize celebrates the richness of Black culture and the depth of our shared experience. Ajibola Tolase exemplifies the essence of creativity and resilience, using his poetry to shed light on the beauty and complexity of the Black experience.”
 
—Lynne Thompson, Cave Canem Prize judge, Los Angeles poet laureate, and author of Fretwork
 

“‘Imagine / the land without the conflicts,’ writes Ajibola Tolase in his blazing debut, 2,000 Blacks. From Nigeria to America, Tolase explores the surrealness that arises from living in repressive spaces. Yet despite the violence embedded in systems of power, ‘the native word for burn is the same as dance.’ This is a necessary poetry that leaves no quarter unsinged, a revelation in its willingness to dwell in the unimaginable.”
 
—Quan Barry, author of Auction