Blessed be Danez Smith, for allowing us that closeness. 'This book reads as gospel, as righteous text that carves a religion out of friendship. A transcendent collection sure to bolster Smith's status as a poetry icon.' - Booklist, starred review Dynamic, breathtaking, and utterly brilliant, these poems are not only most magnificent weapons but also salves to share and songs to shout at the top of one's lungs. 'A collection as dazzling as it is bighearted. Smith is a visionary polyglot with a fearless voice.' - Publishers Weekly, starred review 'An electrifying, unabashedly queer ode to friendship and community. is filled with passion and humanity and demonstrates why Smith has been called one of the best poets of their generation.' - Shelf Awareness Their personal style mixes modern slang with gorgeous imagery, resulting in verse as colorful and fanciful as Pablo Neruda but also savvy, down-to-earth, close to the heart. Smith writes with both power and precision, and their poetic forms are as diverse as their topics. Smith is at their absolute best, technically and narratively, throughout their third collection, experimenting with form and turning convention on its head.' - The Poetry Question Part friendship diary, part bright elegy, part war cry, Homie is the exuberant new book written for Danez and for Danez's friends and for you and for yours. But then the phone lights up, or a shout comes up to the window, and family-blood and chosen-arrives with just the right food and some redemption. In poems of rare power and generosity, Smith acknowledges that in a country overrun by violence, xenophobia, and disparity, and in a body defined by race, queerness, and diagnosis, it can be hard to survive, even harder to remember reasons for living.

Rooted in the loss of one of Smith's close friends, this book comes out of the search for joy and intimacy within a nation where both can seem scarce and getting scarcer. Homie is Danez Smith's magnificent anthem about the saving grace of friendship.

Homie poetry book