book review: finna by nate marshall

Finna by Nate Marshall

(this is my first poetry collection review so I’m winging it with this format)

WHOLENESS ✔️

TECHNIQUE ✔️

LASTING MESSAGE ✔️

Synopsis (from the publisher): Sharp, lyrical poems celebrating the Black vernacular—its influence on pop culture, its necessity for familial survival, its rite in storytelling and in creating the safety found only within its intimacy.

Three word review: impactful, needed, lasting

One-liner that is burned into my brain forever: “Who you believe in is a matter of who you mattered to.”

Themes I keep thinking about: the power in a name and sharing that name with another. the idea of “homelandlessness” for the African diaspora and others as our world changes economically and environmentally speaking.

Reader level: very approachable for regular poetry readers. could be a good read for a novice poetry reader if they are a fan of hip hop or spoken word poetry.

Will this collection move you: Yes

Goodreads rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️