Black Crow Dress

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“. . .a stunning collection that evokes a tragic, unjust world; Johnson has a gift for metaphor and narrative that builds throughout.”
—Library Journal, starred review

“. . .Black Crow Dress is a vital addition to any contemporary poetry assortment.”
—Midwest Book Review

“These poems move forward like a novel in verse with a real understanding of the differences between the past and history.  Or, as Johnson herself says in the opening poem, ‘Each one is hungry for a voice & music to re-bloom.’  This is a poet the best readers will be reading for the rest of their lives.”
—Jericho Brown

“Roxane Beth Johnson reminds us the poet’s inscrutable work is to listen.  Her abiding presence creates a lamplit space to commune with the ghosts of her ensalved ancestors and to breathe them onto the contemporary page.  The result is startling: narratives tender and haunting, of an unforgettable intimacy.  These voices were in the room with me; I felt them in my body.”
—Jennifer K. Sweeney