A review by swfraser4
Black Queer Hoe, by Britteney Black Rose Kapri
5.0
I know I am not the intended audience for this book, but I enjoyed it. It deserves to be read by the people who see themselves in the poems and the people who don't share those experiences (and who, like me, shouldn't say half the words in the book). Britteney Black Rose Kapri knows when to take a moment, thought, or word (especially the three words in the title) and tease out its implications for days, but also how to cut through wordiness to get an the underlying truth in a more direct way (such as in her series of cross-out poems).
Despite or because of its brazenness, it is an inviting and often joyous book. These poems straddle a difficult line between unapologetic and vulnerable; they are unafraid of playfulness or honesty, of confession or performance. This collection should be celebrated at a time during which both vulnerability and brazenness, in poetry and in Black femmes, is scrutinized and dismissed. Though short and full of life, this collection is not trivial. If the title turns you off because you think it's not respectable, then this collection is worth reading to meditate on and to unpack the codes, baggage, and assumptions that inform your perceptions of those words and identities.
Despite or because of its brazenness, it is an inviting and often joyous book. These poems straddle a difficult line between unapologetic and vulnerable; they are unafraid of playfulness or honesty, of confession or performance. This collection should be celebrated at a time during which both vulnerability and brazenness, in poetry and in Black femmes, is scrutinized and dismissed. Though short and full of life, this collection is not trivial. If the title turns you off because you think it's not respectable, then this collection is worth reading to meditate on and to unpack the codes, baggage, and assumptions that inform your perceptions of those words and identities.