Strut, Mariahadessa Ekere Tallie’s second book of poetry, emerges from an intense engagement with our historical moment. These poems are just as much about injustice, struggle, and survival as they are about transcendence and love. Readers will find themselves immersed in the intersections that connect climate change, capitalism, genocide, racism, misogyny, and mental illness. This work honors the gorgeousness of life, even while bearing witness to the ugliness that accompanies–and often seems to permeate–the human experience. Strut is a celebration of self-acceptance, ancestry, love, sensuality, and resilience. It’s not a book of answers, but a blessed, influenced weaving together of shadow and light.
