128 Pages | 2024Summary:
A poignant, rousing debut book of poetry, full of life, from the former Youth Poet Laureate of Oakland, California
woke up no light is a Black girl’s saunter turned to a woman’s defiant strut. These are the hymns of a new generation of poetry. Young, alive, yearning. A mouth swung open and ready to devour. A quest for home in a world that knows only wasteland and wanting.
Moving in sections from “girlhood” to “neighborhood” to “falsehood” to, finally, “womanhood,” these poems reckon with themes of reparations, restitution, and desire. The collection is sharp and raw, wise and rhythmic, a combination that lights up each page. From unearthing histories to searching for ways to dream of a future in a world constantly on the brink of disaster, this young poet sets forth personal and political revelation with piercing detail.
woke up no light confirms Leila Mottley’s arrival and demonstrates the enduring power of her voice—brave and distinctive and thoroughly her own.
Review: There are a lot of different poems with different structures throughout. The level of imagery to metaphor is fantastic for carrying across a message of strength even in her weakest moments. One of my favorite poems in this book was "Birthday lists through the ages" because with so few words, the author was able to relate the emotion of herself in those times of her life. Very specifically the heavy loneliness she experienced without explicitly using the word. Loved the word play in this one and highly recommend to fellow poetry lovers!
woke up no light is a Black girl’s saunter turned to a woman’s defiant strut. These are the hymns of a new generation of poetry. Young, alive, yearning. A mouth swung open and ready to devour. A quest for home in a world that knows only wasteland and wanting.
Moving in sections from “girlhood” to “neighborhood” to “falsehood” to, finally, “womanhood,” these poems reckon with themes of reparations, restitution, and desire. The collection is sharp and raw, wise and rhythmic, a combination that lights up each page. From unearthing histories to searching for ways to dream of a future in a world constantly on the brink of disaster, this young poet sets forth personal and political revelation with piercing detail.
woke up no light confirms Leila Mottley’s arrival and demonstrates the enduring power of her voice—brave and distinctive and thoroughly her own.
Review: There are a lot of different poems with different structures throughout. The level of imagery to metaphor is fantastic for carrying across a message of strength even in her weakest moments. One of my favorite poems in this book was "Birthday lists through the ages" because with so few words, the author was able to relate the emotion of herself in those times of her life. Very specifically the heavy loneliness she experienced without explicitly using the word. Loved the word play in this one and highly recommend to fellow poetry lovers!
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