American Herstory

  American Herstory is a collection of poems that speak to and about former First Lady Michelle Obama. These narrative, lyric and ekphrastic poems all examine the triumphs and tribulations that Mrs. Obama experienced while in the White House.

Cornrows and Cornfields

Cornrows and Cornfields is celeste doaks’ heartfelt journey from the childhood fields of Indiana to the glittering metropolis of Chicago. Spinning together memory, popular culture and personal politics, celeste doaks makes words dance, weep, wail and sing – often in the space of just a couple of lines. This sublime collection of delightfully bold and vivid poems burn upon the mind’s eye long after the final page is turned.

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Not Without Our Laughter
(Forthcoming, February 2017, Mason Jar Press)

Edited by celeste doaks, The Black Ladies Brunch Collective’s Poetry Anthology, “Not Without Our Laughter,” is a collection of humorous and joyful poems, riffing on Langston Hughes’s novel “Not Without Laughter.” It explores topics of family, work, love and sexuality. The women of BLBC believe, like Hughes, that even in these currently tense racial times, laughter and the celebration of life is crucial. Historically, it is what African Americans have done and will continue to do, no matter what challenges face them.

The Black Ladies Brunch Collective is: Teri Cross Davis, Anya Creightney, Katy Richey, celeste doaks, Saida Agostini, and Tafisha Edwards.