calling in black

Arresting and beautiful..."In Nicholle Ramsey's first book, calling in black, we hear a fresh, young voice, informed by Spoken Word luminaries such as Danez Smith, and Mai'a Williams but there are also echoes of poets a generation back, like Maya Angelou, Sonia Sanchez, Lucille Clifton, Amiri Baraka, Audre Lorde, Nikki Giovanni, Diane DiPrima and Adrienne Rich. There is strength in these poems, there is intimacy; there is self-confidence, there is vulnerability; there is innocence, there is maturity. The poems are honest, funny, insightful, intelligent, eloquent. When you hear them performed, they ring with life-they shine. This is true of the poems on the page, also. The poet is tough on us, while being generous."-Ken McCullough, former Poet Laureate of Winona, Minnesota Author of "Broken Gates and Dark Stars"