Punks by John Keene PB

"Punks is utterly brilliant ... Keene's masterfully inventive inquiry of self and history is queered, Blackened and joyously thick with multitudes of voice and valence." --Tyehimba Jess

A landmark collection of poetry by acclaimed fiction writer, translator and MacArthur Fellow John Keene, Punks: New & Selected Poemsis a generous treasury in seven sections that spans decades and includes previously unpublished and brand new work. With depth and breadth, Punks weaves together historic narratives of loss, lust, and love. The many voices that emerge in these poems--from historic Black personalities, both familial and famous, to the poet's friends and lovers in gay bars and bedrooms--form a cast of characters capable of addressing desire, oppression, AIDS and grief through sorrowful songs that "we sing as hard as we live." At home in countless poetic forms, Punks reconfirms John Keene as one of the most important voices in contemporary poetry. This collection was the 2022 winner of the National Book Award for Poetry, the Thom Gunn Award for Gay poetry and the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry.