Staff Book and Media Recommendations

Cory Castoe

Library Specialist

There Are More Beautiful Things than Beyoncé

By Morgan Parker

If you combined Nikki Giovanni and Issa Rae, the outcome would be Morgan Parker. The poems are insightful, exciting, heart-breaking, filled at turns with despair and hope. Many of the poem’s titles pay tribute to Queen B, 90’s Hip Hop, etc. As a white male, I can’t know what it means to be an African-American female in 2018. I believe these poems do give insight into that, and allow you to see the world through someone else’s eyes. However, I connected to it through shared experiences, such as desire, anxiety, and the search for existence.

There are more beautiful things than Beyoncé, and Morgan Parker’s writing may be one of them.