About the Book

ONE OF PUBLISHERS WEEKLY'S TOP 10 POETRY BOOKS OF FALL 2017

NPR'S MOST ANTICIPATED POETRY BOOKS OF 2017

A striking, full-length debut collection from Virgin Islands-born poet Nicole Sealey

The existential magnitude, deep intellect, and playful subversion of St. Thomas-born, Florida-raised poet Nicole Sealey’s work is restless in its empathic, succinct examination and lucid awareness of what it means to be human.

The ranging scope of inquiry undertaken in Ordinary Beast—at times philosophical, emotional, and experiential—is evident in each thrilling twist of image by the poet. In brilliant, often ironic lines that move from meditation to matter of fact in a single beat, Sealey’s voice is always awake to the natural world, to the pain and punishment of existence, to the origins and demises of humanity. Exploring notions of race, sexuality, gender, myth, history, and embodiment with profound understanding, Sealey’s is a poetry that refuses to turn a blind eye or deny. It is a poetry of daunting knowledge. 

Critical Praise

“In this brilliant debut, clarity is ushered through form, strutting its way into life, into our lives.” — Claudia Rankine

“The sorceress Sealey...serves up an impossible cento that punches the daylight from your chest. Nothing ordinary here. But beast? Yeah, that’s it. This thing has teeth.” — Patricia Smith

“A stunning cento, an erasure, and a defense serve, together, as ars poetica for Nicole Sealey’s remarkable debut collection.” — Natasha Trethewey

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Product Details

• ISBN: 9780062688811
• ISBN 10: 0062688812
• Imprint: Ecco
• On Sale: 09/04/2018
• Trimsize: 6.000 in (w) x 9.000 in (h) x 0.200 in (d)
• Pages: 80
• List Price: $16.99
• BISAC1 : FICTION / Gay
• BISAC2 : FICTION / Historical
• BISAC3 : FICTION / Literary
• BISAC4 : FICTION / LGBT / Transgender
• BISAC5 : FICTION / African American / Contemporary Women
• BISAC6 : FICTION / African American / Historical
• BISAC7 : LITERARY COLLECTIONS / Essays
• BISAC8 : POETRY / American / General
• BISAC9 : POETRY / American / African American
• BISAC10 : POETRY / Caribbean & Latin American
• BISAC11 : POETRY / LGBT
• BISAC12 : POETRY / Women Authors