Side Notes from the Archivist: Poems

Anastacia-Reneé is a multi-talented artist who has written a book called "Side Notes from the Archivist." It is a collection of poetry and images that showcase the lives of Black women and celebrate their beauty, strength, and resilience. The book has been praised by critics and named one of the Best Books of 2023 by the New York Public Library. Anastacia-Reneé is a prominent figure in the womanist movement and her work is influenced by other Black cultural and thought leaders.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 144 pages
Publication date: 27 April 2023
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Inc

The award-winning, genre-crossing writer showcases her remarkable power as a funkadelic and formidable feminist voice in this captivating and exquisite collection of verse and image—a multi-part retrospective that traverses time, space, and reality to illuminate the vastness of Black femme lives.

Voted one of the Best Books of 2023 by the New York Public Library, Side Notes from the Archivist is a preservation of Black culture viewed through a feminist lens. The Archivist guides readers through poems that capture the youthful essence of a Black girl coming of age in Philadelphia's pre-funk 80s; episodic adventures of "the Black Girl," whose life is portrayed through the white gaze; and selections of verse that evoke affection for self and testify to the magnificence within Black femme culture at large.

Every poem in Side Notes elevates and authentically depicts the buoyancy of Blackness and the tragedy of Black lives on Earth. In her uniquely embracing and experimental style, Anastacia-Reneé documents these truths as celebrations of diverse subjects, from "Solid Gold" to halal hotdogs; as homages and reflections on iconic images, from Marsha P. Johnson to Aunt Jemima; and as critiques of systemic oppression that force some to count down their last heartbeat.

From internet "Fame" to the toxicity of the white gaze, Side Notes from the Archivist cements Anastacia-Reneé's role as a leading light in the womanist movement—an artist whose work engages in conversation with advocates of Black culture and thought, such as Audre Lorde, Amiri Baraka, and Nikki Giovanni.

Weight: 150g
Dimension: 203 x 127 x 8 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780063221710