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.

This unflinching collection confronts the beautiful and the brutal:

• Lyrical and Intellectual Verse: Brilliant, often ironic lines that move from meditation to matter of fact, capturing a lucid awareness of what it means to be human.
• Black & Caribbean-American Poetry: A vital perspective from a St. Thomas-born, Florida-raised poet navigating myth, history, and the pain and punishment of existence.
• Poems on Race and Gender: An unflinching exploration of race, sexuality, and embodiment that refuses to deny daunting truths about our origins and demises.
• Existential Inquiry: A work of restless, empathic intelligence that wrestles with the profound, philosophical, and experiential questions of our lives.