Button Poetry

This book is truly Original and reaches you to the core! I first saw Olivia perform her poem "Alternate universe in which I am unfazed by the men who do not love me" on a video via Facebook. The way she read her words of such truth hit me in the most beautiful way! I bought her book that day. It is my favorite poem to read and knowing that someone wrote down how I feel most of the time, is truly inspiring to be myself more than to try and flip flop who I am to please ANYONE. Thank you Olivia for writing this book. I plan to buy more! -Samantha Dickey from Lakeside, Montana

Thank you for both stirring up my creativity and also introducing me to poets that I love. Recently read New American Best Friend and I just adore Olivia Gatwood now!

delivered quickly with no problems, incredible book

I've bought this book three times since its debut almost a year ago. The first: to read, the second: to annotate, and the third: to give to a friend. Hanif is a phenomenal writer and it was his breath-taking performances that made me wish he had a book out, and then he blessed the earth with one. I'm in love with the beginning poem and first section because they set the tones and themes of the rich content Hanif, I'm convinced, has full mastery of. Race. Boyhood into manhood. Family. Music. Hungers of the soul and body and the environments surrounding us. Black beauty. The Hood. The Crown is an excellent source of poetry and craft to meditate on and annotate. In 2017, I discerned I needed to read with a focus on letting what I read teach me how to write better and that it was better to learn from one or two poets than it was to try to learn from three or more. I selected the poetry books of another poet and The Crown, because of how profound Hanif is. My annotated reading of The Crown in the last two weeks turned a poem of mine, that I was stuck on for six months, into my first prose poem, a risk I was bold enough to take because of The Crown's guidance. I told a friend, the poem has evolved into a new form I couldn't have imagined without Hanif. Whether you watch his performances, read off the page, or do both alongside each other as I have, The Crown is a keepsake of one of the best writings this generation could have come across. With trust, I recommend him as a demonstration of what poetry looks like today, I recommend his work for the classroom, and I recommend Hanif for poetry workshops.

I have yet to purchase a book from Button Poetry that didn't exceed my expectations. The poets are fabulous- so raw and so talented. I love this organization!