{"product_id":"grownfolk-blues","title":"Grownfolk Blues \/\/ a musical in poems","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eGrownfolk Blues: a musical in poems\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis a powerful cross-genre experiment by the inimitable poet, performer and screenwriter Jae Nichelle, blending narrative verse with musical theater in a dynamic score that transcends the traditional bounds of a poetry collection. Inspired by the queer Southern blues artists of the 1920s and 30s, the narrative follows a character named You, a queer Black woman who is frequently crushed beneath the weight of societal demands. You struggles against the pains of coming into adulthood, of finding love and meaning in life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePublishing a century after the peak of popularity of Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, and the other queer, Black artists who inspired this work,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eGrownfolk Blues\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003etackles the persistently relevant themes of those musical greats—balancing and thwarting trivial societal expectations, struggling to make a living, finding moments of levity in times of great pain. Playful yet deadly serious as it sings, backsteps, and levitates with the sonic power and the poignant rhythm of the blues, this collection transgresses genre. Familiar narratives around love and heartbreak are transformed by Nichelle’s deft formal invention.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eGrownfolk Blues\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003econtributes to an ongoing dialogue on the power of creative expression in challenging oppressive systems, providing readers with room to reflect on their own ability to resist seemingly immovable constraints. Highlighting beautifully the difficulty of what we must endure, Nichelle offers one woman’s journey toward finding love and acceptance, in dazzling librettos that dance and reach toward us across the page.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e✦ Harmonious and discordant, melodious and mischievous, Jae Nichelle’s\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eGrownfolk Blues\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ecarries the quintessential qualities of a successful sophomore poetry collection: the earned confidence of voice and sound, the surreal wizardry of form, the youthful willingness to play, and the beautiful and thrilling subversion of our expectations at every turn. —\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003em. mick powell\u003c\/strong\u003e, author of\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eDEAD GIRL CAMEO\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e✦ When you pick up this book, know that in your hands you hold a performance waiting to bum-rush the stage in your mind. A formal wonder pulsing with all the humor and pain you want from the blues, all the drama and wit you want from a play, and all the transformative language you need from poetry. Jae Nichelle is one of the most playful and courageous poets writing today, her work filled with wonder, truth, and throbbing with real, kinetic force. This book is no static thing. It wants you to get up and groove, it wants you to give in and weep, it wants to sing you the blues and wants you to sing yours too. A phenomenal collection from the phenom herself. —\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDanez Smith\u003c\/strong\u003e, author of\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eBluff: Poems\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e✦\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eGrownfolk Blues\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis a poetic melody (you) can’t help but bounce your knees to. A treble clef meditation right-justified into a lesbian blues song magic’d purple. Royal and laying there in several dimensions ready for us to behold. In what world can a black lesbian be her own narrator \u0026amp; song? In what world does she invoice the nation \u0026amp; owe herself the debt?\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eGrownfolk Blues\u003c\/em\u003e. —\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAnastacia-Reneé\u003c\/strong\u003e, author of\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eHere in the (Middle) of Nowhere\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLouisiana-born\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJae Nichelle\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(she\/her) is a poet, performer, screenwriter, and the author of\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eGod Themselves\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(Andrews McMeel, 2023) and the chapbook\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Porch (As Sanctuary)\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(YesYes Books, 2019). A 2026 Oregon Literary Fellow and a graduate fellow of The Watering Hole, Jae was a finalist for a 2023 Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Fellowship and won the inaugural John Lewis Writing Award in poetry from the Georgia Writers Association. Her work has been featured by Write About Now and Button Poetry. She believes in all of our collective ability to contribute to radical change.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFormat: Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePublished: October 13, 2026\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePages: 144\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDimensions: 6\"x8\"x0.3\"\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWeight: 8 oz.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLanguage: English\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eISBN 13: 9781972756003\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eISBN 10: 1972756001\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBISAC: Poetry, Poetics, Queer Lit, Queer Studies, Black Studies, Theater\/Drama, Performance\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Jae Nichelle","offers":[{"title":"(Special Order +7-14 days) Paperback","offer_id":68172994674923,"sku":"9781972756003","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0253\/4014\/9820\/files\/9781972756003.png?v=1792438804","url":"https:\/\/rep.club\/products\/grownfolk-blues","provider":"Reparations Club","version":"1.0","type":"link"}