THE INTENTIONS OF THUNDER New and Selected Poems

The poet and critic Terrance Hayes named Patricia Smith the most important and interesting Black poet writing today. He didn't mention, however, the excellence of her performance of her work. This audiobook brings together her most recent poetry and a selection of older poems, giving the listener a fine idea of her career so far. Both the poems and Smith's readings are full of honest passion, quiet or outspoken as needed, sometimes funny and sometimes heartbreaking. She returns often to the griefs of Black motherhood, but never in a way that excludes white listeners. Her concern is human experience, examined through the lens of Black experience, and it's difficult to listen to it without being stirred. D.M.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2025]