Magic Enuff: Poems

“Gorgeous poetry” (People) that celebrates Black Southern womanhood and the many ways magic lives in the bonds between mothers, daughters, and sisters, from the bestselling author of Memphis. “These are lush poems full of radical love and strength.”—Warsan Shire, author of Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head WINNER OF THE BCALA LITERARY AWARD FOR POETRY “God can stay asleep / these women in my life are magic enuff” An electrifying collection of poems that tells a universal tale of survival and revolution through the lens of Black femininity. Tara M. Stringfellow embraces complexity, grappling with the sometimes painful, sometimes wonderful way two conflicting things can be true at the same time. How it’s possible to have a strong voice but also feel silenced. To be loyal to things and people that betray us. To burn as hot with rage as we do with love. Each poem asks how we can heal and sustain relationships with people, systems, and ourselves. How to reach for the kind of real love that allows for the truth of anger, disappointment, and grief. Unapologetic, unafraid, and glorious in its nuance, this collection argues that when it comes to living in our full humanity, we have—and we are—magic enough.

About the Author :
Tara M. Stringfellow is a former attorney, Northwestern University MFA graduate, and two-time Pushcart Prize nominee whose debut novel and national bestseller Memphis was a Read with Jenna pick and longlisted for the Women's Prize in Fiction. A cross-genre artist, the author was Northwestern University’s first MFA graduate in both poetry and prose and her work has appeared in Collective Unrest, Jet Fuel Review, Minerva Rising, Women’s Arts Quarterly and Apogee Journal, among others. After having lived in Okinawa, Ghana, Chicago, Cuba, Spain, Italy, and Washington, D.C., she moved back home to Memphis, where she sits on her porch swing every evening with her hound, Huckleberry, listening to records and chatting with neighbors.

Review :
Praise for Magic Enuff “From the author of Memphis comes gorgeous poetry about love, rage, Black femininity and how the human heart can hold conflicting truths. A beautiful, accessible collection of poetry, even for those who think they don’t like it.”—People   “In this mesmerizing poetry collection, Stringfellow weaves a beautiful tapestry around poignant themes such as Black Southern womanhood, femininity, and the bonds that women within a family share.”—Essence “In . . . Magic Enuff, freedom resonates as a rich, emotionally complex experience—hopeful and brave in the face of danger, discerning and intimate in the presence of love.”—Chapter 16 “A collection of poems that [captures] all that is strong, resilient and beautiful about Black womanhood.”—The Root “Filled with exuberant strength and radical love, [Stringfellow’s] work is filled with evolution, power, and tenderness, told from a position of Black womanhood.”—Memphis Magazine   “These are lush poems full of radical love and strength. Tara Stringfellow is a guiding light of tenderness and power. Her words are a balm. Magic Enuff is a gorgeous collection exploring the bond and beauty of Black womanhood.”—Warsan Shire, author of Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head Praise for Tara M. Stringfellow’s debut novel, Memphis “A rhapsodic hymn to Black women.”—The New York Times Book Review “Tara M. Stringfellow will be an author to watch for years to come.”—Jacqueline Woodson, author of Red at the Bone “Shows tremendous insight into the effects of violence on Black women in America, told from a captivating Southern female perspective.”—NPR, “Books We Love”  “A dazzling display of female resilience . . . Pulsing with heart and beating with soul.”—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution “Recommended for anyone who appreciates Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, or Gloria Naylor.”—Library Journal (starred review)