Casual Conversation

by Renia White

A Blessing the Boats Selection with a Foreword by Aracelis Girmay, Renia White’s debut poetry collection pushes against state-sanctioned authority and societal thought while ruminating on Black joy.
Renia White’s debut poetry collection strikes up a conversation, considering what’s being said, what isn’t, and where it all come from. From her vantage point of Black womanhood, White probes the norms and mores of everyday interactions. In observations, insights, and snippets of speech, these poems look to the unspoken thoughts behind our banter, questioning the authority of not only the rule of law but also of our small talk itself—the concepts we have accepted and integrated without pause. Casual Conversation imagines a new way of knowing, a way that encourages us to think through how we structure and stratify ourselves, inviting something strange and other to spill out. White challenges us to question whether there is anything casual about this life, even as she invites us to consider other logics and to think alongside each other. This book gives space to hold what we fear out of consequence, embarrassment, anger. It plays, it tarries, it disrupts. It pulls apart what seems sound in an effort to what did we make here? How’s it going?

Genres: Poetry

80 pages, Paperback

First published April 19, 2022

Reviews

[Melblue · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite poems ever is in this book and now that i got the chance to read it all i am glad to announce that ive found even more poems that speak to me as much as that one

[Lea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Please seek out diverse reviews.

This is a thought provoking collection. Wow. I read aloud several passages to share and express how my mind exploded with new thought.
I read this with my journal out, writing alongside the poet, White.
Covers a range of topics, several about our place in time and space and being. I am still pondering of this.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this as well. I oscillated between relating to the poetry and feeling pushed away, which has me thinking about my own perspectives and impacts as well as generally how I relate to people of different backgrounds - be it race, gender, nationality, religion, socioeconomic, education, etc ... as well as how inclusive am I in my day-to-day interactions.
Coming out of a book with that much question and self-reflection makes this a 5-star. Thank you, Renia!

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading these poems and especially how the author conveyed language using spacing, indentation, and paragraph structures. This was something that felt unique to me. However, I really wish the book included more information about the author before diving into the poems. I didn't feel as attached to the story as I hoped.

[Gail Nyoka · Rating 4 out of 5]

These poems are deceptive. They may appear, at first, to be casual, yet there is nothing casual about the captured insights and feelings. They catch out the reader with a deft twist, and an invitation to rethink perceptions.

[Amelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Using indentation, space, and punchy use of words, Renia White pushes against state sanctions and encourages black joy. These were entertaining, insightful, and altogether an ode to what poetry is and should be.

[Zuri]

Fave poems: 36c, November 9 2016, In the name of half-sistering, Meanwhile