Vinyl Moon

Description

A teen girl hiding the scars of a past relationship finds home and healing in the words of strong Black writers. A beautiful sophomore novel from a critically acclaimed author and poet that explores how words have the power to shape and uplift our world even in the midst of pain. "A true embodiment of the term Black Girl Magic." -Booklist When Darius told Angel he loved her, she believed him. But five weeks after the incident, Angel finds herself in Brooklyn, far from her family, from him, and from the California life she has known. Angel feels out of sync with her new neighborhood. At school, she can't shake the feeling everyone knows what happened-and that it was her fault. The only place that makes sense is Ms. G's class. There, Angel's classmates share their own stories of pain, joy, and fortitude. And as Angel becomes immersed in her revolutionary literature course, the words from Black writers like Toni Morrison, James Baldwin, and Zora NEale Hurston speak to her and begin to heal the wounds of her past. This stunning novel weaves together prose, poems, and vignettes to tell the story of Angel, a young woman whose past was shaped by domestic violence but whose love of language and music and the gift of community grant her the chance to find herself again.

Mahogany L. Browne is a writer, organizer, and educator- executive director of Bowery Poetry Club, artistic director of Urban Word NYC, poetry coordinator at St. Francis College. Browne has received fellowships from Agnes Gund, Air Serenbe, Cave Canem, Poets House, Mellon Research, and Rauschenberg. She is the author of recent works- Chlorine Sky, Woke- A Young Poets Call to Justice, Woke Baby, and Black Girl Magic. As the founder of the diverse lit initiative Woke Baby Book Fair, Browne is excited to release her newest poetry collection responding to the impact of mass incarceration on women and children- I Remember Death by Its Proximity to What I Love. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Praise for Vinyl Moon: "Powerful and life-affirming." -Brendan Kiely, New York Times bestselling co-author of All American Boys "Interweave[s] poetry and prose... portraying with nuance a group of Brooklyn teens unpacking their traumas and finding their joy." -Publishers Weekly, starred review "A beautiful love letter to Brooklyn, Black authors, and the beats that create the soundtrack of a young life evolving." -Kirkus Reviews Browne's bold imagining of robust support systems, reliable friendships, and assertive self-discovery offers a thoughtful roadmap for teens navigating tough times." -The Bulletin "An important asset for all school and library collections." -SLJ Praise for Chlorine Sky: "A remarkable, compelling voice that will draw readers both reluctant and eager and make them want to hear more." -The Bulletin, Starred Review "A coming-of-age novel for Black girls who have been told they're too much and yet never enough." -Kirkus Reviews