This is possibly Nate Marshall's best work to date! It reads like a journal and is deeply personal.

Even if you're not a poetry fan, this one might surprise you.

I don’t typically read poetry but I am very glad I requested this. Very raw and honest. Beautiful and really enjoyed.

Admittedly I am late in writing this review, but if you missed this book last fall, stop and add to your reading list. Nate Marshall writes in such a rich way that you can find yourself in his Chicago and in his experiences. His writing is so powerful. This is a must read boko.

Here's my discussion with Nate Marshall about Fina: https://newbooksnetwork.com/nate-marshall-finna-poems-one-world-2020

This book of poetry is a work of art. It's essentially a love letter to AAVE, a language that has been deconstructed and butchered and denied recognition for decades. Nate is an extraordinary poet and I cannot wait to read more of his work.

Beautiful lesson plans await the teacher with a desire and love for language with the richness of voice. Chicago's finest oscillates between the POV and we are better because of it.

A sharp, spare, bittersweet collection of poetry, grounded in the vernacular of Black poet Nate Marshall, which he describes in “welcome to how the hell i talk” as “35 percent Missibamaisiana-isms from the Up South old folks. 20 percent magnet school doublespeak. 15 percent white girl whispering in the suburbs or summer camps. 18 percent too many rap records. 12 percent my mom’s work voice.” These poems tell Nate’s story, from how he shares his name with a white supremacist, to his upbringing in underprivileged neighborhoods and communities in Chicago, to some of his experiences in academia and beyond, and the scars that linger from the life he’s experienced. This isn’t happy or even hopeful poetry, but it is beautiful and painful and authentic and often wryly humorous. With such personal subject matter, it is always difficult to offer an objective criticism. So I’ll just say that I am honored to have had a glimpse into what Nate is willing to share from his life and experiences, and have a great admiration for his skill with words. This is a relatively short publication, although not perhaps an easy read; it is definitely worth picking up, regardless.

While I was originally granted an advanced copy of Finna via #NetGalley and Random House/ One World, thanks to 2020, I didn’t get to read it until 2021, and chose to listen to it in audio instead. The audio is read by Nate himself, and is lovely. I enjoyed hearing the poems in the author’s voice, knowing that I was hearing it how he was intending it to be read, not how my not-very-good-with-poetry, very awkward white self might stumble through it. I highly recommend the audio version.

Thank you to #Netgalley and the publisher for sharing a digital #advancedcopy of #Finna with me in exchange for an honest review.

Moving, lyrical, and confident poetry. Finna is a fantastic work of art and I definitely need to read more of Marshall’s work.

*ARC was provided by Random House Publishing Group - Random House through Netgalley.

You can feel the emotion is every word Marshall writes, especially when talking about being a Black man and discussing AAVE. It's a celebration long-deserved for people we'd rather appropriate from than actually recognize.

Book review: 'Finna' a book of beautiful and vital verse
By ASHLEY RIGGLESON FOR THE FREE LANCE–STAR Sep 19, 2020

I have not read any poetry since I finished college, and I do not consider poetry my strong suit, but when I was pitched Nate Marshall’s new collection, “Finna,” I looked forward to the challenge. I am so glad I read this text. Nate Marshall’s particular brand of thought-provoking and accessible poetry was just what I needed to be coaxed back to the genre.

Upon finishing this collection—a series of poems written in Black Vernacular English—it was, perhaps inappropriately, Walt Whitman’s phrase that came to mind.

He famously wrote, speaking about life itself, “the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.” In many ways, “Finna,” though obviously quite different from Whitman’s earlier work, feels like a furious but also loving response to this phrase.

Marshall, an African American poet, uses this collection to show that, despite society’s attempts at marginalization, he, too, is here and will contribute a verse. And what verses they are! These musical and rhythmic poems consider, along with seemingly timeless questions about identity and privilege, themes relating to language and power.

Writing against the standard—eschewing the language promoted in classrooms across the nation, Marshall instead makes space for Black vernacular on the page. He showcases its unique beauty and versatility and demonstrates that this dialect—though often ignored—has as much artistic merit as more standard English, and his work reads throughout, like an act of protest.

With this work, Marshall adds to the conversation about privilege in a vital and necessary way. While he shows how systemic oppression impacts the African American community at large, he also talks about his own position within these structures with honesty and compassion.

As a white person, I do not claim to be the intended audience for a collection like this, and yet Marshall’s poems spoke about the marginalization of the African American community in a truly eye-opening way. I have been aware of my privilege for quite some time, but Marshall’s unique approach deepened my understanding of my privilege in a way that few other works have done up until this point. It was revelatory, and I hope that Marshall will consider that the highest praise.

Ashley Riggleson is a freelance writer from Rappahannock County.
More Information
FINNA

By Nate Marshall

(One World, $17, 128 pages)

Published: Aug. 11, 2020

This review was originally printed in the Free Lance-Star in Fredericksburg Va

As I just stated in another review, I don't read a ton of poetry but do try to pick up a handful of poetry books everywhere to keep my reading varied and diverse. Finna seemed like a perfect book to fit that niche. Finna is an honest collection of poems about growing up Black in Chicago. I found these really meaningful especially given the current climate in the USA with a summer full of race-related protests. Nate Marshall's poems are modern and accessible. They use vernacular to share his experience and thoughts on race in America and in particular Chicago.

If you are going to pick up one poetry collection this year, this would be a great choice for you.

Finna is a brilliantly composed set of lyrical poems that muse on what we make choose meaning of, from the literal meaning of words, vernacular, and names to the abstract meaning of our worldviews and our particular places in the world.

I devoured the print copy of Finna in a day, sat on it for a while and then bought the audiobook the day it was released. I wholeheartedly recommend both. I love the print copy to sit with and come back to Nate Marshall's poignant and precise words again and again and the audiobook to hear it in this Nate Marshall's own voice and cadence.

** eARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Audiobook bought with my own $ because I couldn't get enough!

Today I am #reading: FINNA: Poems by Nate Marshall (@illuminatemics). Happy Pub Day to Nate Marshall and his book FINNA! I love Nate Marshall's work so much! When I read his work, I feel like I see Chicago. I see the love of family, friends and life. I see life. His work is real. I hope he does a virtual book tour or something because I would love to hear some of these poems. I've seen him perform a couple of times and he's fantastic. Also an interesting follow on Twitter. Read all of his stuff, go buy this book right now!

Finna: Poems by Nate Marshall

4 stars

Can I be honest? I don't read Black male poets often. I'm trying to change that, so I am so happy that I picked up Finna. Finna is collection of poems in four sections: The Other Nate Marshall, What's My Favorite Word?, Native Informant, and Finna. This collection tackles identity, reality of racism and its impact on young Black boys who become men who have to still deal with racist situations, and language. Marshall plays with words and diction a lot and I really enjoyed that aspect of his collection. The poems in this collection are intense and packed with a lot of commentary on his experience. I loved the dissection of his name and its heritage as well as how it makes him uncomfortable to share the same name with a White Supremacist and other people who are so different from him. I am obviously not the target audience. I will never live the Black experience, but I want to hear from those who live it and listen to them. Poetry demands to be heard and there needs to be more listening ears to the genre today. So much of today's top poetry collections are empty and lacking in true voice. Poetry at its core is not always about romance or experiences, but about protesting and giving a voice to the voiceless. That is a sub-genre of poetry that seems forgotten or nearly obsolete in today's most famous collections. So this was a breath of fresh air in brining a voice to the poetic realm that I believe many are longing to hear more often. I enjoyed this collection and recommend it for those looking to read poetry with heart and a strong voice. Also, it is very obvious that Marshall writes music as well and you can almost hear the beat with some poems and the rhythm in the cadence of the flow of the words. I'm so happy I checked this collection out and I hope you will, too.


Whimsical Writing Scale: 4.25

Plotastic Scale: 4

Cover Thoughts: I adore and love this collection's cover. It's beautiful.

Thank you, Netgalley and One World, for providing me a copy of this collection in exchange for an honest review.

“when america writes”

about Black life
they prefer the past
tense. (86)

These poems do not shy away from politics, violence and the role of the media in sensationalizing it, or police ignorance of black lives. Marshall slips between free verse and accepted canonical structures to show artistry does not have to be bound by accepted convention, much like living your life.

Finna closes with a self-titled section. The opening poem suggests the notion that you can stay “woke” to all the violence and injustice in the world while still eating your favorite foods, celebrating with your favorite people, and living your best life. It also covers the legacy of slavery- its artifacts in museums, the dream of running North, redefining the black experience based on moments of white clarity, and reparations. The speaker gives voice to the struggle of trying to find our place in the world, trying to mold ourselves to what people say we are supposed to be and allowing our “...power be dulled by [our] fear of fitting.” (101)

Marshall fittingly ends the collection with a single line, on a single page, “For my people, the ones I love & especially the ones I struggle to love” (104) which encapsulates the hardship, strength, faith, and hope the collection breathes out in every word, every line, every stanza.

Nate Marshall is a writer of such wit and wisdom. These poems have a dance, a swagger, a confidence to them. This collection is highly recommended for library poetry collections.

Poetry is one of the languages I've been recently trying to learn more of to become conversational in this language and Nate Marshall just takes it to another level. This is truly a collection that no one should miss.

Nate Marshall's collection Finna is brilliant. It is a wonderful exploration of names (including his own and who shares it) and naming (who has the power to name themselves and others). Marshall's poems flow & twist & bend back again; "you know what i'm saying / whole time i'm bending the language / like a bow every arrow is spinning itself" (slave grammar). I was amazed by his word choices and line breaks, especially in poems like "fiddy'leven." I really enjoyed the love poems, both those romantic & platonic & familial. 5/5 stars

I read the first poem in this collection, put it down, pre-ordered it from my local bookstore, and went right back into it. Nate Marshall’s poetry is wonderful to read, he covers so many topics and emotions and questions in his work, celebrates language, family, joy, friendship, Chicago, and evokes heritage, racism, oppression, and white supremacy.

Definition of finna, created by the author: fin·na /ˈfinə/ contraction: (1) going to; intending to [rooted in African American Vernacular English] (2) eye dialect spelling of “fixing to” (3) Black possibility; Black futurity; Blackness as tomorrow

Finna celebrates Black vernacular, the verses lyrical and rhythmic, smart and intriguing. Nate Marshall conjures up images of his life, lessons learned, moments experienced, that tie in with general experiences, and the experiences and lives of those who came before us. There are moments that are hard to read, a punch in the gut, but also moments that are beautiful, a celebration of Black life, of Black joy. There are also moments where the poet asks important questions about masculinity and misogyny, and about violence (including the violence of words), and erasure.

I recommend this wonderful collection of poems to everyone. Language is a spectacular living and evolving tool that is part of us all, and all words have meaning, all phrases important. No parts of our languages should be censored, erased, or made to be less important than others. Nate Marshall”s celebration of poetry, of living, of Black vernacular is just wonderful. A must read. I can’t wait to get a physical copy in my hands!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Full review coming in goodreads and Instagram. This book of poetry is so brilliant, I immediately ordered a physical copy and have it pinned to teach in African American literature. I want to get this book in the hands of all my students. Marshall dances around language, deepens a conversation about Black excellence, about boyhood and masculinity, about community and Black love.