Beautiful work of poetry! Definitely relatable! My only complaint is the formatting of the ebook, it makes it really difficult to read. I’d strongly suggest reading a physical copy!

Beautifully written collection of poetry. The collection talks about mental health, Blackness, social justice and love. As a mental health clinician Ramsey's poetry on mental health stuck with me, it felt so honest and real in a way that others have described their experience.

This book of poetry was utterly breathtaking to read both because of the outstanding illustrations throughout and the raw emotion portrayed within the poems. I think this is such an important poetry book to read, it’s empowering to read such beautiful words that I’m sure will help a lot of black women and children feel seen and understood.

The poems touch on a range of really important issues and events. These poems express grief and pain, loneliness and highlights what it’s like to experience racism as a black woman. However these poems also inspire confidence, empowerment and solidarity. The beautiful words Nicholle uses are utterly awe-inspiring, poignant and move you emotionally.

One of my favourite poetry books I’ve read so far, I’m really excited to read more of Nicholle’s beautiful and mesmerising work.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I adored a few of the poems and enjoyed a few others. Some of them had me a bit lost at to what I was reading so I found myself re-reading them over, but the overall emotions from the collection was felt. Loved the talk of racism, being a black woman and her life experiences. I definitely would love to get a physical copy of this. I also enjoyed the art within the collection. For a debut, this was phenomenal.

Will y’all grow tired of me calling a collection beautiful? Hopefully not. This was raw, insightful and complicated. I truly found this so informative , it truly gave me emotions that took me a few days to reflect on. It’s truly eye opening and It never let me down.
If you haven’t read it, what are you doing?


Thank you netgalley and to the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

I loved the poetry here — it was raw and beautiful and accompanied by art that both made you feel comfortable and at home, yet still as if you were peering into someone else’s world momentarily. I loved the temporary moments of being submerged into another person’s thoughts, and this author pulled us along showing us the beauty and the bruises and everything in between. Lovely.

When a books insides match the beauty of the outside I feel like it’s this awe inspiring moment. This collection was raw, honest, beautiful and unnerving. I was so absorbed with Nicholles words.

Really beautiful and powerful poetry. Love this collection. Good for those like poems that are on the longer side or more like a story.

In her debut collection of poetry, Ramsey blends personal reflection with incisive social commentary. There is a pleasant rhythm and flow to her style, reflective of her experience as a spoken word performer, and though the language and imagery are largely straight-forward, her unique poetic voice still shines through.

Thematically the collection is certainly at its strongest when Ramsey lays bare the realities of life as a Black woman in a landscape that is inherently racist, capturing the dual persistence of oppression and resistance: “… the phoenix gains strength from / ashes / and we have been burned / for generations”. With that said, I love the way she contrasts the disdain society shows for Black bodies with the love she has come to cherish for her own Black body, some of the pieces as hopeful and celebratory as others are angry and weary.

And while she calls on history, making direct references to powerful names from the Civil Rights movement, she is also not afraid to place her work firmly in the here and now, with namechecks for the likes of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd hitting like a punch to the gut:

“history repeating, strange fruit / skipping on the record player / sandra bland knew the melody / but breonna taylor was caught off guard by the beat / we may pull up the statues, / but miss the roots / it grows, / grows like roses that bloom / in chests of young black boys / and thorns that choked george floyd / as he cried for his mother”

Rousing and impassioned, Ramsey is a poet whose future work I’m excited to follow.

Thank you to the publisher for a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Calling in Black was the realest and rawest poetry collection I think I have ever read, You read poems about mental health, but something about this feels extra honest and authentic. Nicholle Ramsey is naked in a way that's more than one of those body positivity posts you might see on Instagram. You see every fold blemish, and hair. There is nowhere to hide. The cover featuring the naked Black woman aptly encapsulates this concept.

I really resonated with these poems. Some of my favorite poems were Jean, Sometimes, and, of course, Calling in Black. Even though I don't have the same mental health struggles, I felt seen in a way I was not expecting. From the very first poem I felt this way. I loved that Ramsey framed most of her poems in a way that shows others how to love someone struggling with mental health. She i sable to have both the person struggling and their loved ones feel seen. Feeling seen is the highest complement I can give this collection because this is the closest and strongest phrase I could use to try to describe my experience with this book.

The illustrations were also a really nice touch. I love the poetry and line drawing combination. In contrast to someone like Rupi Kaur with her short, simple poems paired with her small and simple line drawings, both the drawings and poems have more complexity to them. They unapologetically take up space. Lukas Ramsey did a great job.

I would definitely recommend this poetry collection, especially to Black women.

I loved this poetry collection by Nicholle Ramsey. The poems are raw, honest, thought-provoking and beautiful

Really strong and thought-provoking writing. I really loved her voice and use of language. I would definitely recommend this!!

Nicholle Ramsey writes beautifully with poetry that speaks of honesty, experience, hurt and triumph, all while appealing to the senses. A book to enjoy and linger on.

I absolutely loved this collection. Ramsey's poetry has an automatic rhythm, so I was able to hear it the music of it in my head while reading. The subject matter jerked from intimate moments between lovers to the sensory assault of current world events, and this disorienting back-and-forth felt very true to our present moment. Highly highly recommended.

Thanks to the author for sharing her work with me

In this book you will find poems about different themes. All approached with honesty and elegance.

It was a real pleasure to read. The writing is so pleasant as well. Every words are perfectly chosen. Each words will make you fall in love more and more with this book.
My favorite one is "hands". This poem touched me in the heart.

(review on goodreads as well)

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley!

The cover of this book is beautiful. So, so beautiful.
calling in black is a powerful poetry/spoken word style book.
The writing is so emotional and raw, I couldn't stop readnig.

I'd definitely purchase a copy and check out other books by the author.

I read a lot of poetry. This collection has been my favorite so far this year. I requested an ARC copy on Netgalley, but wound up purchasing the ebook when I saw the price. The next day my ARC was approved. And now I plan on purchasing a paperback copy, one) because it was that good & two) because the formatting in the ebook is very small, even when reading on my iPad. I would definitely recommend getting a physical copy of this collection.

My favorites pieces were “Calling in Black”, “But You”, and “Phases”.

I would recommend this collection to fans of Rudy Francisco.

I absolutely LOVED this collection of poetry! BRAVO to Nicholle Ramsey on her superbly done debut, calling in black. It is sensational, celebratory, nostalgic, and rhythmic. I love a poem that I can feel and Ramsey did a job on me!

calling in black is also timely with references to social justice issues in “jesus” and “uprise”, which are easily my favorite poems in the collection and where she epitomizes telling the truth and shaming the devil. Drawing on the movements and work of Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King and how sadly not much has changed.

“...martin must be mad.
like raise your voice, pissed off mad.
he marched in washington, selma, and chicago
trying to prove black lives matter
before they turn blue.
because emmitt till and tamir rice are just kids—
were just kids.
history repeating. strange fruit
skipping on the record player
sandra bland knew the melody,
but breonna taylor was caught off guard by the beat
we may pull up the statues,
but miss the roots
it grows,
grows like roses that bloom
in chests of young boys
and thorns that choked george floyd
as he cried for his mother...”

WHEW!

I recommend this collection to anyone who enjoys poetry but anyone who just wants to feel something REAL! PS: did you happen to peep the cover???🔥

Thank you to NetGalley and Concierge Marketing Inc. for this digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

A beautiful collection of poetry that is melancholic, cozy, and bright simultaneously. Though not all poems resonated with me, there were a variety of standouts (the titular poem being one of them), that cut to emotionally honest views on grief, womanhood, and race . The writing itself is sonic and pleasant to follow, and while this particular collection may not be one of my personal poetry favorites, its short length and grasp on the above topics make it worth reading. I look forward to Ramsey's future pieces.

Thanks for letting me review this book!

This was an invigorating set of poetry -- I think some can resonate more than others depending on who is reading it. Still, I think there is this universal belonging feeling regardless. It is quite a fantastic read; I enjoyed it.