Tiana Clark’s collection reads like both a love letter to poetry and a tribute to the poets who have shaped her. Her deep affinity for the art form is evident in the way she masterfully weaves lines and references from her favorite writers throughout the book, creating a kind of living homage. These poems function as an archive not only of the speaker’s personal experiences but also of broader historical moments and cultural touchstones. Clark’s frequent allusions feel both playful and purposeful, inviting the reader into a larger literary conversation. I found these intertextual moments especially engaging, as they enriched the emotional and thematic layers of the work. But what stood out most was the raw honesty that runs through the collection. With vulnerability, Clark explores themes like divorce, Blackness, queerness, self-worth, desire, and shame. Her voice is fresh and deeply resonant, being relatable while still emotionally charged.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This wasn't my usual type of poetry but the poems were very raw and honest. I enjoyed reading them.

Described as crossing borders between “ruined and radical love,” I can say that most of these poems ruined me.

I found myself shocked and drawn in by the pain and the healing Clark must’ve felt in writing them. I found myself lost in the words of growth, both reminding me of my own healing and goals. I found myself learning of experiences other than my own and the Black Joy that radiates from her words.

Absolutely incredible. I already bought a copy for myself.

Listen... I love Tiana Clark. If she writes it, I will read it.

I find it odd that ratings for a poetry collection are lesser when a reader "can't relate" with a poetry collection. What does that have to do with the merit of the work? Imagine going through life only reading things you relate to. But I digress.

Tiana Clark writes with such heart and clarity and fury.

I really enjoyed Madison as it looks at white area/people and Black lives matter signs along with her epilogue as we are the same age so that one with kids hit home. Black Bachelorette was also a great poem. She moves between Black joy and sorrow and just life, I can’t wait to read more of her poems.

"𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴, 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘵."

It's so hard to review poetry - I think both writing and reading it are such personal experiences - but I can tell you that Tiana Clarky wowed me with 𝗦𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗗 𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗛.

At times, I almost felt like I was sitting on a therapy session, listening to the author's most intimate confessions. The poems are vulnerable and touching, and I love how Clark works in so many diverse cultural references. One even includes a nod to Cardi B in and a line from John Keats. If that doesn't sell you, I don't know what will!

Thanks to Atria Books and Washington Square Press for the copy to review.

If I am being completely honest, I am finding it really hard to put words into this review because I am not sure how I feel about the collection of poetry. I have just finished it and while the language is very beautifully written in the first 20% of the collection, I feel like the last 80% of the collection was really all over the place and made the collection drag on. Normally, I am able to finish a collection of poetry within a couple hours but this one I did not enjoy like I thought I was going to.

What a surprise this has been! A very solid poetry collection full of vivid, sensual imagery. It addresses Black pain extensively and yet underneath it is a current of life, pleasure and hope that reaches and holds on to Black joy.

In a way, the poems constitute an archive—of the personal life of the speaker, certainly, but also of historical events and cultural artifacts. I found the extensive references engaging and playful (and anyone who so openly praises Ross Gay not one, but several times, automatically gains points in my book). Lastly, I liked the metalanguage, the self-awareness of the poems as objects—it always makes me think an author has deeply considered their craft and that's something I appreciate as a reader. If I had to pick one favorite poem it would have to be "Broken Ode for the Epigraph", so full of delightful images! I will keep an eye on this author.

Thanks to the publisher for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I must start by saying that I am not the primary intended audience for this thematic collection of poems. As a single never-married hetero White woman, there were some poems that, while I could appreciate their structure and cadence, I could never fully "get" due to lack of shared experiences. But there was just something about this collection that clicked with me. Oftentimes, I felt like a voyeur on a private therapy session. Other times, I was a fly on the wall during a stream of consciousness talk with oneself. What I appreciated most was the incorporation of pivotal influences in the poet's development, historical references from her collegiate education in Africana and Women's studies, musical influences, and even nature. The dedication to her craft was apparent. These poems felt fresh and unique and unable to be put in a singular box. 

Thank you to Atria Books | Washington Square Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is a wonderful collection. Clark’s poetry beautifully navigates the complexities of respect, self-love, and the emotions tied to living in a body that isn’t always treated with care. Her writing is soft yet full of strength—it captivated me from the first page. I had to really sit and marinate in what I had just read, in between some of the poems. What talent.

(Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!)

Tiana Clark's stream of consciousness flow is absolutely the truth in all of us. I found myself in so many of her phrases.

"Ellipsis, then I forget.
I balk.
I lazy the bed.
I wallow when I write.
I truth when I lie.
I throw a book when a poem undoes me."

This is a memoir so personal and brokenly honest, it feels like walking in someone else's pajamas. Such a visceral experience.

And Cardi B is a must-listen. IYKYK

Clark might say her work is own voices, black joy, post-apocalyptic ("The end is not near but behind us.")

And now I must find Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude. And, honestly, the works in the author's notes are a veritable bookstore shopping list.

Thank you Netgalley for the arc. This was beautifully written. I really enjoyed this book and the cover is very pretty.

I decided to read this because the cover made me feel like I was going to get something raw and real - I was absolutely right. The author lays herself out there for all to see and judge. The poems are not pretty and unified, they are messy and uncomfortable just like life. No matter your background this selection of poems will make you look inside yourself and confront your own dark corners. Fantastic job!

3.75

📚 Review: This was very vulnerable and lyrical. Tiana Clark’s poems were real and stream of consciousness, and I enjoyed this collection. Some were breathtaking, and some didn’t resonate as much, but overall, this was strong. The pieces about the little things when someone leaves like needing to fill the dogs water bowl hit hard.
One of my favourite quotes:
”I regret that I was capable of causing pain. I think it’s important to implicate the self. The knife shouldn’t exit the cake clean.” (Quote added to review after publication date.)
💫 Rating: 3.75/5

This was a great collection of poetry. Vivid, visceral and engaging. I wasn't sure about the beginning but the further I got in the more I enjoyed the collection. The organization of the collection added to it and I hope to see more poems from this author in the future.

Thank you to Net Galley and Atria/Washington Square Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. This was an emotional and memorable collections of poems written after her divorce which formed several poems about love and loss as well as topics as life and love in general, the Black Bachelorette, the politics of educational institutions, and racism. I very much enjoyed her last collection of poems and this one was wonderful as well. She is able to go to deep places and put it in to words that are lyrical, raw and touching.

✷ updated review 2025/03/14

“I think it all takes courage: falling in love, staying in love, leaving love that no longer serves you, loving yourself—”


⤷ thoughts:

i rly liked the way the poems were arranged, as well as the expression in them 💝 i thought personally the first around half was less enjoyable than the last half, but that's all person preference, anyway. i think this is an especially moving collection esp in all the feelings & thoughts expressed!

thank you to netgalley for the chance to review!

This poetry collection celebrates Black identity, womanhood, queerness, and more. It pairs traumas of life with joy, love, and attraction. It was not my favorite poetry collection because it didn’t necessarily resonate with me, but I can still appreciate it for the value & representation it brings.

Poems & Poetry are not my usual reading. But this book was fantastic. The poetry opened my eyes and made me feel all sorts of things. I really enjoyed reading this book.

I'm on a journey to find poetry I love, and while this one didn't quite hit the mark for me, I can appreciate the vulnerability and attention to detail and language that Tiana Clark put into this collection. Scorched Earth is a poetry collection that explores themes of finding oneself after divorce, selfhood, queerness, and much more.

The lyricism of the collection was, in my experience, its strength but also its weakness. At times, I really enjoyed the language and the use of imagery, but other times it seemed to get in the way - an abundance of line breaks, and sometimes jarring disruption in diction and tone.