Video by Riverchild Media, LLC; Audio by Demola; Author Photo by Chen Li

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No Sweet Without Brine: Poems

Pub Date: 04/04/2023

Cynthia Manick’s sophomore poetry collection is an elegiac ode to Black womanhood in four parts, both soulful and celebratory. Life’s satisfying moments are captured in odes to Idris Elba’s dulcet tones on a mediation app, half-priced Entenmann’s poundcake, and observations of parental Black love. The sour taps into an analysis of the reality of history, silencing catcalls on the street, and detailed recipes, and advice to Black girls forced to endow themselves with armor against the world.

With piercing language, Manick captures the universality of life for a narrator who dares to exist between youthful remembrances and adult experiences. Each poem suggests a hint of sorrow, which make the celebration and recognition of Blackness in all ways that much sweeter. No Sweet Without Brine makes you agree to follow Manick’s mantra of “I want us living, not just alive.”

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