Spectral Evidence, Gregory Pardlo’s first major collection of poetry after winning the Pulitzer Prize for Digest, moves fluidly among considerations of the pro-wrestler Owen Hart; Tituba, the only Black woman to be accused of witchcraft during the Salem witch trials; MOVE, the movement and militant separatist group famous for its violent stand-offs with the Philadelphia Police Department (“flames rose like orchids . . . / blocks lay open like egg cartons”); and more.
Gregory Pardlo
These two poems are from Spectral Evidence. Longlisted for the National Book Award for poetry, Pardlo’s collection is a powerful meditation on Blackness, beauty, faith, and the force of law, from the author of Digest and Air Traffic.
Theater Selfie
Charm for Enduring the Dark Night of the Soul
Franz Boll (1849-1879)
P. Robin (1821-1885)
