RaveColumbia JournalDanez Smith’s newest collection, Homie, takes their readers on a dazzlingly divine, chaotic, radically loving, and politically astute hang-out ... Smith observes the world around them with a sense of beautiful kindness ... Smith creates solidarity amongst marginalized people and their ancestry by forging a table and then giving a seat to everyone worthy. There is a comforting kindness that they bring with the words. It’s silly, campy, but teeming with truth ... Community and love can even be found in mourning and change, at least in their poems, ‘happy hour’ and ‘waiting on you to die so I can by myself.’ These poems, which resonated with me the most, exist in the book back-to-back, and I am thankful for that. They follow a tenderness, a swallowing that is hard to describe ... Smith goes on to tell harsh truths about love, friendship, HIV, and cancer. By taking an honest look at these relationships and issues that affect many people’s lives, they create a welcoming feeling for their readers. If you didn’t before, you should feel welcomed now.
