Like A Hammer is an anthology of poems that unearths the shared traumas produced by America’s incarceration system.These powerful poems of witness seek to address the oppressive systems that make up the US prison-industrial complex, revealing cracks in a criminal punishment system that too often appears unchangeable. The impacts of that system reverberate through lives and across generations. The poets gathered here aim to foreground the real experiences of people touched by the system, to upend dominant narratives, shine light on injustice, and act as a fulcrum around which to organize communities in support of change.Like A Hammer explores how art and imagination can serve as vehicles for endurance, offering us the hope to envision a better future.Contributors include: Hanif Abdurraqib, Rhionna Anderson, Brian Batchelor, Reginald Dwayne Betts, Marina Bueno, Cody Bruce, Marcelo Hernandez Castillo, Natalie Diaz, Tongo Eisen-Martin, Nikky Finney, Kennedy A. Gisege, Gustavo Guerra, Jessica Hill, Vicki Hicks, Randall Horton, Sandra Jackson, Catherine LaFleur, Ada Limón, Sarah Lynn Maatsch, Christopher Malec, Eduardo Martinez, John Murillo, Angel Nafis, Kenneth Nadeau, Leeann Parker, James Pearl, Christina Pernini, Roque Raquel Salas Rivera, Patrick Rosal, Nicole Sealey, Evie Shockley, Patricia Smith, Sin á Tes Souhaits, Vanessa Angélica Villarreal, Erica "Ewok" Walker, Candace Williams, and SHE>i Reading and Discussion Guide Download here. What People Are Saying “This poetry obliterates all that we have been told about the imprisoned, their families, their communities.” Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, from the foreword“Like a Hammer is an abundance—of brilliance, of wisdom, of compassion, of joy as an antidote for pain, and hope that beats back despair." Mitchell S. Jackson, author of Survival Math: Notes on an All-American Family“Like A Hammer gathers voices we must uplift, and in so doing, uplift ourselves.” Khadijah Queen, author of Radical Poetics: Essays on Literature & Culture“With nuance and rhythm, these poets take up the mantle of modern blues singers, witnessing America’s incarceration problem with heart and soul. ” Caits Meissner, editor of The Sentences that Create Us
