Above Ground Audiobook By Clint Smith cover art

Above Ground

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Above Ground

By: Clint Smith
Narrated by: Clint Smith
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About this listen

A remarkable poetry collection from Clint Smith, the #1 New York Times bestselling and National Book Critics Circle award-winning author of How the Word Is Passed.

Clint Smith’s vibrant and compelling new collection traverses the vast emotional terrain of fatherhood, and explores how becoming a parent has recalibrated his sense of the world. There are poems that interrogate the ways our lives are shaped by both personal lineages and historical institutions. There are poems that revel in the wonder of discovering the world anew through the eyes of your children, as they discover it for the first time. There are poems that meditate on what it means to raise a family in a world filled with constant social and political tumult. Above Ground wrestles with how we hold wonder and despair in the same hands, how we carry intimate moments of joy and a collective sense of mourning in the same body. Smith’s lyrical, narrative poems bring the reader on a journey not only through the early years of his children’s lives, but through the changing world in which they are growing up—through the changing world of which we are all a part.

Above Ground is a breathtaking collection that follows Smith's first award-winning book of poetry, Counting Descent.

©2023 Clint Smith (P)2023 Little, Brown & Company
African American African American Studies Americas Black & African American Poetry Social Sciences Sociology Specific Demographics United States
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Interview: Clint Smith’s "Above Ground" Illuminates the Delicate Balance of Fatherhood

'What I want to do is have these poems serve as time capsules, almost as poetic archives...'
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  • Above Ground
  • 'What I want to do is have these poems serve as time capsules, almost as poetic archives...'

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Beautiful Poetry • Soothing Narration • Intimate Storytelling • Wonderful Writing Style
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Clint Smith’s beautiful words are made more beautiful and soothing by the richness of his voice. He paints pictures of the every day and ordinary in the most extraordinary of ways. It is an African-American family story made accessible to all.

Determined to find love in the midst of this life.

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what an awesome collection. it perfectly describes parenthood. alarm was my favorite. it describes the absolute terror of losing a child perfectly 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

love this

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What a beautiful collection of poems. He captures so beautifully the love of a parent and the magic of ordinary life. Some of his reflections on life and the connectedness to our ancestors and each other really touched my heart.

So beautiful

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I loved the way he intertwined his story with current events of the world! Perspectives of a Black father loving his wife, raising his children, while navigating through life's many events. His colorful narration kept me interested, there was something he spoke about in every. chapter that you could relate to. Great read!

Poignant and entertaining!

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Delicate. Beautiful. A perfect flow to give understanding to what it’s like to be a new parent. Worth listening to. I’m sure it is also a lovely read.

Amazing.

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Loved how the poems subjects varied from personal, parenting, social justice, trauma. Deeply moving in many areas.

Amazing!

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Word craft. Art form. Lovely images. Heartbreaking opposites. Thank you.
I Look forward to reading/ hearing more from this poet.

Beautiful

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Listening to Smith read these poems. The contours. How the collection captures so much life, including joy, pain, mystery, and mourning. How Smith captures with such intimacy the journey of becoming a father.

Awe, wonder, and heartbreak

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Clint Smith is a gifted poet. I listened to this in one sitting. I laughed and I cried. I smiled and I nodded my head in agreement. It made me think of my kids, my parents, and so much more. This is a beautiful audiobook that I highly recommend.

Wonderful book!

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Between real and fantasy! He is able to make poetry from the simplest things in life most of us take for granted. And also to speak about the atrocities that exist in our world with sensitivity, passion & sadness while leaving a glimmer of light and hope simultaneously. I will be suggesting this author to many friends & family!

Love The Intricate Balance…

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