I can't wait to see youuu!

my new book of poems, Florida Water, comes out on June 3rd....

dear kin and folk,

i want to see and be with you in person. i will be sharing poems from my new book and in conversation with some incredible people this upcoming week of the release for Florida Water on June 3. here are the dates beginning TODAY in DC, there are only four:

MAY 30th in DC
JUNE 3rd in MIAMI w/ NADEGE GREEN
JUNE 4th in NYC w/ EDWIDGE DANTICAT
JUNE 7th in LOS ANGELES w/ ROBIN D.G. KELLEY

it has been nearly 8 years since i released my first full collection of poems. im nervous and excited. im looking forward to finally let go of this deeply personal and political collection. these poems are the culmination of sitting with poems that were written over the six years where i lived in South Florida and organized among the cultural workers of our community. a lot comes up for me with these poems. ways i once saw the world, relationships that have shifted, and relocation to another part of the country. i am better for the lessons they reveal and i am finally ready to let go and release them. i pray that they will resonate and reach whoever finds community within them. so it would mean the world to have your presence and support.

Florida Water is a collection of poems that, like the cleansing waters of spiritual baths, rinse, reflect, and reveal the raw truths that lie within.

In this vulnerable meditation, i reflect on my migration to South Florida in search of love, connection, and belonging, unearthing the delicate balance between the poet, lover, and community organizer. These poems lay bare the tender dance of relationships, entwining the personal with the political, as they confront the state’s fractured history of racial prejudice, marooned peoples, and the unruly forces of nature.

In Florida Water, each poem is an artifact—an offering from my time spent wading through the rising tides of climate change, heartbreak, and systemic violence. With each line, i hope to immerse us deeper into the water, where the currents of memory, struggle, and survival pull us toward both despair and hope.

Seeing you all at a reading would be intimate and special at this time. looking forward and if you aren’t able to make it, no worries. all i ask is if you can spread the word and support by ordering the book here.

much love and gratitude to y’all.

always,
aja