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A Shiver in the Leaves

A SHIVER
IN THE LEAVES

BOA Editions

Nestled against the backdrop of Seattle's flora, fauna, and cityscape, Luther Hughes' debut poetry collection wrestles with the interior and exterior symbiosis of a gay Black man finding refuge from the threat of depression and death through love and desire.

Hughes draws readers into a Seattle that is heavily entrenched in violent anti-Blackness, and full of vulnerable and personal encounters from both the speaker’s past and present. With reverent and careful imagery, Hughes fashions deeply saturated, tender vignettes that reckon relationships between family and friends, lovers, nature, and the police-state.

A Shiver in the Leaves is stunningly cinematic in its layered portrayal of the never-ending dualities of a queer Black poet’s life in the city. Hughes's interrogation of selfhood renders a sharply intimate and viscerally powerful reimagining of what it means to be alive in a body, and what it can mean to live.

Artwork: Oh What a Tangled Web We Weave, Robert Ernst Marx (1925-2020)

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Praise for A Shiver in the Leaves

 

“Brutality and tenderness intertwine in this collection, which illuminates the inner life of a young gay Black man navigating desire, depression, family, and faith. Although the poems are haunted by historical and contemporary violence, they are also often rapturous, revelling in the pleasures of nature and of the body.”

— The New Yorker

“A Shiver in the Leaves is stunningly cinematic in its layered portrayal of the never-ending dualities of a queer Black poet’s life in the city. Hughes’s interrogation of selfhood renders a sharply intimate and viscerally powerful reimagining of what it means to be alive in a body, and what it can mean to live.”

— Okla Jones, Essence

"It’s hard to believe that this is Luther Hughes’ debut poetry collection, but his commitment to craft, and the poetry world in general, is nothing new. He does it all, as a writer, editor, podcaster, founder of Shade Literary Arts, and of course, practitioner of this particular art. Is it fair to say that I can’t wait for his next collection when this one is so new?"

— Mandana Chaffa, Chicago Review of Books

"A Shiver in the Leaves is not your typical curl-up-on-the-couch nature poetry book about the leaves changing color, but rather an attempt at finding a place away from violent anti-Blackness even as it continues to show up in the city and natural environment."

—Margo Vansynghel, Crosscut

“Change is enacted throughout A Shiver in the Leaves in a manner that feels fresh for its unsparing gaze, its acknowledgment of death and beauty. Hughes’ debut is a beautiful collection remarkable for its style and honesty.”

—Randy James, The Rumpus

“A Shiver in the Leaves is not only thematically absorbing but visually and sonically stunning. Every (yes, every) poem in the book foregrounds Hughes’s eye for detail and evinces his deep love of craft. Presented throughout are a range of forms and styles that complement one another like exquisite cuttings in a centerpiece.”

— Tony Leuzzi, Brooklyn Rail

“This is a book of hope, of triumph, even as each day that we wake is a triumph over how things might have been otherwise.”

— Carl Phillips, from the Foreword

 

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