Milking Black Bull: 11 Gay Black Poets

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Summary: black gay poets
Review: Though this book was published after the tremendous success of "Brother to Brother" and "Tongues Untied", it is actually more affiliated with Other Countries, an East Coast black gay writing collective, established before those works. The devastating impact of AIDS on black gay men is apparent here: not only is the book dedicated to the deceased such as Essex Hemphill and Assoto Saint, but also 2 of the 11 poets had already succumbed to the virus. With all this talk of "SGL," "thugz", and "the down low," it may surprise many that there are many black men who do identify as gay. The poetry here is short. There is a larger text by 100 black gay poets refereneced here. Still, if you love black gay writing and want to support independent presses, do find this book.