{"product_id":"joy-in-the-belly-of-a-riot-poems-prayers-memories-and-meditations","title":"Joy in the Belly of a Riot: Poems, Prayers, Memories, and Meditations","description":"\u003cdiv data-a-expander-name=\"book_description_expander\" data-a-expander-collapsed-height=\"280\" class=\"a-expander-collapsed-height a-row a-expander-container a-spacing-base a-expander-partial-collapse-container\" style=\"max-height: none; height: 280px;\"\u003e \u003cdiv data-expanded=\"false\" class=\"a-expander-content a-expander-partial-collapse-content\" style=\"padding-bottom: 20px;\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eThe acclaimed poetic force celebrates the practice of poetry as healing and prayer in this vital, life-affirming collection about surviving the void and touching the divine‚Äîthe second book in a creative collaboration between Amistad and Moore Black Press.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAt age fifteen, Barbara Fant tragically lost her mother, and her world was suddenly upended. ‚ÄúI became an angry teenager. I was mad at the world.,‚Äù she recalls. ‚ÄúI even stopped praying, but I began to write. Poetry became my way of communication, my way of processing . . . it became my way to pray.‚Äù\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRebirth, renewal, and healing are the heart of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eJoy in the Belly of a Riot.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Fant‚Äôs monumental collection is a continuation of her lifelong project of using poetry as prayer; this is healing-informed poetry to restore herself, her community, and the world. Exquisitely lyrical and boldly resonant, Fant‚Äôs poems excavate the nightmares of a childhood marked by poverty, violence, racism, and the loss of countless loved ones. Suffering seemed endemic to neighborhoods like hers, and yet, in Fant‚Äôs own words, ‚ÄúI keep trying to write about the trauma, but the joy won‚Äôt let me.‚Äù\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSteeped in a rich Black Christian tradition and drawing on Scripture for artistic inspiration, Fant‚Äôs verse offers solace and guidance for all, from the devout to the skeptical. In these poems Fant demands that we see her, and her community, throug more than our grief. As she closes this profound collection, Fant gently preaches that we choose life and reminds us that ‚Äúwholeness is our birthright.‚Äù\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eJoy in the Belly of a Riot\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is a healing balm in times of sustained uncertainty and a rock upon which we can build and sustain a foundation of joy. Fant‚Äôs essential message demands to be heard, now more than ever.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003c\/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"a-expander-header a-expander-partial-collapse-header\" style=\"opacity: 1; display: block;\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"a-expander-content-fade\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"javascript:void(0)\" role=\"button\" data-action=\"a-expander-toggle\" class=\"a-declarative\" data-a-expandev\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Amistad Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50319351447837,"sku":"9780063447899","price":13.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0901\/5692\/5213\/files\/9780063447899.jpg?v=1757019359","url":"https:\/\/bookdelico.com\/products\/joy-in-the-belly-of-a-riot-poems-prayers-memories-and-meditations","provider":"Book Delico ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}