A Little Daylight Left - by Sarah Kay (Hardcover)

About the Book

"From somewhere down a hallway of locked doors, a voice asks, / What if you aren't as bad as you suspect you are? / What if you'll never be as good as you ache? Beloved spoken word poet Sarah Kay brings us her long-awaited second full-length poetry collection, a decade after her acclaimed debut No Matter the Wreckage. In A Little Daylight Left, Kay explores life's most vulnerable moments of transition with courage, curiosity, joy, and humor. Each poem invites readers to consider what it might look like to boldly face the hard things we so often run from-a heartbreak, an ailing loved one, the fear that comes with new beginnings and uncertain futures. The result is a blueprint for discovering beauty in all that makes us human. With her signature wit and wisdom, Kay shows us how to navigate life bravely, with every single part of ourselves"--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

"[A] vulnerable collection about facing the good, the bad and the ugly of our humanity with grace and curiosity."--USA Today (New Must-Read Poetry)

"This is a book that will make you feel simultaneously alive and less alone."--Hanif Abdurraqib, New York Times bestselling author of There's Always This Year

from somewhere down a hallway of locked doors, a voice asks / What if you aren't as bad as you suspect you are? / What if you'll never be as good as you ache?

Lauded poet Sarah Kay brings us her long-awaited second full-length collection, a decade after her acclaimed debut No Matter the Wreckage. In A Little Daylight Left, Kay explores life's most vulnerable moments of transition with courage, curiosity, joy & humor. Each poem invites readers to consider what it might look like to boldly face the hard things we so often run from--a heartbreak, an ailing loved one, the fear that comes with new beginnings & uncertain futures--& to celebrate what we hold dear. The result is a blueprint for discovering beauty in all that makes us human. With her signature wit & wisdom, Kay shows us how to navigate life bravely, with every single part of ourselves.

Review Quotes

"This is a book that will make you feel simultaneously alive and less alone."--Hanif Abdurraqib, New York Times bestselling author of There's Always This Year

"[A] vulnerable collection about facing the good, the bad and the ugly of our humanity with grace and curiosity."--USA Today, "New Must-Read Poetry from Joy Harjo, Ada Limón, Tracy K. Smith and more"

"As a celebrated spoken word poet, Sarah Kay is a writer particularly attentive to how poetry sounds aloud. Reading her work on the page, you can hear how effectively she imbues conversation with the elixir of melody. In her new collection, A Little Daylight Left, I love the way her poems create the illusion of accessibility--the sense that she's just describing something ordinary, until that gives way to the realization that she's plotted another ambush of insight."--The Washington Post Book Club

"I have been anxiously awaiting Sarah Kay's next book of poetry for years, and my god was it worth the wait. The poems in A Little Daylight Left beautifully excavate the expansive emotional landscape of family, friendship, love, and memory. They revel in gratitude and refuse to turn away from despair. These poems remind me what it is to be human. They remind me why Sarah Kay is one of my favorite writers."--Clint Smith, #1 New York Times bestselling author of How the Word Is Passed

"A Little Daylight Left is an instance of wisdom and soul rising to meet the urgency of its world. Sarah Kay's poems are conscious that they will be read by people with minds just as complex as her own. . . . There's no condescension, no sneering or smug back-patting to be found. There's just Kay's often hilarious, always shattering clarities--a big, brilliant mind tethered to a big, brilliant heart."--Kaveh Akbar, New York Times bestselling author of Martyr!

"A Little Daylight Left is made up of the kinds of poems you should share, memorize, and use as a beacon to guide yourself back to your boldest and most wonder-full you. A joy to read."--Elizabeth Acevedo, National Book Award‒winning author of Family Lore

"Within the pages of A Little Daylight Left, Sarah Kay carries the poetic tradition of discovery and recovery. She is a prized memory keeper, offering readers a compass at the intersection of who you are and who you are brave enough to become. These poems are the homecoming you didn't realize you needed."--Mahogany L. Browne, author of Chrome Valley

"Poet and spoken-word artist Sarah Kay's A Little Daylight Left is an accessible collection that invites readers--even those new to poetry--to fall in love with the form. . . . Kay's poems are meant to be heard, singing off the page and asserting their songs through stylistic choices. . . . A Little Daylight Left is a truth teller's song, enchanting and honest."--Shelf Awareness, starred review

About the Author

Sarah Kay is a writer, performer & educator from New York City. She is the author of four other books of poetry: B, No Matter the Wreckage, The Type & All Our Wild Wonder. Kay is the founder & co-director of Project VOICE, an organization that uses poetry to entertain, educate & empower students & educators in classrooms & communities worldwide.