Februaries - by Michele Evans (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Michele Evans, the author of the poetry collection purl, returns with februaries-a chapbook of poems inspired by her participation in the National African American Read-In (AARI) founded by the Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). Chronicling and preserving the achievements and contributions of ancestors Harriet Tubman, Billie Holiday, Maya Angelou, and others, februaries, a museum constructed of poignant poems diverse in form, reminds readers: Black History is American History, and it should be "celebrated, appreciated, and narrated" well beyond the annual 28-day observance.

Inspired by the literary tradition established by an assembly of living legends from the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, such as Dr. Joanne V. Gabbin and E. Ethelbert Miller, Evans, a fifth-generation Washingtonian (D.C.) and English teacher, revisits significant and complicated moments from America's past to spark necessary and challenging conversations about the future of humanity.

Review Quotes

I received my ABSOLUTLEY BEAUTIFUL copy of februaries today! Thank you @awordsmithie for this homage to black history, black literature, black artists, and black excellence. Its beautiful! So honored to be a part of this!

--Instagram @kianeink

"Evans is precise but never stiff, and her poems speak to her audience with both humor and weight. She treats history as a conversation rather than a monument, and she rewards readers willing to engage with that dialogue."

--Hannah Grieco, washingtoncitypaper.com/article/778918/spot-lit-booked-for-2026