About this item
Rich in religious and artistic imagery, Trouble the Water is an intriguing exploration of race, sexuality, and identity, particularly where self-hood is in constant flux. These intimate, sensual poems interweave pop culture and history - moving from the Bible through several artistic eras - to interrogate what it means to be, as Austin says, fully human as a "queer, black body" in 21st century America.
About the Author
Derrick Austin was born in Homestead, Florida. He received a BA from the University of Tampa and, in 2014, an MFA from the University of Michigan. He is the author of Tenderness (BOA Editions, 2021) , winner of the 2021 Isabella Gardener Award, and Trouble the Water (BOA Editions, 2016) , selected by Mary Szybist for the 2015 A. Poulin Jr. Prize. A Cave Canem fellow, he is the recipient of fellowships from The Wisconsin Institute of Creative Writing and Stanford University. He currently lives in Oakland, California.
