While romance book series and rom-coms certainly ... celebrated Black beauty and Black love in “Poem—To the Black Beloved.” ...

Open any poetry book for proof: You’ll find love poems for romantic moments ... a huge upsurge in art and literature in the Black American community in the early 20th century.

Romantic poetry has the power to capture love in its most profound, passionate, and enduring forms. These poems remind us that love is universal, spanning centuries, cultures, and languages.

Revered Black queer poet and activist Essex Hemphill’s literary works have finally returned to print in a newly released collection called Love is a Dangerous Word: the Selected Poems of Essex ...