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Featured Book for March 2025

Glory, Too: Poems

by Nikki Grimes

Winner of the Coretta Scott King Award, and New York Times bestselling author Nikki Grimes introduces Glory, Too, a soul-stirring collection of poetry that delves into the depths of faith, hope, and the human experience by one of America’s preeminent black poets.

In a marriage of poetry, faith, and worship, Ms. Grimes’ poems illuminate the Scriptures that grace every Sunday of the year. Her inimitable voice and imagination offer glimpses of glory we might not otherwise see, throughout the seasons of the year.

With lyrical precision and spiritual insight, she invites readers on a journey of reflection, weaving together themes of grace, redemption, and the enduring power of God’s love throughout the year.

As the companion volume to her previous book Glory in the Margins: Sunday Poems, Glory, Too resonates with authenticity and depth, giving testimony to the transformative power of poetry and the enduring hope found in the embrace of God’s eternal grace.

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Community Questions

Community Questions from Claudia Love Mair

Part I

  1. Glory, Too is structured around the seasons, based on the liturgical year. How did this structure inform your reading of the work?
  2. A poet finds their way into a poem in a variety of ways. The same can be said for readers. How did you find your way into the poems as you read? Were any easier or more challenging to read, and why?
  3. Nikki’s “Sunday poems” are inspired by the sermons preached in her worship services. Did any of the poems feel “preachy” to you? What was your overall experience of the poems knowing they’re based on sermons?

Part II

  1. Nikki’s work is also personal, reflecting her experience as a Black woman of faith. Did any poems feel challenging to relate to, or were you able to find the universal in the her specific experiences?
  2. In the poem "Worship Walking", (p.9) Nikki writes about the weightiness of worship and beautifully describes worship experiences. What does worship mean to you? What does it look and feel like?
  3. In the poem "Allegiance", Nikki writes: "False gods and prophets/run rampant in the world,/their tongues comfortably curled/around the latest lies.” How do these lines reflect current events?

Part III

  1. Holding a position of Poet Laureate of her church is something one doesn’t find often. If there were a creative practice you would love to see added as an official position in places of worship what would it be?
  2. If you use a creative practice as worship what is it? If you don’t, but had the desire and opportunity to, what would it be?
  3. Read the poem "Shadowed Perspective" on page 38. What do you think Nikki means by shadowed perspectives? What comes up for you when you read the lines, “to follow in his footsteps/is a call that galls.”?

Part IV

  1. Pages 126-127 has the poem "Words." Share what the power of words means to you.
  2. In the poem "Weaponry" (p.128), Nikki writes, “A mighty thing, I’ve seen a word/walk right off the page.” When considering how words can be weaponized, share when have you felt something like what these lines describe while reading?
  3. Inspired by a poem in Glory, Too, write and share your own poem.