Rice

“Rice feeds readers who are hungry for the deep love and lyricism that imbues Black life. Nikky Finney is a writer who carries the traditions of her ancestors with the exquisite care they deserve.” —Evelyn C. White

“Her voice is stronger, clearer, and yet more gentle than ever. I essentially think a meal should consist of meat and potatoes. After reading Finney I find myself longing for the smell, the taste, the comfort of rice.” —Nikki Giovanni

“Be Warned: This collection is not simply a bowl of steamed Carolina Gold rice. This pot is well seasoned, rice boiled in pot liquor from greens, tomatoes, and okra—with a lovely edge of sweetness.” —Bernice Johnston Reagon

"It is my conviction that Nikky Finney brings a distinctive voice to American letters that needs to be heard." —Kwame Dawes, African American Review 

"While Rice is a deeply personal book, as the family photographs accompanying the poems make clear, it also situates the personal within a larger history, reminding us that personal history is already social, and that history is personal." —Jonathan Butler, The Jasper Project