182 full color pages, paperback, signed by the author
Black Jelly is the first solo book of poetry by Melanie Maria Goodreaux merged with personal photos and select photography of Nikki Johnson. Both artists bask in African-American eccentricities while mixing emblems of southern roots, religiosity, sex, death, and transformation. The two bring their southern roots to the work.
Black Jelly
"Here is Black Jelly. With verve, with power, with provocative flair, Goodreaux honors the body electric, the fullness of her mind, and strength of her humanity. Forged by the heat of history and cultural geographies, we go places where fig leaves fail to hide, folk wisdoms that celebrate divine visions and black womanhood."
— Major Jackson, author and one of New York Times' Black Male Writers of Our Times, Poetry Editor at the Harvard Review.