Side Notes from the Archivist: Poems

The award-winning, genre-crossing writer demonstrates her power as a funkadelic and formidable feminist voice in this rich and beautiful collection of verse and image—a multi-part retrospective that traverses time, space, and reality to illuminate the expansiveness of Black femme lives.

Voted one of the Best Books of 2023 by the New York Public Library.

Side Notes from the Archivist is a preservation of Black culture viewed through a feminist lens. The Archivist leads readers through poems that epitomize youthful renditions of a Black girl coming of age in Philadelphia’s pre-funk ’80s; episodic adventures of “the Black Girl” whose life is depicted through the white gaze; and selections of verse evincing affection for self and testimony to the magnificence within Black femme culture at-large.

Every poem in Side Notes elevates and honestly illustrates the buoyancy of Blackness and the calamity of Black lives on earth. In her uniquely embracing and experimental style, Anastacia-Reneé documents these truths as celebrations of diverse subjects, from Solid Gold to halal hotdogs; as homages and reflections on iconic images, from Marsha P. Johnson to Aunt Jemima; and as critiques of systemic oppression forcing some to countdown their last heartbeat.

From internet “Fame” to the toxicity of the white gaze, Side Notes from the Archivist cements Anastacia-Reneé role as a leading light in the womanist movement—an artist whose work is in conversation with advocates of Black culture and thought such as Audre Lorde, Amiri Baraka, and Nikki Giovanni.

How does one archive a life, a culture, a revolution?

• Experimental Poetry: A unique, genre-bending style that mixes verse, prose, lists, and images to create a truly "funkadelic" reading experience.
• 1980s Philadelphia: Vivid snapshots of growing up in the pre-funk era, from the rhythms of Solid Gold to the taste of halal hotdogs from the corner bodega.
• Cultural Criticism: Sharp analysis of the white gaze and systemic oppression, alongside powerful homages to icons like Marsha P. Johnson.
• Preservation of Black Culture: The Archivist's mission in action, documenting and celebrating the buoyancy, calamity, and magnificence of Black femme lives.