Build Yourself a Boat
First edition cover | |
| Author | Camonghne Felix |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Poetry |
| Publisher | Haymarket Books |
Publication date | 2019 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (paperback, hardback), ebook |
| Pages | 72 |
| ISBN | 9781608466115 |
Build Yourself a Boat is a 2019 poetry collection by Camonghne Felix, published by Haymarket. It is Felix's debut full-length poetry collection.[1][2]
Reception
Build Yourself a Boat was longlisted for the 2019 National Book Award for Poetry.[3] It was also a finalist for the 2020 PEN/Open Book Award.[4]
Reviewing the collection for The Kenyon Review, Ari McMullen described the book as formally attentive to revelation, withholding, and self-assembly.[5]
In The Rumpus, Emily Pérez wrote that the collection explores the tension between self-reliance and isolation, and discusses personal and societal harm in relation to Black womanhood.[6]
References
- ^ "Build Yourself a Boat". Haymarket Books. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
- ^ "Camonghne Felix". PEN America. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
- ^ "Build Yourself a Boat". National Book Foundation. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
- ^ "2020 PEN America Literary Awards Finalists". PEN America. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
- ^ McMullen, Ari. "On Camonghne Felix's Build Yourself a Boat". The Kenyon Review. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
- ^ Pérez, Emily. "To Survive the World: Build Yourself a Boat by Camonghne Felix". The Rumpus. Retrieved March 6, 2026.