Diamond Forde Reveals Poetry Origins
Rising poet Diamond Forde shared the origin story behind her latest collection, *The Book of Alice*, discussing her creative process and the personal, historical, and literary influences that shaped the work. The interview provides insight into contemporary poetry's intersection with identity.
*The Book of Alice* centers on the life of Diamond Forde's grandmother, Alice, who was born in the Jim Crow South. Alice later moved to New York City as part of the Great Migration, where she married, divorced, and raised eight children. The collection serves as a poetic retelling of her legacy of survival. Forde inherited her grandmother's well-worn King James Bible, and she uses its structure and language as the framework for the poetry collection. The book is organized into five sections, each named after books of the Bible, with one apocryphal addition. This framework was a deliberate choice to engage with the only form of poetry her grandmother knew and loved. The collection incorporates unconventional forms to build a fuller picture of Alice's life and Black history. These include recipes, a family tree, and a U.S. Census Report, which are presented alongside imagined psalms and scriptures. This technique draws parallels between biblical narratives and the often-marginalized experiences of Black women. Before *The Book of Alice*, Forde authored the award-winning collection *Mother Body* (2021), which also explores themes of family, identity, and the experiences of Black women in America. Forde holds a PhD in creative writing with a concentration in African American poetics and is an assistant professor at North Carolina State University. Her work has been recognized with fellowships from institutions like Callaloo and Tin House.
