Ask a Bookseller: ‘Black Liturgies’ by Cole Arthur Riley

On The Thread’s Ask a Bookseller series, we talk to independent booksellers all over the country to find out what books they’re most excited about right now. When asked for a recommendation for our ongoing Books of Hope series, China Reevers of Country Bookshelf in Bozeman, Mont., turned to a book on her shelf that she’s gifted many times: Cole Arthur Riley’s “Black Liturgies: Prayers, Poems, and Meditations for Staying Human.” “I think it is just a beautiful text that is so rich.” Reevers, who was raised Catholic but now describes herself as spiritual, describes this genre-blended collection as one that you can read in any order, choosing the selections that speak to and nourish you. The book includes snippets of poetry from well-known writers as well as Bible selections paired with Riley’s poetry, meditations, and breathing exercises, with room for reflection for readers. The first half of the book has chapters with universal themes, including love, fear, doubt and hope, while the second half reflects on specific holidays, including Juneteenth and the Christian season of Lent.  Reevers says Riley writes from their Black queer experience in an open-hearted way that encourages connection. Reevers' favorite chapter right now is about wonder: “It starts with snippets of words from Octavia Butler and then Elizabeth Alexander, followed by a letter that the author is writing about what they’re experiencing in their day and finding wonder in the mundane, just watching a grandfather and a child try to find fly a kite.“And then after that, there is a bit of poetry, and then these different prayers. I think these are all very open to interpretation. There’s prayer for finding beauty in the mundane, a prayer for marveling at your own face, a prayer for stargazing... “I think often when reading things, you get to pick and choose. You get to read something that you may not think is completely for you, but you find that it is for you in the bits and pieces that you get to connect with and you get to find grounding in.”