When We Only Have the Earth

Abdourahman A. Waberi is a poet, novelist, and essayist. He was born in what is now known as the Republic of Djibouti and is a major voice in African postcolonial studies. Waberi is the author of the novel In the United States of Africa (Bison Books, 2009) and has received a multitude of awards and honors, including a PEN France prize and, most recently, a medal from the French Academy. He is an associate professor of French at George Washington University. Nancy Naomi Carlson is a poet, translator, and essayist. She is the recipient of two translation grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the winner of the 2022 Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize. She is the author or translator of fifteen books, including her poetry collection Piano in the Dark and her translation of Samira Negrouche’s poetry collection Solio.

"Lyrical and evocative, this newly published collection takes the reader on a journey throughout North America, Africa and Europe that encourages them to recognize the healing power of love in restoring the Earth."-Seattle Times “In this wonderful collection we encounter a poet who moves deftly from the political to the intimate with an impressive sense of play. There is a tone to the work, carried over into this remarkable translation, of the studied, sharp, witty, and yet poignant ways in which French language writers approach the world. From Derrida (yes, I think of him as a poet) to the engagement of Nganang, we see a lineage and skill and craft that make for the uniqueness of this tradition, and certainly of the lyric work in this collection. Abdourahman Waberi invites us into a deeply felt and artfully wrought collection. We are enriched for reading it.”-Chris Abani, author of Smoking the Bible and Sanctificum

• AcknowledgmentsTranslator’s NoteDare to Turn into EarthOne Saturday in VirginiaOpen AirWonder TrainBas-relief-Three Images in OneA Touch of Salt on My ConfessionIn SicilySahel! Sa(y) Hel(lo)In PennsylvaniaInterludeA Short Ballad to Lull the HorizonHere I AmHere Comes SummerKneading Love!Every Being Is UniqueMy Silence Told MeIt Won’t Be LongSoliloquyHairless StumpsTaking RefugeAfrokhoÏ sapiens: A pictoem in five scenesGenesisFiat LuxTransvaalThirstTranceAfter All