A new poetry collection about loss, legacy and African American history, from the poetry editor of the New Yorker
*Winner of the 2026 Griffin Poetry Prize*
*Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry 2025*
'Keeping up with him is like trying to keep up with Bob Dylan or Prince in their primes' New York Times
Kevin Young's new poetry collection, written over sixteen years, tells stories of community, nationhood and resistance, inspired in part by other lives. He starts in the bayous of Louisiana, and speaks from the voices of Millie and Christine McCoy, the conjoined African American 'Carolina Twins' - born into enslavement who later toured the world as free women.
Young writes of grief and hope as familiar yet surprising states: 'It's like a language, / loss -', he writes, 'learnt only / by living - there - '. Evoking the history of poetry, Young's new collection is defiant and playful, elegant and devastating - his voice shaping sorrow with music, humour and wit.
'One of the most important poets of his generation' Washington Post
| ISBN: | 9781787335271 |
| Publication date: | 4th September 2025 |
| Author: | Kevin Young |
| Publisher: | Jonathan Cape an imprint of Vintage Publishing |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Pagination: | 176 pages |
| Genres: |
Poetry by individual poets Modern and contemporary poetry (c 1900 onwards) Narrative theme: Identity / belonging Narrative theme: Sense of place Narrative theme: Social issues |
A new poetry collection about loss, legacy and African American history, from the poetry editor of the New Yorker*Winner of the 2026 Griffin Poetry Prize**Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry 2025*'Keeping up with him is like trying to keep up with Bob Dylan or Prince in their primes' New York TimesKevin Young's new poetry collection, written over sixteen years, tells stories of community, nationhood and resistance, inspired in part by other lives. He starts in the bayous of Louisiana, and speaks from the voices of Millie and Christine McCoy, the conjoined African American 'Carolina Twins' - born into enslavement who later toured the world as free women.Young writes of grief and hope as familiar yet surprising states: 'It's like a language, / loss -', he writes, 'learnt only / by living - there - '.
Night Watch features in the following genres: Poetry by individual poets, Modern and contemporary poetry (c 1900 onwards), Narrative theme: Identity / belonging, Narrative theme: Sense of place, Narrative theme: Social issues
Paperback, Hardback. £11.70, down from the £13.00 cover price. In Stock.
Night Watch was written by Kevin Young and published by Jonathan Cape an imprint of Vintage Publishing
Night Watch has 176 pages
£11.70, reduced from £13.00. In Stock.