A review by markoestes
Ceremonies: Prose and Poetry by Essex Hemphill

5.0

Essex Hemphill’s Ceremonies is an experience every black gay male from various walks of life and ages should endure. The prose and poetry between this under 200 pager is concrete evidence that what black gay men and black people in general are currently experiencing in 2018 is nothing new. In fact, it’s quite sad that the trails blazed by Hemphill, Joseph Beam, Assotto Saint, Marlon Riggs, and others ‘grew cold’ in recent years in some areas, but that we’re still facing resistance to the revolutionary act of black men loving black men as well. Hemphill is/was a godsend and Ceremonies has truly changed my life for the better.