New! The Second Edition of be/trouble is here! Available wherever books are sold on 4/29/24.

This second edition of be/trouble sports a new cover featuring artwork created by renowned multimedia artist, Chelle Barbour. Inside you’ll find the poems we’ve loved with the edition of an exclusive teaching and reading guide. Get your copy today from Writ Large Press and online retailers.

about be/trouble by bridgette bianca

be/trouble is, in many respects, a love letter to Los Angeles. Even when the city isn’t formally mentioned, it is always in the backdrop, always present, and we are always aware that Los Angeles offers as much danger as it does glamour as much grit as beauty. This is the Los Angeles not shown on television and movies: the everyday minituatea of Black Angeleno life. If you’re lucky enough to be a part of it then you know this heritage was handed from one generation to the next. You know that many reservoirs of that heritage are disappearing with little acknowledgment or news. If you are lucky enough to know then you’ve already had the best catfish, you’ve been to the best card games, you’ve seen the low riders glide up Crenshaw Blvd, you’ve heard the drum circle from Leimert Park. bridgette bianca has written a book that highlights these experiences. The very least we can do is pay attention.