This collection changed my view on modern poetry. Up until this point, I was very happy continuing to read old favourites of mine like Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton, and I wasn't too sure what I made of modern poetry with collections like Milk and Honey floating around, which is not at all to my taste. I can't quite explain what made me give Smith a chance but I'm endlessly thankful that I did. This is now one of my favourite poetry collections of all time. Visceral, aching, true, and heartfelt, Don't Call Us Dead explores race, gender, and sexuality in a voice completely Danez's own. So many poems in here left my insides knotted and twisted, blood cooler and heart heavier. No collection has done that to me since To Bedlam and Part Way Back (Sexton) and it has given me so much respect for modern poets. There is so much to be talked about in terms of race and sexuality, especially in these current times, and poets like Danez Smith are vital and need to be heard.