As a recipient of the MacArthur "Genius" Grant, and a Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Master Teacher at Clemson University, author J. Drew Lanham would be undoubtedly qualified to explore man's relationship with nature in a wide-reaching, academic context if he so wished. Instead, with Joy Is the Justice We Give Ourselves, he opts for a much more intimate and personal approach, exploring the joy and escapism afforded him by spending time surrounded by nature, and the much-needed respite it grants him from the anxieties of existing as a Black man in modern America.

The collection is split loosely into two sections, titled "To Notice" and "To Be Wild." This feels like a subtle nod to the shifting of seasons over time, which is a recurring motif throughout the poems. Even more, it emphasizes the book's core message, which sees Lanham entreat the reader to set aside time to observe the ...