Praise for BLERD
“Chris L. Butler’s debut micro chapbook not only gives voice to a generation of popular culture, but also it weaves together these icons to define the word blerd, which is a portmanteau of Black and nerd. Within the landscape of BLERD: ‘80s BABY, ‘90s KID, we revisit Hip-Hop’s Golden Era, when the Notorious B.I.G. and 2Pac ruled the scene. We also return to Saturday morning cartoons and video game classics like Super Mario Brothers and Grand Theft Auto via poetic verse steeped in rap diction and nostalgia. Through it all, the book offers a sense of what it meant to be shaped by nineties culture into a blerd of the time.”
–Quintin Collins, author of The Dandelion Speaks of Survival
“Chris L. Butler is speaking to a young blerd’s heart. Butler’s smooth flow helps us remember growing up in an era of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and prime Snoop, Dre, Biggie, Pac was all about being Black enough to know the Crip Walk, and nerd enough to have a shiny Charizard stashed in an old card tin under your bed. Butler offers a strong mix of hip hop lyrics and Nickelodeon nostalgia, ‘it would’ve been a new baptism into the Holy Church of Kablam, where Nick Toons were gospel, Cousin Skeeter was the pastor, & Keenan was the deacon.’ This collection guides us back through the WWE, Mario World, and Jay Z standom. These are the poems I needed to make me feel like a kid again.”
–Jason B. Crawford, author of Summertime Fine and Twerkable Moments
Chris L. Butler (he/him) is an African American and Dutch, Pushcart Prize nominated poet, and essayist from Philadelphia, PA and Houston, TX. His debut chapbook, BLERD: ’80s BABY, ’90s KID (Daily Drunk Press) was released in August 2021. He is an Editor at Bending Genres.