A Little Daylight Left Poems

A vulnerable, searching collection about facing the beautiful and difficult parts of our humanness with curiosity and compassion, from the celebrated spoken word poet Sarah Kay.

from somewhere down a hallway of locked doors, a voice asks, / What if you aren’t as bad as you suspect you are? / What if you’ll never be as good as you ache?

Beloved spoken word poet Sarah Kay brings us her long-awaited second full-length poetry collection, a decade after her acclaimed debut No Matter the Wreckage. In A Little Daylight Left, Kay explores life's most vulnerable moments of transition with courage, curiosity, joy, and humor. Each poem invites readers to consider what it might look like to boldly face the hard things we so often run from—a heartbreak, an ailing loved one, the fear that comes with new beginnings and uncertain futures. The result is a blueprint for discovering beauty in all that makes us human. With her signature wit and wisdom, Kay shows us how to navigate life bravely, with every single part of ourselves.

Sarah Kay is a writer, performer, & educator from New York City. She is the author of four other books of poetry: B, No Matter the Wreckage, The Type, & All Our Wild Wonder. Kay is the founder & co-director of Project VOICE, an organization that uses poetry to entertain, educate, & empower students & educators in classrooms & communities worldwide.