Sports Royalty
2 total works
Charles R. Smith Jr. brings his high-energy verse to praise a new generation of WNBA basketball stars, paired with dynamic photos of the players in action.
Are your moves as smooth as A’ja Wilson’s? Do you make the game look effortless like Sue Bird? Are you a complete player like Candace Parker? A scoring machine like Diana Taurasi? Whether it’s the towering Brittney Griner, or Elena Delle Donne doing her thing, or Breanna Stewart with her big bag of tricks, Charles R. Smith’s indomitable wordplay revels in the superb talents of thirteen of the best female players in basketball. Matched with kinetic, stylized photos of the players, these upbeat poems capture the elite agility and skills the professionals bring to the game. End notes delve into how the author uses a variety of poetic forms and language to spotlight each athlete.
Featuring the players:
Sue Bird
Liz Cambage
Elena Delle Donne
Skylar Diggins-Smith
Brittney Griner
Jonquel Jones
Nneka & Chiney Ogwumike
Candace Parker
Breanna Stewart
Diana Taurasi
Courtney Vandersloot
A’Ja Wilson
Are your moves as smooth as A’ja Wilson’s? Do you make the game look effortless like Sue Bird? Are you a complete player like Candace Parker? A scoring machine like Diana Taurasi? Whether it’s the towering Brittney Griner, or Elena Delle Donne doing her thing, or Breanna Stewart with her big bag of tricks, Charles R. Smith’s indomitable wordplay revels in the superb talents of thirteen of the best female players in basketball. Matched with kinetic, stylized photos of the players, these upbeat poems capture the elite agility and skills the professionals bring to the game. End notes delve into how the author uses a variety of poetic forms and language to spotlight each athlete.
Featuring the players:
Sue Bird
Liz Cambage
Elena Delle Donne
Skylar Diggins-Smith
Brittney Griner
Jonquel Jones
Nneka & Chiney Ogwumike
Candace Parker
Breanna Stewart
Diana Taurasi
Courtney Vandersloot
A’Ja Wilson
From Charles R. Smith Jr., with striking artwork by Adrian Brandon, comes an exuberant collection of poems honoring a dozen outstanding baseball stars from the Negro leagues.
Ladies and gentlemen,
the man you came to see,
strolling onto the field
cool
and confidently . . .
Baseball has been and always will be America’s pastime. And with the creation of the Negro leagues, men who were denied the chance to play professionally were finally able to participate in the sport they loved. The Negro leagues were always a richness of talent; it provided a space for community and inspired a passion for baseball for all who came to watch. Nothing beat watching iconic players like Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, and Willie Wells. They, along with the nine other players celebrated in this collection, changed the trajectory of baseball forever with their incredible versatility in both skill and athleticism. Charles R. Smith Jr.’s dramatic and energetic poems are written with undeniable care as he pays homage to twelve of the greatest Black baseball players to ever play the game and are accompanied by stunning illustrations by Adrian Brandon. Back matter presents player notes and more context about the Negro Leagues.
Ladies and gentlemen,
the man you came to see,
strolling onto the field
cool
and confidently . . .
Baseball has been and always will be America’s pastime. And with the creation of the Negro leagues, men who were denied the chance to play professionally were finally able to participate in the sport they loved. The Negro leagues were always a richness of talent; it provided a space for community and inspired a passion for baseball for all who came to watch. Nothing beat watching iconic players like Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, and Willie Wells. They, along with the nine other players celebrated in this collection, changed the trajectory of baseball forever with their incredible versatility in both skill and athleticism. Charles R. Smith Jr.’s dramatic and energetic poems are written with undeniable care as he pays homage to twelve of the greatest Black baseball players to ever play the game and are accompanied by stunning illustrations by Adrian Brandon. Back matter presents player notes and more context about the Negro Leagues.