subhuman: Poems by Kashawn Taylor Review: A Debut Collection of Incarceration, Identity, and Refusal

subhuman is a full-length debut poetry collection that Kashawn Taylor wrote during his incarceration. As Wayfarer Books describes it, the collection is "a searing and deeply necessary" work that examines imprisonment not merely as physical confinement but as a systematic process of erasure — of identity, dignity, and humanity. Through the lens of a Black, queer man navigating life behind bars, the poems confront the stark realities of incarceration across its physical, emotional, and spiritual dimensions, while also carving out space for survival, imagination, and art.

Taylor's collection arrives at a charged cultural moment. Wayfarer Books situates subhuman explicitly within the ongoing crisis of mass incarceration, which disproportionately impacts Black and brown communities, and within the documented heightened risks of violence and discrimination that LGBTQ+ individuals face in prison settings. By grounding the poems in his own lived experience as a Black, queer man, Taylor brings intersecting vulnerabilities into sharp poetic focus — making the collection a contribution not only to contemporary American poetry but to a longer tradition of prison literature and queer testimony. The title itself, subhuman, signals the dehumanizing logic the poems set out to expose and dismantle.

Despite being Taylor's debut, the collection has already drawn notable literary attention. His poem "These Headphones Should Be Free" was featured in the April 2025 issue of Poetry magazine and is available on the Poetry Foundation website — a significant platform for any poet, particularly a debut voice. Poet Darcie Dennigan has described the book as "an impeccable and radiant cri de coeur," a blurb that positions subhuman firmly within the company of poetry that demands to be heard. Taylor holds a BA in English and Psychology and an MA in English and Creative Writing, and his work has appeared in publications including the Prison Journalism Project, The Indiana Review, Querencia Press, Fugitives and Futurists, and The Shore Poetry — a wide editorial range for a writer still building his public profile.

At approximately 80 pages, subhuman is a compact collection — the kind of focused, concentrated work that the debut poetry form often rewards. It is available in Kindle edition with enhanced typesetting enabled. The collection speaks to readers already engaged with poetry as a form, and particularly to those drawn to socially urgent writing — work that documents systemic injustice from the inside rather than the outside. Readers seeking lyric interiority alongside political indictment, or those interested in queer Black voices in contemporary American poetry, will find subhuman directly addressed to their interests.

If you're seeking testimony from inside the prison system—a voice that refuses the dehumanizing logic of incarceration through lyric power—subhuman earns its place on the shelf. The Amazon link in the sidebar has the current price.