The first book-length study on the writings of two-time National Book Award-winning author Jesmyn Ward This collection of essays provides a comprehensive account of an author who is quickly becoming one of the most read, studied and taught contemporary writers. Ward's treatment of contemporary Black life in the US and her commitment to community and care through the exploration of historical and present-day violence resonates in other Black and marginalised communities the world over and is central to what makes Ward an urgent, critically important voice in contemporary literary studies. This volume responds to the depth and resonance of Ward's writing, which to date includes three novels, a memoir, an edited collection of essays and a set of personal essays. It is broad and ambitious in scope, mirroring the richness of Ward's oeuvre, and it brings together a diverse and dynamic range of approaches that reflect the scholarly conversations in which Ward is embedded. Sheri-Marie Harrison is an Associate Professor of English at the University of Missouri. Arin Keeble is a Lecturer in Contemporary Literature at Edinburgh Napier University. Maria Elena Torres-Quevedo is a trade union organiser based in Edinburgh.