“Readers open to gaining new perspectives and languishing in artful language will appreciate Jones's (Lullaby for the Grieving) enlightening tribute to the works of legendary Black women poets.”

“Ashley Jones’ What the Mirror Said: The Necessity of Black Women in Poetry is a radiant call to celebrate the enduring power of Black women’s voices. Through tender and powerful essays that move between the personal and the scholarly, the ancestral and the everyday, this collection insists that poetry is not a luxury—it is survival, sanctuary, and call to action. Each essay honors the brilliance, courage, and honesty of Black women poets whose words have shaped Ms. Jones’s world—and ours. This collection of insight, gratitude, and proclamation reminds us that to read Black women’s poetry is to experience the divine and unwavering pulse of freedom.”

“What the Mirror Said is a bold exploration of aesthetics, history, and personal voice. Ashley M. Jones honors the Black women who reshaped American poetry, from Phillis Wheatley to the present, by blending cultural history with lived experience to show how these poets transformed language and challenged power. This vital book stands as both a tribute and a testimony, showing how Black women redefined what poetry can be.”