'' The Fire This Time '' is an anthology of 18 writers contributing essays and poetry to three movements entitled " Legacy " , " Reckoning " and " Jubilee " . Reviewing the collection for '' The New York Times '' , Jamil Smith described the anthology as " deal ing with everything from the Charleston church shooting to OutKast ’s influence to Rachel Dolezal ’s chicanery , all through a black lens that is still too rare in literature and elsewhere . The pain of black life ( and death ) often inspires flowery verse , but every poem and essay in Ward ’s volume remains grounded in a harsh reality that our nation , at large , refuses fully to confront . In the spirit of Baldwin ’s centering of black experiences , they force everyone to see things our way . " In the '' San Francisco Chronicle '' , Imani Perry described Ward 's collection as " a composition made by someone who is as careful a reader as she is a writer . Ward is attuned to the spirit of this moment and she is its conductor , gifting insight to us all . " Dwight Garner particularly praised contributions by Ward , Rachel Kaadzi Ghansah , Carol Anderson , Kevin Young , and Garnette Cadogan , saying their works are " e ach ... so alive with purpose , conviction and intellect that , upon finishing their contributions , you feel you must put this volume down and go walk around for a while . "
Charleston church shooting
Charleston church shooting
The Fire This Time (essay collection)