“ I think over time you learn to see magnificence in unlikely places”
Michael Kleber-Diggs
Worldly Things (Milkweed Editions, 2021) is a poetry collection by Michael Kleber-Diggs exploring the juxtaposition of everyday life and systemic issues in America, particularly the Black experience. Diggs reflects on writing as an act of care—rooted in intimacy, empathy, and presence.
LISTEN
In this powerful episode of Black Market Reads, host Lissa Jones sits down with award-winning poet Michael Kleber-Diggs to explore the depth and intention behind his collection Worldly Things. Their conversation moves fluidly between poetry, fatherhood, community, and the responsibility of bearing witness, as Diggs reflects on writing as an act of care—rooted in intimacy, empathy, and presence. From reimagining masculinity in his poem “Coniferous Fathers” to interrogating media narratives and honoring lived experience, Diggs invites listeners to slow down and engage more fully with the world and each other. Grounded in the traditions of Black literature and shaped by his work as a mentor and prison writing instructor, this episode is a thoughtful meditation on how small, intentional acts—on and off the page—can ripple outward with profound impact.
GO DEEPER
Lissa asks Michael about the title Worldly Things. Referring to a Gwendolyn Brooks poem he deeply loves, “An Aspect of Love, Alive in the Ice and Fire.” Michael says, “There’s this moment where she writes, ‘because the world is at the window, we cannot wonder very long.’ But that’s very much how I feel—I am a worldly thing. I’m a human being. I’m one of eight billion people here right now. And there is tremendous complexity in humanity: all kinds of people, all kinds of conditions—some benign, some malevolent, and some somewhere in between. That’s just part of the human condition.”
This is an image of Man Dies After Coma from Worldly Things. A poem about the death of Freddie Gray, comparing an imagined journalist’s account to the imagined editor’s revisions. LISTEN for Michael’s reading at 32:50 of this episode.
Michael refers to the titans of Black poetry including Danez Smith and Patricia Smith, both have been guests on Black Market Reads. LISTEN to their conversations with Lissa here:
BLUFF with Danez Smith
INCENDIARY ART with Patricia Smith
DON’T CALL US DEAD with Danez Smith
LEARN MORE about the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop
The cover image of Worldly Things is from photographer Wing Young Huie’s Lake Street series.
The young men are playing basketball. In the original photo, you see the bottom of the net. Milkweed, received permission to crop that out so that what remains is an image of active men looking up aspirationally.
Order your copy of Worldly Things or the audio book from Milkweed here, or from your favorite independent bookseller.
While walking his dog after the murder of George Floyd, Michael found joy and strange comfort in Chocolate by Big Boi.
What is Michael Reading?
ENJOY!
Black Market Reads is a product of The Givens Foundation for African American Literature produced in partnership with iDream.tv. Our production team for this episode includes co-producers Lissa Jones and Edie French, technical director Paul Auguston, the voice Yo Derek, and our artist of inspiration Ta-coumba T. Aiken.