Poetically Black: Reflections on African American Joy, Sorrow, and Healing

Janis Leslie Evans is a graduate of Howard University where she earned a master's degree in counseling psychology from the School of Education. She received her bachelor's degree in psychology from Buffalo State University in her hometown of Buffalo, New York. As a licensed professional counselor and founder of Evans Counseling & Consultation, PLLC, her career spans over 30 years in mental health. As a debut author, Janis wrote her first book, Recollections About Race: Getting to the Roots and Healing, self-published in November 2021. Emotionally gutted by a flood of memories after witnessing the video of the brutal murder of George Floyd, Janis wrote about events she experienced over her lifetime. The events she details are common and relatable to African Americans, particularly Black women, who were triggered by the cumulative effects of witnessing the racial upheaval and protests of the summer of 2020. Recollections About Race served as a springboard for her second book, which illuminates her love of poetry. She illustrates in poetic form the common experiences of a Black community living everyday life in America. Poetically Black: Reflections on African American Joy, Sorrow, and Healing, tells the stories of a people who have struggled to survive and heal amidst the impacts of racial trauma. Janis composed most of these poems between 2006 and 2023.