Sorrow Is Not My Name

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 2011

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Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Further Reading & Resources

Related Poems

"To the Young Who Want to Die" by Gwendolyn Brooks (1986)

The poem Gay’s “Sorrow Is Not My Name” answers is a direct address to the contemporary young people of Brooks’ time, begging them to resist the pull of death and violence in favor of seeking out and celebrating current and future life. At an event celebrating the poet Emily Dickinson, Brooks gave a reading of a number of poems, including “To the Young Who Want to Die.” You can listen to the recording of her reading at the Dickinson Electronic Archives.

"A Poem in which I Try to Express My Glee at the Music My Friend Has Given Me" by Ross Gay (2011)

Another poem from Gay’s 2011 collection Bringing the Shovel Down, “A Poem in which I Try to Express My Glee at the Music My Friend Has Given Me” utilizes meandering free verse, anaphora, and lush sound texture to express joy and evoke the powerful, full-body experience of music.

"A Small Needful Fact" by Ross Gay (2015)

Published in 2015 as a part of Split This Rock’s The Quarry: A Social Justice Poetry Database, “A Small Needful Fact” is a single stanza, one sentence poem that takes Eric Garner as its subject, offering an exquisite, human portrait of the man in the wake of his death at the hands of a New York City police officer.

"Sunday Morning" by Wallace Stevens (1923)

One of Stevens’s most famous works, “Sunday Morning” is a meditation on death, beauty, and joy, and how these things are intertwined and related.

Further Literary Resources

"Encore: Ross Gay Writes 'The Book Of Delights'" (2020)

In this 2020 interview with NPR’s Ari Shapiro, Gay discusses his recent book of essays, The Book of Delights, highlighting his writing process, and his philosophy and approach toward joy in everyday life.

"Delightful Observation: An Interview With Ross Gay" (2020)

A 2020 interview between Cassandra Lipp of Writer’s Digest and Ross Gay gets to the root of the relationship between poetry and prose writing, and offers advice to aspiring writers.

"Gwendolyn Brooks" The Poetry Foundation

The Poetry Foundation website offers a comprehensive overview of the life and work of Pulitzer Prize winning poet Gwendolyn Brooks, including links to a number of her most important works and related articles. Her poetry collections and other writings across the decades led critic George E. Kent to declare that she held “a unique position in American letters. Not only has she combined a strong commitment to racial identity and equality with a mastery of poetic techniques, but she has also managed to bridge the gap between the academic poets of her generation in the 1940s and the young Black militant writers of the 1960s (“Gwendolyn Brooks.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation).

"Searching for Gwendolyn Brooks" by Bernard Ferguson (2021)

In his article for The Paris Review, poet and essayist Bernard Ferguson discusses how his experience with Ross Gay’s poetry, particularly “Sorrow Is Not My Name,” led him to discover the Gwendolyn Brooks poem that inspired it. From there, he discusses Brooks’s work and her legacy in detail, citing its particular importance for Black poets and writers.

"Wild Love" by Kyla Marshell (2015)

In an interview with poet Kyla Marshell after the publication of the critically acclaimed Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude, Gay discusses the role of gardening in his life, and how it relates to his writing process.

Listen to Poem

Ross Gay—"Sorrow Is Not My Name" with Sam Gendel

Independent record label Jagjaguwar combined a recording of Gay’s poem with music and visuals in this video rendition of “Sorrow Is Not My Name.” Released as part of the album Dilate Your Heart, the project includes a number of musicians engaging with Gay’s poetry.

Ada Limon reads "Sorrow Is Not My Name"

In this video for Smith College, Poet Ada Limón reads and considers the poem she wishes she had read when she was first beginning to write poetry. Drawing on her personal experience, Limón discusses the value of paying attention and looking for the sweet, joyful things in life, even while experiencing difficulty.