Thea Matthews’ second poetry collection, GRIME, is part of City Lights Books’ Spotlight Poetry Series and was selected by Publishers Weekly as one of their Most Anticipated Poetry Books for Fall 2025. Writing in conversation with collections such as Claudia Rankine’s Don’t Let Me Be Lonely: An American Lyric as well as Patricia Smith’s Blood Dazzler, Matthews writes dramatic monologues to engage with and subvert US culture’s dependency on racialized violence.