SONGS MY MOTHER TAUGHT ME
Why the Artist Must Take Sides
Saul Williams
Haymarket Books (8 September, 2026)
Trade paper • ISBN-13: 9798888905845 • US $14.95 • 5 in x 8 in • 200 pgs.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Award-winning poet and performer Saul Williams explores how artists today must respond to systemic violence and injustice, in the words of Paul Robeson, by choosing sides.
Songs My Mother Taught Me is a clear-eyed exploration of how writers and artists, from Amiri Baraka to local musicians in Brazilian bars to Palestinian hip-hop heads, have responded to imperialist violence, oppression, and genocide. Riffing on Paul Robeson’s famous declaration, Saul builds a provocative case for why today’s artists cannot remain neutral in the face of injustice. “We need songs that crumble empires,” he writes, “films that teach, remind, and inspire, poems that would make a despot revoke your citizenship.”
PRAISE:
Praise for ,Said the Shotgun to the Head
“The spirit of this work is infectious. A graphic poem of resistance wonderfully told through Afrofuturistic flare.”
Publishers Weekly
“Saul Williams’ new book Martyr Loser King turns cyberpunk into creative rebellion. The multidisciplinary artist’s upcoming graphic novel reframes sci-fi through a Black radical lens, spotlighting the power of community and collective consciousness.”
Essence
“A mighty talent. He takes readers on epic voyages into frontiers that offer a refreshing awakening of the mind and a roller coaster ride into an abyss of demons, deities, occult symbols, and more.”
Amsterdam News
“An invitation to live and die in the moment, a confrontation of the politics of empire, a dare to transform oneself in the face of fear and a post 9-11 love song all in one.”
Zack de la Rocha (Rage Against the Machine)
“Astonishing…poet. The internal rhyme, metrics, and imagery are so fleet…that they’re humbling.”
The Washington Post
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Saul Williams is an American filmmaker, musician, poet, writer, and actor. Author of said the shotgun to the head and the dead emcee scrolls, Williams is known for his blend of poetry and alternative hip-hop, and for his lead roles in the independent film Slam and the jukebox musical Holler If Ya Hear Me. Saul starred as preacher Jedidiah Moore in Ryan Coogler’s Sinners. Recently, he was nominated for a 2026 Grammy Award. Saul has toured in more than forty countries and lectured in hundreds of universities. He holds a BA in Theater and Philosophy from Morehouse College and MFA in Acting from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. He lives in Los Angeles, California.
RIGHTS INFORMATION:
Please contact subagents for the following languages and territories:
| Language/Territory | Subagent |
|---|---|
| China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam | Big Apple Agency |
| Dutch | Sebes & Bisseling Literary Agency |
| English outside North America | David Grossman Literary Agency |
| French | Deborah Druba Agency |
| German | Paul & Peter Fritz AG Literatur Agentur |
| Greek | Read n' Right Agency |
| Hebrew | The Deborah Harris Agency |
| Italian | Berla & Griffini Rights Agency |
| Japanese | The English Agency (Japan) Ltd |
| Korean | BC Agency, or Korea Copyright Center |
| Portuguese | RIFF Agency |
| Russia/Baltics/Eastern Europe | Prava I Prevodi |
| Scandinavia | Sebes & Bisseling Literary Agency |
| Spanish in Latin America | MB Agencia Literaria |
| Spanish in Spain | MB Agencia Literaria |
| Turkish | Anatolialit Agency |
For all other languages/territories, please contact Roam Agency.