Inspired by the Alice Childress novel (and subsequent movie) A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich (Hero), Nadir uses prose and verse to loosely chronicle Black people's tenuous relationship with the United States. From being stripped of our identities and having unhealthy false identities supplanted in our collective subconscious, to fighting back against our arrested development, to wrestling away the mental, physical, and spiritual wealth of Black folk, to a hopeful recovery, we aim to thrive where surviving was once our norm.The death of Mrs. Childress' fictional Carwell was arguably the nadir of Hero and definitely rock bottom for Benji. And as Black men we honor "Carwell" and "Benjie." We honor the Carwells and Benjies who have left us and those who are still here. Nadir is written from that lens.