Purple Book Hymns
A Pastor’s Poetic Liturgy of Poems, Prayers, and Litanies
Rev. Amiri B. Hooker

Welcome to the written world where limitation becomes liberation, and a little purple book becomes a mighty voice.

United Methodist pastor the Reverend Amiri B. Hooker was told reading and writing weren’t his gifts. Diagnosed with dyslexia and dysgraphia, he spent his early years in learning disability classes, fighting to decode the words on the page. But one teacher saw something different—and handed him a small purple book with a simple instruction: “Write in this whatever you want.”

That purple book became a sanctuary: a place where words weren’t obstacles but openings. Where faith could be felt in rhythm and meter. Where justice could be spoken in stanza and verse.

Purple Book Hymns is the fruit of that journey—a deeply personal collection of poems, prayers, and litanies born from the intersection of faith, justice, and identity. These aren’t just devotional writings; they’re declarations forged in the fire of lived experience. Here, church and culture collide. Biblical interpretation meets racial reality. Priestly liturgy expands to embrace the prophetic cry for justice.

Each poem is a prayer. Each line, a step toward understanding the divine dance between scripture and struggle, worship and witness, hurt and healing.

Whether you’re a pastor seeking fresh language for Sunday morning, a poet hungry for work that grapples with both God and the world, or simply a soul searching for words that name what you’ve always felt—this collection offers a poetic liturgy unlike any other.

This book is for those who believe words can still change us. For those who know faith must do more than comfort—it must challenge, convict, and call us forward.

Buy Purple Book Hymns today and go from struggle to sermon and from silence to song.

Praise for Purple Book Hymns

“If you really want to know the prophetic heart and soul of a poet, just read what flows from their soul. Rev. Amiri Hooker has received a gift given by a beloved teacher, who saw in him a treasure despite his early childhood struggle with dyslexia and dysgraphia, and turned it into an even more amazing gift, as witnessed in this his latest published work. I strongly recommend and encourage you to read Rev. Amiri Hooker’s continuing discovery not only of his voice but other voices that have been left unheard.”— Bishop Leonard E. Fairley, South Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church

“I’ve known Rev. Amiri B. Hooker since our Interdenominational Theological Center days (1995–1999)—he immersed in African thought, I in ethics and the craft of production. Even then, Hook’s work carried the pulse of a people and the precision of a producer.

Purple Book Hymns is that early promise fully realized: poetry, prayers, and litanies that read beautifully on the page, soar in the sanctuary, and translate seamlessly to the stage.

From a production lens, this book is program-ready. You can lift pieces as spoken-word interludes, build choral call-and-response, score processional litanies, or design community sing-ins and festival moments around its texts. It’s art with backbone—rooted in Black church tradition, alive with liberationist urgency, and crafted for intergenerational participation. The result is worship that breathes, performances that mobilize, and audiences that leave humming hope. From the poem ‘I Wish You a Mourning Christmas,’ I was hooked.

His completely genuine voice rings through—ripe with imagery to be explored on stage, in sanctuary, and in community. And the non-rhyming litanies? That’s the book’s strongest lane—the clearest expression of his theological and social-justice voice. This is where his work will land hardest in the church and in society: giving people images to wrestle with, pulling them out of the boxes of their normal religious perspectives, and causing them to speak new words of life.

If you curate worship, direct ensembles, plan festivals, or produce community arts, get this book—and get it in bulk. Celebrate its artistic impact by programming it throughout the year: Lent and Holy Week, Juneteenth and Advent, civic gatherings and neighborhood residencies. Purple Book Hymns doesn’t just inspire; it equips. I commend it wholeheartedly to pastors, music directors, dramaturges, teaching artists, and organizers who want art that heals, gathers, and moves people to action.” —Stephanie S. Scott, Arts Production and Management | Tri S Productions (Atlanta/Decatur), specializing in theatrical production, arts and music festival management, and creative consulting for arts organizations

poetry

A Healing Journey

From My Heart to Your Eyes

Purple Book Hymns