Grammy nominee and beloved slam poet Tarriona “Tank” Ball, of the critically acclaimed band Tank and The Bangas, debuts her poetry book, Vulnerable AF, on June 8. She will read from the collection at Garden District Book Shop at 6 p.m. Tickets for the launch party are available here.

The book is centered around infatuation, love and heartbreak as Ball recounts her very first romantic relationship. “I wrote this book without any thoughts of them ever seeing the light of day,” said Ball. “I was sad, I was happy, I was vulnerable with myself and I wrote every single feeling down. So here it is, my first book of poems, ‘Vulnerable AF.’”

In celebration of the release, Ball will bring Vulnerable AF to life with spoken-word performances across several U.S. cities this summer. The select run of dates will begin in Atlanta on July 14 and includes additional stops in New York City, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia and more. The Vulnerable AF Book Tour will also feature special guest Sha’Condria “iCon” Sibley, who is a spoken-word poet and artist. Tickets for the events are available for purchase here.

In November 2020, Tank and The Bangas released their EP Friend Goals via Verve Forecast. The new music includes numerous musical contributions from artists such as CHIKA, Duckwrth and PJ Morton as well as a number of New Orleans-based creatives. To listen to/share Friend Goals visit here.

The EP follows the release of the band’s major label debut, Green Balloon, which arrived in 2019 to widespread critical praise including performances on TODAY and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Book tour dates and locations are as follows.

July 14—Atlanta, GA—City Winery Atlanta
July 16—Alexandria, VA—Birchmere
July 17—Philadelphia, PA—City Winery Philadelphia
July 18—New York, NY—City Winery New York
July 20—Boston, MA—City Winery Boston
July 23—Chicago, IL—Thalia Hall
July 24—Cleveland, OH—Music Box Supper Club