Terrance Hayes uses the term “American sonnet” to describe his poems in American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin as an homage both to the sonnet in America, as well as to poet Wanda Coleman, known for transforming the sonnet into a uniquely American form. Coleman specifically used the European form to articulate the Black American experience. She was also among the first poets to use the term “American Sonnet” as a distinct literary entity, and define it as an unrhymed poem of 14 lines. (Traditionally, the sonnet has a regular rhyme structure, but contemporary sonnets are often written in unrhymed verse). Hayes uses the term “American Sonnet” deliberately; he is not just writing any other sonnet but a poem in the tradition of Coleman. Thus, though Hayes is writing in the western form, he is also writing in the literary tradition of Black American poets.

The sonnet (Italian for “little song”) is a classical form dating to the late 13th century that has retained its popularity, in part because of its brief length and a structure that lends itself to twists and surprises. Originating in Italy, the sonnet was adopted by English poets from the 16th century onwards.