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"Embark on a Poetic Journey of Identity and Resilience with Assimilated Natives: A Collection of Borderland Poems Exploring the Complexities of Chicanx Heritage in America"Discover the world of ASSIMILATED NATIVES, a compelling collection of borderland poems that delves deep into the intricate identity of a third-plus generation Chicanx. Through the eloquence of poetry, the author embarks on a poignant and introspective journey, shedding light on the profound impact of forced assimilation into American culture on the intricate tapestry of cultural practices. These poems intricately weave a narrative that vividly portrays the disruption and transformation of age-old traditions, capturing the struggle of navigating the tension between heritage and assimilation."In ASSIMILATED NATIVES, Gume Laurel shares stories about grief and identity, about history and conflict, about the desire to find love and 'to be at home and whole in [his] own skin.' It's a rare thing to find a poet so willing to be open with his heart, so real. Laurel speaks from the border the way that many of us who carry the border within us recognize intimately--because the border never leaves us, because the border shapes the way we think and breathe and love and write."--ire'ne lara silva, author of Cuicacalli / House of Song and the eaters of flowers"Gume Laurel III's poetry is a bold examination of the self as it explores the interstitial spaces of his native borderlands in beautifully crafted poems. The ghost of a culture lost through generational assimilation roams this collection, and Laurel, like so many of us, must confront the complexities of the specter to come to terms with it. Poems like 'Little Joto' and 'A Heritage Reborn' are potent reminders that borders are inherently queer spaces, and that identity is ultimately fluid. A thoughtful and moving collection of essential poetry for our time."--César L. De León, author of Speaking with Grackles by Soapberry Trees"ASSIMILATED NATIVES is a deeply introspective collection of poetry that explores the multifaceted nature of cultural and personal identity. Gume delves into the themes of love, grief, mental health, queerness and latinidad, exploring the challenges of finding a sense of belonging in the Rio Grande Valley, where the border between the US and Mexico blurs. He grapples with the impact of assimilation on self-expression, questioning what it means to truly belong in a world that values conformity over authenticity. In this collection he has found a way to harness his voice to challenge readers to reflect on their own identities, and the impact of assimilation on our society." - Chibbi Orduña, author of Otro/PatriaPoetry. Literary Nonfiction. Family & Relationships. Latinx Studies. LGBTQ+ Studies.

In his debut full-length poetry collection, Alejandro Jimenez takes readers on a journey of self-discovery and introspection as he grapples with the profound concept of 'home.' With a new and old country as his backdrop, he skillfully weaves a tapestry of verse that delves into the essence of belonging, identity, and the interconnectedness of people, culture, nostalgia, and the beautiful complexities of the human spirit.

The speaker of these poems is a keen observer of the flora and fauna, including humans, in this rugged country of arroyos and high sierras.

Azans for the Infidel is an exploration of spirituality, identity, and the human spirit's resilience in the face of adversity. It challenges readers to reflect on the complexity of religious experiences and the significance of finding acceptance within oneself, even in a world that often demands conformity. It celebrates the beauty of embracing one's uniqueness and navigating life's uncertainties with unwavering authenticity. Sujash Purna takes the reader on a journey of hope for those who feel estranged from societal norms and expectations, encouraging them to find solace in their individuality and strength in their diversity.

From a diverse, working-class Queens neighborhood emerge Joe Benevento's coming-of-age poems of promise, misconnection, and loss. Yearnings that are undone by youthful awkwardness, peer pressure, the strictures of grownups, happenstance, and the passage of time, as when chipping collected rocks in the cellar of a boyhood friend and "... aware almost anything / could happen. This very next rock might shine / flecks of gold or hopeful bits of green beryl precious / to us, cementing our friendship on the dusty cellar / floor, until time, like someone's tidy mother, / would discard the evidence forever." Benevento reminds us that each passage of life is a coming-of-age; each entailing the acquisition of mixed memories; each providing a bittersweet bonding with time itself. Mark Belair

Born in the Wrong Desert is Misha Tentser's debut chapbook poetry collection. Tentser writes "I'm a lost Jew born / in the wrong desert, / I feel my insides twist toward Jerusalem," Despite Tentser's apprehension, he steps back to examine the southwest desert that he carries from birth. Collecting the names of people and stories who helped make this desert his home. Steeped in story and poetic language, Tentser delivers a terse morsel of his world- Ukraine and Russian-adding yet another layer of cultural diversity and language into the richness that is the southwest.

"The poems of Diana Riviera's collection Heartache are Muted Colors are tough and durable as cacti in the desert and bright as the flowers that bloom atop their spines. They sing of Latina pain and empowerment, of girlhood and motherhood in a body and country that betray--and yet the speaker rises valiantly through personal, social, and cultural trauma. At the heart of this collection is a spiritual battle where the speaker's Ancestors guide her, where the Moon offers guidance, and the Spirits help the speaker rebuild her altar, one lyric at a time. Gorgeous work."--Jenn Givhan, author of Belly to the Brutal and River Woman, River DemonPoetry. American. Hispanic & Latino.

Infinity Ends Soon recreates the search for two characters in two different historical moments and countries: Marcos, a contemporary Colombian mathematician, and Georg Cantor, a 19th Century Russian mathematician. The narrator, Joseph, and Marcos meet by chance in a mental hospital in Montería where Marcos relives the past in Medellín, his youth, the women he loved, the violence he experienced in his beloved city, and his obsession with the late work of Cantor. Marcos is determined to solve the infinite and finish Cantor's controversial, mathematical work that only leads him to mental decline and isolation from society. In the tradition of Jorge Luis Borges, Joseph Avski delivers a powerful, intellectual and often humorous tale full of mathematical revelations, dramatic tension, and lyrical solvency. Infinity Ends Soon is translated by Mark McGraw with sophistication and sensitivity to language and details that only an accomplished translator of literary works can accomplish. The book was first published in Spanish in Colombia in 2015 by Emecé Colombia Editorial and taught at universities throughout South America.

"Born and raised in Compton, California, Richard Vargas is seeped in the culture of his youth-the fresh beans and tender tortillas, the addict father and close families and cool lowrider. He suffered and delighted in the expectations of his gender, including the sense that a willing woman or couple of beers could sweep the blues away. He served in the military, graduated from an MFA program too late in life to reap its employment benefits, acquired a profound political sensibility, and kept on going back to the world for more," writes Margaret Randall in her introduction to How a Civilization Begins. In his characteristically candid American vernacular, Richard delivers once again a poetry collection that explores the intersection between the personal and the political, and the grief of losing a father to addiction and its lifelong consequences. Vulnerable and raw at once, Richard does not sugar-coat the realities of living in a time of contradictions and political divisions.