Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Out NOW: MARIPOSAS - A Modern Anthology of Queer Latino Poetry

New this week, from Floricanto Press, "MARIPOSAS: A Modern Anthology of Queer Latino Poetry" edited by Emanuel Xavier.

Here is what people are saying:
Just as blood curses through our queer Latino veins, so does a complex and sometimes contradictory history. The words captured in this volume of poetry perfectly capture a moment in time in which we all are in flux and yet still very much grounded in the moment. Personally, these poems speak to my being, my sexuality, my erotic desires, my future hopes and my wishes for new generations and yet they also stand for the danger that those words might also be fragile and easily forgotten. It is up to the reader to make these words count for something. And, simply said, it's just an amazing and moving collection of poems that truly represents who we are as queer Latinos at this crucial moment in time.
Oh wait! I think I wrote that! Embarrassingly, it ended up on the book jacket! Well, I meant it and don't just take my word for it.

Here's the legendary Felice Picano:
An 800-year-old tradition of Hispanic poetry gets a substantial augmentation, and at the same time, a wondrous makeover, with the rich, varied, sensual, often bi-lingual work in this collection. It helps that the translations by Xavier are so true; and that the poets amassed from all over the Americas, are mas o menos gay in subject matter and attitude.
And here is reviewer Richard Labonte writing in his Pride Source column "Book Marks:"
The 17 writers collected in Xavier's dynamic anthology of contemporary Latino poets make up a real mosaic. Some are American-born, others hail from Argentina, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. Their poems are in English, in Spanish, even in "Spanglish"; some are bilingual, and a few Spanish-language poems also appear in English, translated by Xavier - a vibrant diversity connected by mutual queerness and common themes. One such theme is sexual desire: "Why, my God, do I like men so much?" Daniel Torres wonders, and "Suddenly, our sex lives were full of safety drills," Rane Arroyo laments. Another is defiant anger: "There are not enough hate crimes/ to kill us all," Yosimar Reyes declares in memory of murdered queens, and "You call me wet back/ Yes my back is wet/ Wet of sweat/ Wet of blood," Xuan Carlos Espinoza-Cuellar cries in the face of immigrant-bashing. Xavier is a generous editor: instead of compiling a "greatest hits" sampler of one or two poems by many poets, he has opted to limit the number of contributors, giving each a real showcase for his talent.
Anyway, it IS a great book and you should really get yourself a copy. It's exclusively available here.

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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Wow! Thank you so much, Andresito! I'm really glad you enjoyed the collection and thank you so much for providing such a wonderful book blurb. I should be getting the contributor copies within the next couple of weeks and you'll be sure to get your own autographed complimentary copy. Love ya ;)