“Everyone spoke underwater; I could only / hold my breath to listen for so long. / I did learn the water carries its own song.” – Michelle Peñaloza, “POST DIASPORA”
Autumn is allegedly here. Yes, it’s the good days—pumpkin and maple flavors everywhere, still grillin weather, the kids are in school. Personally, I maintain that September is an extra summer month. I’m actually not quite ready for pumpkin and maple (though oh boy will I be soon). Kayaking season is probably over, but that doesn’t stop me checking the weather. 77 or over is a reasonable threshold for kayaking. And I like my kayaking with a side of poetry.
What I’ve Been Reading This Week
FOUR BOOKS OF POETRY. Yes, I am trying to clear out some TBR. The year’s almost over! Plus, all of these books sorta went together. I’m talking, of course, about Former Possessions Of The Spanish Empire by Michelle Peñaloza, Diary Of A Proletarian Seamstress by Victoria Guerrero-Peirano, translated by Anastatia Spicer and Honora Spicer, Koan Underwater by Juan José Rodinás translated by Ilana Dann Luna, and The Equestrian Turtle And Other Poems by César Moro, translated by Leslie Bart and Esteban Quispe.
Former Possessions Of The Spanish Empire by Michelle Peñaloza: a collection that lived up to the hype of its name! I expect, with a name like that, for a collection to be wall-to-wall bangers. What exactly is contained within those bangers is flexible, but here’s a solid start: poems that are rigorous about family, poems that address diaspora, poems that are curious about/celebratory of Filipino culture (Michelle is the daughter of Filipino immigrants, born in the suburbs of Detroit), poems about relationships gone well and gone wrong (including a few poems about surviving sexual assault). No line is ever easy, but the poems don’t feel difficult. More like, Michelle’s language is precise. She’s having a second thought, then editing that thought until the line is just right. At the same time, she’s not afraid to bluntly state something, drive a point home. I’m so happy I picked this collection up. This book is good enough to make me excited about AWP. What else is waiting on those book fair tables?
Diary Of A Proletarian Seamstress by Victoria Guerrero-Peirano, translated by Anastatia Spicer and Honora Spicer: it’s a slim chapbook—44 total pages, with original Spanish on the left side page and English on the right—but it’s powerful. These poems knot together the idea of sewing, weaving, embroidery being passed from generation to generation (or not), capitalism swallowing the art of sewing with dangerous sweatshops, and a “the more things change/the more they stay the same” theme connecting the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire to current sweatshop conditions. The translator’s note from sisters Anastatia and Honora Spicer is well worth reading. The struggle of proletariat must be international. All of this is tied together beautifully in a stunning hand-bound book from Cardboard House Press. Seriously, check out this press’s stuff. Gorgeous. Hey, speaking of—
Koan Underwater by Juan José Rodinás translated by Ilana Dann Luna: back at AWP2025 in Los Angeles, Laura Villareal showed me this and Proletarian Seamstress in their cardboard-board glory, and I had to pick up my own copies. For one, my son is super into cardboard art, and I wanted to show him some art you could do with books. I wanted to reward that kind of care and craftsmanship. For another, it’s just not hard to sell me on works from South and Central America in translation with even mildly interesting premises. This chapbook ekphrasistically engages with classical composers, like Dvorak and Cage. I don’t know enough about koans to see these poems as koans, but they are rigorous interrogations, and I suppose I saw some riddles here. Some great questions in these poems, and obviously, some great water imagery. If I’d thought about it, I’d have read these poems while listening to the music they’re in conversation with—next time.
The Equestrian Turtle And Other Poems by César Moro, translated by Leslie Bart and Esteban Quispe: a full-length from Cardboard House, but not bound in cardboard. This one really blew me away. Feels like I’ve been talking, both on Line Break and on here, about poetry that aims for the next level, poetry that’s really dazzling. These lines are dense and loaded, but then again, César Moro was a surrealist. Born in Peru, he mostly wrote in French and lived in Mexico. He’s consciously overloading poems with wild imagery, he’s writing into the surrealist project and involved in leftist political movements. There’s also a ton of heartache in these poems—Moro was queer and in a relationship with Mexican army officer Antonio Acosta. Well, Moro was way more into than Antonio was. Some love letters are attached at the end of the book, and they’re n interesting contrast with the poetry. The writing is still dialed up to 11, but there’s no ambiguity or symbols to decipher. César is down bad, and Antonio is cold. The book ends with a poem entitled “Love Letter,” which ties the two mediums together in really interesting ways. I’m sure glad this book is on my shelves. Can’t wait to read it again.
LINKS!
Something to listen to while you browse? I didn’t stop after last week, I went out and found another Los Mirlos KEXP performance!
- This Week In ICE: hey, quick note: I’m pre-writing some columns because of a few scheduling things happening this fall. As such, “This Week In ICE” is going to get far less comprehensive for the foreseeable future, and might disappear from a few Friday Links. That doesn’t mean ICE is any less of a threat worth monitoring—they are getting worse every day. I am just benching myself, briefly, from totally cataloging everything. For now. Anyway: Chicago ICE team seen threatening drivers has roamed from Illinois to Minnesota to Virginia by Steve Held, Raven Geary, and Dave Byrnes in Unraveled, ICE officer faces federal charges for lying over shooting of Venezuelan immigrant by Ryan Lucas and Ximena Bustillo in All Things Considered, Trump’s DOJ Blocked Serious ICE Shooting Charge Over Federal Prosecutor’s “Strongest Possible” Objections by Megan Rose and Andy Mannix in ProPublica, Reports of ICE surge in Indianapolis prompt congressional inquiry by Zak Cassel in WFYI
- World must look to the past to prepare for likely unprecedented El Niño by Sean Mowbray in Mongabay
- Every Right On Red Frays The Social Contract A Little Further by Felix Kent in Defector
- Blast fishing destroys reefs. Underwater microphones can help detect it by Syris Valentine in Mongabay
- Hey I don’t do show announcements usually because I don’t go to a lot of shows, but this seems pretty cool on 9/11: Punk Black FOH Fest champions Black and Brown punk and metal and says no to ICE by Jamie Ludwig in Chicago Reader
What’re you still doing here? Hey, I took a little trip back to 2006 this week.
If you work in the service industry, may you clean up in tips this weekend. Read Proletarian Seamstress for a little pick-me-up this week. Well. That’s entirely the wrong word. More of a James Bladwin, “reading connects us to the struggle of everyone who has ever been born” type of way, that “you think your pain is unique in the world then you read” type of way. Hang in there, homies.
Sorry you got an email,
Chris