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<\/em> by Michelle Pe\u00f1aloza, Diary Of A Proletarian Seamstress<\/em> by Victoria Guerrero-Peirano, translated by Anastatia Spicer and Honora Spicer, Koan Underwater<\/em> by Juan Jos\u00e9 Rodin\u00e1s translated by Ilana Dann Luna, and The Equestrian Turtle And Other Poems<\/em> by C\u00e9sar Moro, translated by Leslie Bart and Esteban Quispe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Former Possessions Of The Spanish Empire<\/em> by Michelle Pe\u00f1aloza:<\/strong> 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\u2019s 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\u2019t feel difficult. More like, Michelle\u2019s language is precise. She\u2019s having a second thought, then editing that thought until the line is just right. At the same time, she\u2019s not afraid to bluntly state something, drive a point home. I\u2019m 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?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Diary Of A Proletarian Seamstress<\/em> by Victoria Guerrero-Peirano, translated by Anastatia Spicer and Honora Spicer:<\/strong> it\u2019s a slim chapbook\u201444 total pages, with original Spanish on the left side page and English on the right\u2014but it\u2019s 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\u2019s 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\u2019s stuff. Gorgeous. Hey, speaking of\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n Koan Underwater<\/em> by Juan Jos\u00e9 Rodin\u00e1s translated by Ilana Dann Luna:<\/strong> back at AWP2025 in Los Angeles, Laura Villareal showed me this and Proletarian Seamstress<\/em> 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\u2014next time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Equestrian Turtle And Other Poems<\/em> by C\u00e9sar Moro, translated by Leslie Bart and Esteban Quispe: <\/strong>a full-length from Cardboard House, but not bound in cardboard. This one really blew me away. Feels like I\u2019ve been talking, both on Line Break and on here, about poetry that aims for the next level, poetry that\u2019s really dazzling. These lines are dense and loaded, but then again, C\u00e9sar Moro was a surrealist. Born in Peru, he mostly wrote in French and lived in Mexico. He\u2019s consciously overloading poems with wild imagery, he\u2019s writing into the surrealist project and involved in leftist political movements. There\u2019s also a ton of heartache in these poems\u2014Moro 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\u2019re n interesting contrast with the poetry. The writing is still dialed up to 11, but there\u2019s no ambiguity or symbols to decipher. C\u00e9sar is down bad, and Antonio is cold. The book ends with a poem entitled \u201cLove Letter,\u201d which ties the two mediums together in really interesting ways. I\u2019m sure glad this book is on my shelves. Can\u2019t wait to read it again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n LINKS!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Something to listen to while you browse? I didn’t stop after last week<\/a>, I went out and found another Los Mirlos KEXP<\/em> performance!<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Former](\"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/image-15.png\")