Tag: CantoMundo
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microreview: Primitivity by Amy Sayre Baptista
review by José Angel Araguz The flash fiction sequence that makes up Primitivity (Black Lawrence Press) by Amy Sayre Baptista explores a Southern Gothic tradition of storytelling in pieces that are voice-driven and immersive. Using voice in a near-alchemical capacity, Baptista’s characters come to life through phrasing and presence. Take this short passage from the…
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one more from jennifer maritza mccauley
In my recent microreview & interview of Jennifer Maritza McCauley’s Scar On / Scar Off (Stalking Horse Press), I noted the recurring themes of witness and presence throughout the poems. These themes are not mutually exclusive in the poems, rather, they exist side by side, creating meaningful friction and nuanced depths. Today’s poem, “Some Advice,” is…
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microreview & interview: Jennifer Maritza McCauley’s Scar On/Scar Off
review by José Angel Araguz Loriella is Dead – Jennifer Maritza McCauley Yesterday Loriella choke-cried into my phone, saying we black gals got to stick together, hip to hip since the world is a leech sucking at our night necks, and I said girlIhearyou and I could hear her voice cleaving clean down the center…
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new review at The Bind!
Just a quick post to share my creative review of fellow CantoMundista Laurie Ann Guerrero’s A Crown for Gumecindo which can be read at The Bind! For this review, I wrote a golden-shovel style poem that incorporates the last line of the last poem in Guerrero’s book. To see what I mean, check out the review…
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microessay & microfictions!
Just a quick post to share the publication of my microessay “One Broken Line at a Time: Notes on Poetry and Migration” featured at Letras Latinas earlier this week. During the month of March, Poetry Coalition members CantoMundo and Letras Latinas are partnering to present guest posts by CM fellows at Letras Latinas Blog that…
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microreview & interview: Steven Sanchez’s To My Body
review by José Angel Araguz In his chapbook To My Body (Glass Poetry Press), Steven Sanchez brings together a series of poems that explore the ways in which the body learns what it means to be present. In unpacking moments of conflict and joy, To My Body becomes an ode to both the physical body and the body of…
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* the 2016 End of Year Reading!
Time once again for my end of year reading here on the Influence! This year has left me with much to be grateful for, from readings in my hometown of Corpus Christi, Texas (Del Mar, TAMUCC, & Moody High – órale!) to getting to be the Visiting Writer at Adelphi University’s Alice Hoffman Young Writers…
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* leticia hernández-linares & the mission
This week’s poem comes from CantoMundista Leticia Hernández-Linares’ collection Mucha Muchacha/Too Much Girl (Tía Chucha Press) which I reviewed earlier this week. While my review focused on collection’s confluence of musical traditions and sensibilities, the poem “Bringing Up the Sun” represents another facet, that of establishing the presence of a neighborhood on the page. In this poem,…
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* “the pure / holy of instinct”: elizabeth acevedo
I agree with those who hold that one of poetry’s major ambitions should be to refresh the language. Through engagement and interrogation of words shared in common, poems can bring us closer to meaning what we mean. An example of the kind of interrogation I mean is evident in this week’s poem from fellow CantoMundo poet…
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* visiting with gerardo pacheco matus
This week’s poem, “If You Ever Visit Huhi” by Gerardo Pacheco Matus, is accompanied with some comments by the poet talking about the craft behind the poem. I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Gerardo at this year’s CantoMundo conference. Between lectures, workshops, and readings, I had the opportunity to get know him and his…
The Friday Influence 