“When he handed them over, earrings dripping with teeth—the heavens / howled in protest & the silver tigers cried out.” Arya Vishin tactfully uses imagery inspired by the epic story, Mahabharat, to delve into the nuances of devotion. In the…
Welcome to LINE LEVEL: Craft Lessons from Poets of Color, a monthly column in which writer, editor, and educator Joanna Acevedo zooms in on an element of craft from the work of BIPOC poets. LINE LEVEL unfolds in three parts:…
“Some day, I realize, underwater archaeologists / will find, upon necropsy, the artifacts of my brief presence / in the stomach of the last Great White that entered the lagoon” Take a deep dive into the crystalline imagery of “Some…
“I said flesh / was a soft patch of wheat, a half-knotted rope. I said / rain was the unnamed radar sound in a dinosaur rib.” Shiyang Su zooms into a singular moment between the speaker and their father that…
“When it rains, the water flows off the dead dirt / like the words of her father roll off her mother’s back.” Let’s celebrate our 2023 Roots & Roads 3rd Place Winner, Motherland by Edgar Morales! We are so excited…
Welcome to LINE LEVEL: Craft Lessons from Poets of Color, a monthly column in which writer, editor, and educator Joanna Acevedo zooms in on an element of craft from the work of BIPOC poets. LINE LEVEL unfolds in three parts:…
There is an earnestness to the inward reflection that comes from the boy in this poem, who is moved by a whale. He slowly uncovers the hatred of men, the fear of what one might become, and the urge to…
“Seasons leave their marks: Leaves turn red, / figs stain the sidewalk, there are irises // or not, sour grass or not, but nothing is ever / not changing, not renewing.” Give it up for the 2023 Roots & Roads…
There is beauty in release. A freedom in succumbing to the water that envelopes us. Louise Kim shows us, with rich texture and calming imagery, that there is a lushness in letting go. Looking up and glimpsing the light can…
“Daughter after daughter was / offered for the harvest.” We’re thrilled to celebrate Meriem Evangeline, our 2023 Roots & Roads winner! Her poem, “ANCESTRY TOLD THROUGH PROPHECY,” has been awarded the first place prize of $3,000. Stay tuned as we…
