| Title | : | The BreakBeat Poets Vol. 4: LatiNext |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1642591297 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781642591293 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 225 |
| Publication | : | First published April 7, 2020 |
The BreakBeat Poets Vol. 4: LatiNext Reviews
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‘How our words bloom
from the same backbone’
-Ana Portnoy Brimmer, ‘Home’
For the last few years I have always looked forward to early Spring as it meant the release of another BreakBeat Poets anthology from Haymarket Books. Each volume has been an utter delight and an incredible opportunity to discover new poets as well as read more work from the familiar names included. Working in a bookstore and just as a large advocate of poetry, whenever people ask for a good starting point with poetry I always direct them to this series. The newly released fourth volume, LatiNext from editors
Felicia Rose Chavez,
José Olivarez, and
Willie Perdomo is another excellent addition to the collection and highlights Latinx voices in poetry. This volume displays a ‘collective resonance’--as poet
Daniel Borzutzky puts it, of voices that chronicle the joys, struggles, traditions, hope and more of the Latinx identity. With voices from spoken word poets, traditional verse poets, new or up-and-coming poets to National Book Award winning poets, this is an important and powerful collection that proudly gives a platform for artists to stake their rightful claim in the history of poetry.
‘What’s in a name?’ asks poem Jani Rose through the title of her poem.It is the sound of our identity.
The auditory virtual self
that is spoken into the universe,
and when written on the page
it means “me”.
This anthology beautifully creates a poetic space for identity to speak and tell a story. As Perdomo states in the introduction ‘you will find poets in conversation, in celebration, in protest, in demonstration, in a collective breakbeat that is informed by ritual, but aso a resistance to the normalized ways of looking at stanzas, patria, sex, gender, patriarcy, and nationalism.’ Separated into five thematic sections, these poems cover a vast array of topics. Decolonialism, language, gender and sexuality, borders, honoring family, remembering the fallen, community life and more all are roots from which poetic beauty blossoms within these pages. These poems take place in bustling kitchens, in the streets and subways, in the bedroom, and anywhere life can be found and celebrated. The pages practically burst with music. The poetic styles are bountiful, inventive, fresh and familiar, and the large assortment of poets from the fresh to the familiar is outstanding. The longest of any volume in the anthology thus far, readers will discover new talent as well as find works from celebrated names such as
Elizabeth Acevedo,
Nicole Sealey,
Yesenia Montilla,
Javier Zamora,
John Murillo,
José Olivarez,
Sara Borjas, and many more. This volume alone is a perfect starting point to discover your next favorite poets.
‘My Spanglish is an unwanted child who insisted on being born.’
-Peggy Robles Alvarado, ‘My Spanglish’
Language plays a predominant theme across this collection. There are tearjerking moments such as
Sara Borjas’ poem exploring her mother calling her ‘míja’ over the phone concluding with ‘what my mother / still wants / her mother / to call /and say’. There are also insightful looks at the interplay between two languages and a bilingual identity. The juxtaposition of the Spanish language with the English translation of ‘preguntas frecuentes’ by
Raquel Salas Rivera serves as an excellent example of natural translation barriers and the way language informs concepts such as the singular self and plurality.en el idioma lo que ya existe no era
Lo que será se da en el idiomx
En elle idioma
No importa el presente
Tanto como el presente plural
¿cómo haces en español para existir
singularmente?
O
In language what already exists wasn’t
What will be happens in languagx
In the(y) language
The present doesn’t matter
As much as the plural present
how do you manage in spanish to exist
singularly?
The notation of ‘the(y)’ is particularly interesting as a method of capturing the idiosyncrasies of language. In the introduction, WIllie Perdomo discusses how revolutionary the use of Spanglish was in poetry as a decolonial practice. As the great
Audre Lorde once wrote, ‘The master's tools will never dismantle the master's house,’ yet the combination of both languages creates a new tool that subverts the colonial tongue while using it against itself and embodies the identity of one living in a foreign land. As Wren Romero writes in ‘A Letter from the X in Latinx’:am i fucking up your language?
maybe i mean to.
maybe i mean to remind spanish that it’s as uncomfortable on my tongue
as english, french, and latin before it.
maybe i mean to remind U this is nobody’s country.
maybe i mean to remind U that we haven’t heard the future yet,
maybe i do mean to fuck up your language
Decolonialism becomes an important theme as well, especially with regard to the imperialist nature of the United States. We see poets rally against nationalism and white supremacy, decry the violent foreign policy of the US government and its military, look at the horrors of family separations and deadly border crossings, examine the gentrification in Latinx neighborhoods and the assault of systemic poverty on people.I am not American
Because I am “proud”.
I am American
despite bombing seven countries,
despite exploited labor,
despite Palestine,
El Salvador,
Guam.
Jonathan Mendoza’s ‘On Nationalism’ which begins with a powerful erasure of Woody Gutherie’s ‘This Land is Your Land’, looks at the notion of being an American citizen without feeling part of the American system and resisting the violence inherent in it. As Perdomo points out, Poets will play a role in the changing of the world and collected here are many fine voices calling for that change.
Language is the way we reshape the world around us. Within this volume we see it also look at rigid gender roles and find ways to speak against them, as with oppressive and outdated looks at sexuality as well. Language is the tool of those to be heard and poetry is an excellent way to utilize such an important tool. Haymarket Books has consistently been an empowering, provocative, educational and progressive publisher that has given space to necessary and urgent voices to be heard and their BreakBeat Poets anthology series is one of the best platforms they have created. This is another valuable addition and I’m eager to see what next year will bring.
5 /5
I received an ARC of this collection in exchange for an honest review. That has not influenced my opinion in any way. I basically hounded people on twitter to get a hold of it and then bought it when it came out this week anyways. -
This collection showcases Latinx poets. The topics of the poems are varied like the Latinx experience. One thing that stuck out for me in reading through the collection is the references to Card B. Another referenced topic is policies that affect Latinx communities. This shows the versatility of the collection. It can go from entertainment to political causes effortlessly.
Another great collection for poetry lovers. -
I flew through reading this collection of poetry. Such an amazing compilation of Latinx poetry. I can’t wait to share this book with my loved ones ❤️
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I read and re-read this beautiful and strong collection. I recognized myself and my family is so many. ORGULLO!
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Beautiful anthology of poems by latinx authors exploring range of topics in the context of cultural identity. I love the books from this title series, I get exposed to such cool writers!! some of my favorite poems included: petition to get all white girls to stop wearing hoop earrings, Mexican bingo, confessions on gratitude, and auténtico, to name a few. Definitely check it out, especially if you are interested in discovering more talented Latinx/e poets!
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very beautiful collection of poems! there's something for everyone! for some reason there's a lot of stuff about cardi b, but otherwise the variety of writing styles is amazing! probably my favorite poetry book i have :)
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powerful, heart-wrenching, provocative, & beautiful. i have been trying to read more poetry lately & recently finished latinext, edited by josé olivarez, willie perdomo, felicia chavez. it took me a while to get through (poetry always does) but so many pieces of work stuck with me. absolutely excellent anthology & i was humbled to get a glimpse into deep thoughts & feelings from latinx writers.
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Poetry is something I have prioritized, because for a long time I didn't particularly enjoy it. But as I went looking for poems I actually did like, I found myself connecting with more and more of them.
That's kind of how I felt reading this. Most of the poems were very nice, but a number of them were beyond my understanding. I think I'm also not keen on prose poetry – the words start to run together and when my brain goes "WALL OF TEXT" it's stressful.
I might have enjoyed this more if I'd just kind of read a few poems at a time here and there, rather than trying to read through it. I may do that at some point.
Also, the contributor bios were at the back. I wished they'd have been with their poems, and included more about how they got interested in poetry and what they were most passionate about. It was kind of hard to flip back and forth to figure out who had written what with the ebook version, as I'm not super familiar with the format. -
Like any poetry collection, this is a book you can read at your leisure; to pick up and put down at any time without losing a storyline. Written by own voice Latinx poets, I gained insight and understanding of the culture. Most shocking fact learned: the U.S. bombed it’s own citizens in 1950 when American jet fighters struck the towns of Jayuya and Utuado Puerto Rico. (“On Bombing” by Vincent Toro and independent research because I could hardly believe we would do that!) The poem “Jailhouse Library” by Mauricio Novoa added three new books to my to-read list: Drown, The Fire Next Time, and A People’s History of the United States. My favorite quote comes from “Poems for Lelia” by Sofía Snow: “There is something about a woman who never lets a seed die, who knows how to prune enough to grow things tall.”
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The poetry shifts from English, to Spanish to a hybrid of both, with real and made up words-so one has to code switch from word to word, not just sentence to sentence. There is celebration here and self loathing as well. Many poets take the time to mention how beautiful Central/South America and the Caribbean are, how rich the culture. This gave me pause, since Americans do wax poetic about the beauties and grandeur of Europe but usually only mention how great the beaches and drinks are in Latinx regions. The poems are emotional to the extreme- extreme love, extreme anger, extreme sadness. And all very revealing and touching.
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I read very minimal modern poetry but there were a few poems in this collection that I absolutely enjoyed.
Some were lyrical with varying beats, others were strong in imagery, others created worlds that felt like my home and family and considering the mix of Latinx poets, it was something I was hoping for and they delivered.
This collection has brought a lot of these voices to my attention and will be looking forward to finding some again. -
There is some good stuff in here, but you have to read through a lot of other to find it. Is it worth it? Maybe if you are particularly drawn to the themes, but otherwise probably not. I would have preferred a slimmed down version with just the good bits, but the good bits might be subjective, but not all the bad were subjectively bad - they could have objectively culled numerous poems out.
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Absolutely incredible. These pieces span wide and deep, punching you in the pit of your stomach & staying stuck in your throat til it aches. some make you guffas. Some make you angry. Some make you long for home or worlds you may have never lived in.There is fire and water and air and earth here.
These fucking poems 💗💗💗 -
3.5 stars. This book contained a lot of different poems by different poets of Latin descent. It was a decent read, I enjoyed learning about the Hispanic culture and some historical moments within that community. Only thing I wish is that there was a translated poems for the ones that were just written in Spanish. Maybe the paperback version had them but the e version did not.
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What can one say? This is some pretty solid Latino/a poetry. I liked the fact that a lot of it was done in free form style, but there is always part of me that feels a little dumb when I can't figure out a deeper meaning for myself. Solid companion piece to Breakbeat Poets Vol. 1.
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Gorgeous.
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Poetry isn't my jam for the most part, but I found this collection generally powerful and well compiled. Fans of poetry definitely need to check it out!
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I laughed, I cried, and I related to so many of these beautiful poems!
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Unbelievably rich.
A masterclass of now. -
One of the most excellent anthologies of poetry I've read in a long time.
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New to poetry and don’t know where to start? Looking to broaden your poetry perspectives? Either way, you should be reading the exceptional Breakbeats Poets series from Haymarket; the latest features the work of Latinx masters and up-and-comers alike. Seriously, just read them all.
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[4 stars] A multigenerational collection of Latinx poets and poetry, mostly from across the Mexican and Puerto Rican diasporas (not surprising considering the editors). A well-curated range of form and free verse but I wish it had been much queerer and even more feminist (to be fair, it is definitely both of these things, and moreso than a lot of American poetry, but I always want more). Because my previous reads from Haymarket’s BreakBeat Poets series (both anthologies and solo publications) and within poetry more generally have heavily centered women and nonbinary writers, this was probably the longest amount of time I’d spent reading cishet male poets in more than a decade and I could tell the difference. Some favorites include: Anacaona Rocio Milagro’s Survivor’s Guilt: A Villanelle, Amanda Torres’ Coming for the Throne: Ursula’s Love Story and Parable of the Mustard Seed, Grecia Huesca Dominguez’s Mexican Remedies, Javier Perez’s Amaizeing Grace, Elisabet Velasquez’s Everybody Loves Cardi B But, and Monica Rico’s Poem in Consideration of my Death. Recommended for anyone in search of new poetic voices and fresh takes on form.
Goodreads Challenge: 26/70
Popsugar Reading Challenge: about body positivity (some poems within) -
This poetry collection is the fourth in a collection of the BreakBeat poets, who are a collective of prophets in a hip-hop generation. Willie Perdomo says that the BreakBeat series “offers a poetics that, like hip-hop, is in constant search of new forms, new utterances, new languages, freshness” (1). This search for new expression is needed to address the many new assaults, “hoisted on the bodies of Black and Brown bodies whether they are immigrants or native sons.” This collection is a celebration of the voices creating this poetics in the “Latinidad.” The voices are diverse, representing the varied experiences of their communities. The collective beat offers readers with essential reading for all Americans.
Summarizing these voices by naming their form or content as anything but authentic, beautiful, and important would necessarily miss the point. This is poetry at its best: prophetic, creating moments of reflection and protest, de-colonial and imaginative. These words can create a new world. Students in later grades in high school need to see these imagined futures, to hear the words of these poets. This text should be on the shelves of high schools for students to find their beauty and feel the urgency of these lines.
My favorite summarizing line comes from the poem by Amanda Torres, “Parable of the Mustard Seed.”
"Our destiny
has always been to take root
among the stars"
I found this poetry collection because I follow the publisher, Haymarket Books and have read some of the other collections in the BreakBeat series.
