Mi negrita linda tiene chiquitito los ojitos, oye
Si me tira una guiñada se va conmigo pa' Puerto Rico, mai
Si yo tuviera un palacio, allí tu serías la reina
Porque tu me tienes loco, mija, con esos ojitos lindos
Dominicana, Tego Calderón
It's the coldest time of year and when I long to be home the most. Not home as in the apartment I share with my sister and pets in California. I mean home like the Caribbean, like Puerto Rico. With February’s pick it’s like I’m going back but stopping at my neighbors house first. Plantains and Our Becoming is about a lot of things I know (or at least I think I do!) so I’m treating myself on my birthday month to some poetry that will take me there and help me see it with fresh eyes.
Check out the reading schedule and places where you can grab a copy of February’s book. 🌞
Schedule
Kick-off: February 2, 2023 🎂
Midway Check In: February 12, 2023
Final Discussion: February 23, 2023 at 6PM PST 🌞
You can RSVP for the Digital Hang here - This means you get an email with the link to join on the day of and gives me a good idea of how many folks to expect!
If you can’t make it to the digital hang, you can always use the comment section to leave your thoughts, reviews, and reflections at any time.
Plantains and Our Becoming: Poems by Melania Luisa Marte
A rousing, beautifully observed, and tender-hearted debut poetry collection about identity, culture, home, and belonging—for fans of Jasmine Mans and Fatimah Asghar
“We, children of plátanos, always gotta learn to play in everyone else’s backyard and somehow feel at home.”
Poet and musician Melania Luisa Marte opens Plantains and Our Becoming by pointing out that Afro-Latina is not a word recognized by the dictionary. But the dictionary is far from a record of the truth. What does it mean, then, to tend to your own words and your own record—to build upon the legacies of your ancestors?
In this imaginative, blistering poetry collection, Marte looks at the identities and histories of the Dominican Republic and Haiti to celebrate and center the Black diasporic experience. Through the exploration of themes like self-love, nationalism, displacement, generational trauma, and ancestral knowledge, this collection uproots stereotypes while creating a new joyous vision for Black identity and personhood.
Moving from New York to Texas to the Dominican Republic and to Haiti, this collection looks at the legacies of colonialism and racism but never shies away from highlighting the beauty—and joy—that comes from celebrating who you are and where you come from.
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"This new debut book of poetry by musician and writer Melania Luisa Marte is a stunning and entertaining exploration of one's identity as both an individual and as part of the larger Black diasporic community."--Shondaland, "Best Books of August"
"Remember the name, because soon it may be difficult not to... In the book, Marte beautifully describes how she pays homage to her Afro-Latinx roots. She brings these stories to the forefront to create a poetic revolution all her own" --PopSugar
"This poetry collection travels all the way from the Dominican Republic and Haiti, to New York and Texas, all the while dipping into things like displacement, nationalism, and the wisdom of ancestors in order to write a new definition of Black identity and joy." --Book Riot
"Plantains and Our Becoming is a beautifully-written debut collection from Afro-Latina poet and musician Melania Luisa Marte. In each poem, Marte explores themes of Black identity and culture through the lens of her Dominican heritage." --The Root, "Books by Black Authors We Can't Wait to Read"
"Throughout the book, [Marte] explores nationalism, colonialism, displacement, trauma, stereotypes, ancestors, and the beauty of Black personhood--all while celebrating her identity and where she comes from, and encouraging her readers to do the same."--Hip Latina
"This collection is a full-throated war cry; both a request for anointment and the responding bendición. Marte writes like she's got daggers between her teeth: yes, there is sharpness in every line, but her words remind us blades also cauterize, heal. Even these ancestral wounds." --Elizabeth Acevedo, the National Book Award winning author of The Poet X
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Content Warning via Storygraph: Racism, Body shaming, Cursing, Death of parent
Where can I get a copy?
Preview it using Google Books.
Check your local library to see if they have a copy.
Support an independent bookstore by ordering through Bookshop.org.
Feeling generous? Donate a copy using our registry.
Like this post ♥ and let me know what you think of the pick.
Just put a copy on hold at the library!!
Oooooo im excited to read this one!!