Despojo

Despojo is a testament to so many things: the pain andhealing in the aftermath of sexual violence, the lineagesTatiana honors and writes within, the fact that loveis a verb. The poems in Despojo carry an impossibleamount of compassion for their subjects. I learn fromTatiana Figueroa Ramirez the act of staying put andjust looking; she is a poet deeply invested in witnessing her family and ancestry, in writing with an uncom-promising eye towards balancing the truth and the turmoil. She never turns away. I am so lulled by herlanguage, which is so skillful it has a spine. Flowersdot the pages, the air becomes thinner and sweet withmolasses. Do yourself a favour and learn what it reallymeans to trace lineage, to write with strength towardspeople who have hurt you, to stand and carry an entirehistory on your shoulders.--Nancy Huang, Author of Favorite Daughter Paperback, 54 Pages