González, Rigoberto: Pivotal Voices, Era of Transition: Toward a 21st-Century Poetics

University of Michigan Press, paperback Publication Date: September 14, 2017 Publisher Marketing:  Pivotal Voices, Era of Transition gathers Rigoberto González's most important essays and book reviews, many of which consider the work of emerging poets whose identities and political positions are transforming what readers expect from contemporary poetry. A number of these voices represent intersectional communities, such as queer writers of color like Natalie Díaz, Danez Smith, Ocean Vuong, and Eduardo C. Corral, and many writers, such as Carmen Giménez Smith and David Tomás Martínez, have deep connections to their Latino communities. Collectively, these writers are enriching American poetry to reflect a more diverse, panoramic, and socially conscious literary landscape. Also featured are essays on the poets' literary ancestors--including Juan Felipe Herrera, Alurista, and Francisco X. Alarcón--and speeches that address the need to leverage poetry as agency. This book fills a glaring ga