This exceptional collection contains a rich cross-section of Lawrence's work, including the title poem, "A Collier's Wife," "Monologue of a Mother," "Fireflies in the Corn," and several others.

For beloved writer and mentor Francisco X. Alarcón, the collection Snake Poems: An Aztec Invocation was a poetic quest to reclaim a birthright. Originally published in 1992, the book propelled Alarcón to the forefront of contemporary Chicano letters. Alarcón was a stalwart student, researcher, and specialist on the lost teachings of his Indigenous ancestors. He first found their wisdom in the words of his Mexica (Aztec) grandmother and then by culling through historical texts. During a Fulbright fellowship to Mexico, Alarcón uncovered the writings of zealously religious Mexican priest Hernando Ruiz de Alarcón (1587–1646), who collected (often using extreme measures), translated, and interpreted Nahuatl spells and invocations. In Snake Poems Francisco Alarcón offered his own poetic responses, reclaiming the colonial manuscript and making it new. This special edition is a tender tribute to Alarcón, who passed away in 2016, and includes Nahuatl, Spanish, and English renditions of the 104 poems based on Nahuatl invocations and spells that have survived more than three centuries. The book opens with remembrances and testimonials about Alarcón’s impact as a writer, colleague, activist, and friend from former poet laureate Juan Felipe Herrera and poet and activist Odilia Galván Rodríguez, who writes, “This book is another one of those doors that [Francisco] opened and invited us to enter. Here we get to visit a snapshot in time of an ancient place of Nahuatl-speaking ancestors, and Francisco’s poetic response to what he saw through their eyes.”

The Epic of Gilgamesh is perhaps the greatest surviving work of early Mesopotamian literature. According to legend, Gilgamesh built the city walls of Uruk, modern-day Iraq, to protect his people from external threats. Although the epic records events from more than four thousand years ago, those events echo many of the social and cultural concerns of Iraq today. In this luminous bilingual collection of poems, Ghareeb Iskander offers a personal response to the epic. Iskander’s modern-day Gilgamesh is a nameless Iraqi citizen who witnessed the fall of the dictatorship, who exists in a constant state of threat, and who dreams, not about eternity, but simply about life. While Gilgamesh was searching for the elixir of life, Iskander’s hero is searching for consolation.

This book is grounded deep in reality, as are the snake cultures and legends it draws from. Author Amanda Joy is a poet from the Pilbara and Kimberley regions of Western Australia, origin of the Rainbow Serpent, the Great Spirit that represents the world's oldest religious tradition. According to Indigenous song-cycles, a snake literally created this country. These lines from the poem 'Your Ground' carry their wisdom lightly "snake says / be still / stand your ground / it the only protection we have.' This book quivers with snakes, consorting with birds and animals, in company with humans: "There's no animal alive / won't meet your eye." The author won the Peter Porter Poetry Prize, created by Australian Book Review, in 2016. ***.This book is teaming with life, it's a celebration of families surrounded by animals, a book where ideas snake through the lines like arteries. Amanda Joy's variegated language explores rebellious ideas, delves into the underground but remains compassionate. This poet takes a hard look at the world now and yet comes up with a hugely optimistic book.--Robert Adamson (Series: UWAP Poetry) [Subject: Poetry]

This exceptional collection contains a rich cross-section of Lawrence's work, including the title poem, "A Collier's Wife," "Monologue of a Mother," "Fireflies in the Corn," and several others.

A collection of humorous poems about upside-down noses, hijacked terrapins, Isaac Newton, and television.

The Chicano poet offers a collection of poems from the last fifteen years, including fourteen new works that discuss love, sex, and AIDS.