A sassy and sentimental journey of truth and triumph. Dancer, Actress,/Activist Rosie Perez opens up about her guarded past and finds liberation through her love for dance, acting, and fighting for equal rights.
This is the poetry: as soon as you open the book, you're wrapped in colorful boas and stitched with every sequin possible. There is honesty, emotion, and someone going through all aspects of life, making this book the pawprint in my heart.
Most of Emanuel's notable works are in this book, and they reflect on the injustices of oppression, gender, and sexuality. I found my rightful place standing alongside the words in these poems that make me proud of who I am.
The first time I discovered poetry, that spoke to me as an openly gay Latinx growing up in NYC. Through Emanuel's words, I saw a lot of myself in these poems. It was the book that made me find my own voice.
This beautiful rose grew from the gardens of an oppressed Bushwick Brooklyn I remember growing up in. Told in poetic verse, Sarai finds her purpose through the shields of obstacles that humble her into making it.
One of Piri Thomas' best works. I read this book shortly after graduating high school and was utterly blown away by the existing racism and colorism in Spanish Harlem 1920s.
The most well-told memoir of a young girl who moves to Williamsburg Brooklyn in the 1960s and is forced to adapt to a lifestyle estranged from her life in the campo of Puerto Rico. I laughed, cried, and did not put the down.
A perfect book of vignettes written by someone who wanted to remember their childhood. I read this in high school and fell in love with the simplicity of memories told in beautiful poetic prose.
This writer is beyond words. I never read such compelling stories about the pressures of ancestral tactics with Latinx community families, and that's just one aspect. Plenty of short stories in this collection will have your jaw-dropping.
This book can be essential for anyone like me who is on a mission to discover their Puerto Rican roots. This was so beneficial to learn about the history of Puerto Rico with some modern works.
The game-changer that broke literary barriers and verse novels to full bloom. Xiomara has the desire to be a spoken-word poet and does so by defying the traditions of her Dominican religious upbringing. I read it in a day.
A brave story about a gay boy that fought a tough legal battle to take his boyfriend to his high school prom.
I was taken aback by this story of a man suffering from his sexual identity. It left me thinking for days after I read it
A coming of age story about a guy from the gritty side of the Bronx battling with hiding his identity from his friends.
A very intimate close connection with one of the most influential aritsts during theAIDS crisis. This collection of journal entries takes you on a emotional and personal journey with Keith Haring.
If you can imagine a modern day Ernest Hemmingway, you would in one sitting with this incredible story about Puerto RIcan family finding the beauty among their impoverished lifestyle, but one secret from one of the boys makes a a compelling shift.
Aaron Soto has battled with his sexuality for a long time and makes a hard decision by signing up for a program designed to erase certain aspects of one's life for good. Aaron doesn't know what is at stake as he struggles with the journey
There are no words as to how much I am in love with this book. Justin Torres does it again with this compelling story about generational love coming together during a period where mental health and homosexual were treated as a disease
The autobiography of a gay boy forced into a religious camp that is posed as a conversion therapy program.
Rupaul strips off the make-up and sass and bares his soul to the world in this revealing memoir about his life. He imposes no shame to talk about the road to self-discovery and the struggle with drug addiction and family struggles.
Ritchie Jackson writes from beginning to end a letter to his gay son about his struggle with accepting his sexuality while giving advice to gay son
I've enclosed a deal with Audible to record and perform all four of my poetry books for audio streaming.
With LGBTQIA+ Pride Month glittering our way, we can expect a surge of celebration, love, and unpredictability regarding today's political affairs. Writers all over the nation have begun shifting their perspectives to create works that reflect today's social fight for abundance. Writers like myself are just one voice of many who have grown thick skin to face the fight.
There is something uniquely special about my fourth book that I'm proud to talk about. It was done with integrity and love. First, I needed to break away from the Veracious Era. It was holding me back. I dove into the poetry community showcasing very personal works; they didn't receive the love I had hoped they would. Instead, there was a backlash among those who claimed to have been a part of my circle. It was a wake-up call to make drastic changes, and as soon as those chords were cut, I set myself free.
I worked on my craft, attended poetry seminars and workshops, and adopted a network of writers and supporters who respect the validity of my work. In making HBFTS, I had to remove my feelings from the process and trust myself more—the doubts I had about the other books sprinkled on every page. Of course, no one is going to notice, but I do. Those poems were written with hurt in the forefront. For this project, there was introspection. I trusted the process and did not question anything. The most important of all was that I took my time with it, and I'm glad I did. I was aiming to release it in 2023, but I decided I didn't want to keep the momentum of putting out a project every year with very little transitioning time.
I hope this project will be another guidebook in one's life. The poetry shows the growth of somebody coming to terms and pushing forward. It is like taking an inner glimpse of how I persevere through the most complex obstacles but done with taste.
Handbook For Thick Skin
©2024 by Aaron Michael
HK Publishing - An Independent Publishing Imprint
Diving into the realms of heartbreak poetry can be a driving world of mixed feelings. The instant I discovered Abraham Rodriguez’s book, I opened it to a random page and thought, wow, he gets it! This whimsical, black and white color theme undeniably brought me back to my roots with my first book (hence, the black and white). There seems to be a commonality here. I wonder if I dove, blindfolded, of course, into the gene pool of first-time poetics debuting heartbreak—isn’t vulnerability the ingredient for every writer?
In my book Veracious, there is anger mixed with heartbreak. Abraham’s book is like the lavender tea you’d sip on a rainy day watching Heartstopper on Netflix. It is a poetry book very well put together with writing that shows someone’s vulnerability to the core. I was shocked by some of the critiques on Goodreads and Amazon. Did they even give the book a chance? I’ve been down that road, but I hope that it didn’t stop Abraham from continuing to write. I’m curious to know what other works he will put out next!
Mixed Feelings is a beautiful book with no table of contents (genius) to get readers automatically immersed in the experience. The prose is definitely someone coming to terms with the loss and finding certitude. I want to thank Abraham for making poets like me feel accepted in that pool of healing hearts.
Mixed Feelings
@2022 by Abraham Rodriguez
Central Avenue Publishing Imprint of Central Avenue Marketing Ltd.
Profound stories of mother-daughter relationships are ones that hit home. I have found stories about mothers and daughters quite fascinating. My mother had a troubling relationship with my grandmother, and I never understood why. Until I stumbled upon Claire Jiminez’s novel What Happened To Ruthy Ramirez? It is a gripping story about the Ramirez women struggling to understand Ruthy’s disappearance. One day, she doesn’t come home at her usual time, and hell breaks loose.
What I find intriguing about the book is Claire Jimenez’s writing. Her great characterization of telling three different perspectives is quite genius for a writer who looks at the story in transparency and then brings the story back to finishing the goal: to move on in life. But the only way to do that is to confront the past, a Ruthy look-alike, whom Nina discovered while watching a reality TV show trailer. The rest, I will not spoil. You’d have to find out for yourself!
Whatever Happened To Ruthy Ramirez?
©2023 by Claire Jimenez
Grand Central Publishing/Hachette Book Group
When I least expected, Emanuel ceases to never disappoint with his sixth heartstring of poetic wonderment, Love(ly) Child. Fresh pieces of work that take the reader down a transitional road of change and liberation. From the first word to the last, Emanuel's cohesive colloquialisms from a spoken word poet in survival mode to someone looking at his life in the mirror, there is a different set of eyes.
Here we have a writer who has lived through the times when LGBTQ+ weren't the talk of political existence. He is a writer and poet who instantly crowns his activism, witnessing firsthand the tumultuous realities of abuse. Yet, he documents each with a celebration, gratitude, and transparency. Like the poem, Americano Redux speaks powerfully about the shocking discovery of his newly found identity, cleverly remixed of the original Americano. There is always something I learn from every poetry he has put out: to find your voice. Yes, we have our downfalls and find outlets to speak on them, but once it is out of our system and printed for the world, the message becomes bigger. Poems like Old Pro, Alienated, and Autonomous could speak on vulnerability, but I understood that this is someone coming to terms with a misconstrued past that I can resonate with.
Love(ly) Child
©2023 by Emanuel Xavier
Queer Mojo, A Rebel Satori Press Imprint
If you do not know who Jessie Reyez, you will. Words of A Goat Princess is her first publishing debut and it is book not to miss. As a fan of her music, I already get the dust of poetry in deep confessionals of her songs. When I started reading the book, I was pleasantly surprised that there was another side of this unstoppable burst of energy that blessed my eardrums since 2018 with Apple Juice and her most popular FIGURES. There is amazing artwork spread across every page that add visualizations to the delicate threads of her words. 43 powerful works that cover all grounds of life: wisdom, empowerment, guilt, self-love. I could tell you my favorites, but the whole page would fill up. I'd say check it out.
Words of A Goat Princess
©2023 by Jessie Reyez
Andrews McMeel Publishing
Where do I begin to talk about this phenomenal anthology of classic 90s poetry? Here! Published in 1994 and coming to its 30th anniversary, ALOUD: Voices From The Nuyorican Poets Cafe remains a landmark for modern Latin American literature.
Considerably, this is my poetic bible. Now and then, when I need a reminder of my Latin Poetic forefathers and mothers, I flip through it and read the works of Miguel Algarin, Pedro Pietri, Nancy Mercado, and many more.
Madison Beer graced my presence when she was a guest judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race. Aside from the radiant beauty, it seemed there was more to her than I had thought. I heard her voice when she released her hit song, “Baby.” I followed her musically, loving almost every song she released because that voice is angelic! Her albums, Life Support, and her latest 2023 masterpiece, Silence Between Songs, hold a profound significance.
When I learned she was releasing a memoir, I was stunned. I thought, what is her story? As soon as I started reading, I was emotional learning about her mental health struggles and wanted to give up. Her music was one layer, but her story added more to her identity, giving fans (like me) a better understanding of who Madison Beer is.
“I want to be honest, even if some receive it incorrectly. I’d rather make that sacrifice if it means my audience views it the wrong way,” she says in one of her chapters discussing the struggle she went through with her public humiliation. Through interactive journal prompts, Madison emphasizes her struggles and shares coping measures with readers. There is transparency packed in this 200-page book, which is not definitive. The book is the half of it, and Silence Between Songs is the other half.
The Half of It
©2023 by Madison Beer
HarperCollins Publishers
Copyright © 2024 Aaron Michael - All Rights Reserved.
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