aricelemiii's review
5.0
"black/Maybe" is an afro lyric that explores Afro-Latinx identity complete with poems and essays conveying the complexities of the Afro-Latinx experience. This collection of beautifully written prose and essays convey so much about the Afro-Dominican experience specifically. What it means to be Black and also speak Spanish. What that means when it comes to how society views and treats you. These are words that I want to scream to all my problematic tias and tios. It is a literal call to action to all Dominicans, "we gonna get our shit together, coño" as he calls out the prevalent anti-Blackness in Dominican culture. Como una Dominicana que fue criada en 135st y Broadway, this collection felt like remnants of home. This collection captured a lot of my experiences and I was able to see bits and pieces of my family here too. From growing up walking around in a predominantly Latinx community, to PS 129, to summer trips to DR staying at Nana's house en el campo, to now living in a very suburban neighborhood. This collection felt very home-y, but was also brimming with history and politics.
[Elegies] and black/Maybe are fervent odes to Afro-Dominican culture and Blackness and identity politics and the important history of the Afro-Latinx diaspora that demands to be read and understood. This is what poetry should be like. This is what I read for.
[Elegies] and black/Maybe are fervent odes to Afro-Dominican culture and Blackness and identity politics and the important history of the Afro-Latinx diaspora that demands to be read and understood. This is what poetry should be like. This is what I read for.
kenningjp's review
5.0
black/Maybe is an Afro Lyric complete with choruses. This multi-genre work is both personal and political as the two can never be fully separated. In this book we hear call backs to other black/Afro-Latinx writers as well as old friends and family. Mama Ana figures prominently into the work and she is woven throughout the book. The poetry and essays here are poignant but also funny in a kind of not so funny way. The stories/history infused in the overall work speak to identity and all sorts of pride and problems that go with that.
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