Latine Author Book Cafe: Plantains and Our Becoming

Program Type:

Arts & Culture, Authors & Books, Equity & Anti-Racism

Age Group:

Adults, Older Adults
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Program Description

Latine Author Book Cafe

Join us on the second Tuesday of each month as we discuss works written by Latine authors.* Spanish language copies will be made available when possible. Learn more about library-led book discussions »

*After discussion with community members and staff, the library changed its usage from “Latinx” to “Latine.” Latine is a term created by LGBTQIA+ Spanish speakers. This term uses the letter "e" to illustrate gender inclusivity within existing Spanish pronunciation rules. It is a more inclusive term that acknowledges the gender and language diversity of the community.

Event Details

ABOUT PLANTAINS AND OUR BECOMING

A rousing, beautifully observed, and tender-hearted debut poetry collection about identity, culture, home, and belonging—for fans of Jasmine Mans and Fatimah Asghar
 
“We, children of plátanos, always gotta learn to play in everyone else’s backyard and somehow feel at home.”
 
Poet and musician Melania Luisa Marte opens PLAINTAINS AND OUR BECOMING by pointing out that  Afro-Latina is not a word recognized by the dictionary. But the dictionary is far from a record of the truth. What does it mean, then, to tend to your own words and your own record—to build upon the legacies of your ancestors?
 
In this imaginative, blistering poetry collection, Marte looks at the identities and histories of the Dominican Republic and Haiti to celebrate and center the Black diasporic experience. Through the exploration of themes like self-love, nationalism, displacement, generational trauma, and ancestral knowledge, this collection uproots stereotypes while creating a new joyous vision for Black identity and personhood.
 
Moving from New York to Texas to the Dominican Republic and to Haiti, this collection looks at the legacies of colonialism and racism but never shies away from highlighting the beauty—and joy—that comes from celebrating who you are and where you come from.