Moth Wing Tea:

“How do we translate the unspeakable language of grief? In the short, harrowing lines of MOTH WING TEA, Dennis Cruz gives us his answer. This is the poetics of survival: no adornment, no romanticizing; only the simple, methodical imagery of a poet saying out loud. The juxtaposition of fresh paint, chrome, and a suffering body. The world as explained by one who knows there is more to this life than simply getting up for work. The unvarnished descriptions of violence. The voice of Dennis Cruz weaves together a patchwork of tragedies into a manifesto for poets in the 21st century. As the poet says: "the fear was never/meant/to dissuade you,/but only/to heighten/your senses." Read this book, and get to work.” -Rich Villar, Executive Director, Acentos

Dennis Cruz is a Los Angeles native who has been writing prose, poetry and fiction for over 20 years. Born in San Jose, Costa Rica, his family immigrated to the U.S. when he was just an infant. His work has been featured on public radio stations KPFK and KXLU, and he has performed extensively throughout the Los Angeles area. He has featured his work in many Los Angeles literary establishments, including: Beyond Baroque, Skylight Books and The World Stage. He was also selected as one of the newer poets to watch by the ALOUD series at the Los Angeles Public Library. He lives in North-East Los Angeles with his wife and son.