Wise Fish

Adrian Castro

ISBN 10: 1566891728 / ISBN 13: 9781566891721

Published by Coffee House Press, US, 2005

About this Item

A rhythmic blend of language and myth, this collection creates a poetic atlas of cultures as it documents the centuries-long, open-sea migrations from Africa to the Caribbean to the Florida coast. The image of the "wise fish" is recurrent in these poems, a witness whose eyes were never closed to the perilous journeys that brought so many to the shores of Miami. Tempered by loss and infused with the musicality of the oral tradition, this collection heralds the vibrant Afro-Latino-Caribbean culture emerging from the migratory experience.Adrian Castro, a Cuban-Dominican performance poet and Ifa priest from Miami, writes as if "Chano Pozo were hitting the keys of a typewriter instead of the skin of a drum." Wise Fish is his second collection.

Seller Inventory # LU-9781566891721

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Wise Fish
• Publisher: Coffee House Press, US
• Publication Date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1566891728
• ISBN 13: 9781566891721
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: New
• Weight: 170 grams

About this title

Synopsis

A lyrical dance of English, Spanish, and African dialects infuses these poems of myth and migration.

Laced with Afro-Caribbean history and myth and interspersed with Spanish, Yoruba, and Lukumi dialects, these poems create a poetic atlas of cultures as they document the centuries-long, open-sea migrations from Africa to the Caribbean to the Florida coast. Recurring throughout these poems is the image of the wise fish, a witness whose eyes were never closed to the perilous journeys that brought so many to the shores of North America, creating a vibrant Afro-Latino-Caribbean culture tempered by loss and memory. Infused with the musicality of the oral tradition, this collection gives voice to the great courage and tragedy of those who weather the migratory experience.

About the Author

A Cuban-Dominican poet and Ifa priest from Miami, Adrian Castro writes as if “Chano Pozo were hitting the keys of a typewriter instead of the skin of a drum.” He has performed at the Nuyorican Poets’ Café in New York, Naropa Institute in Boulder, the Hemingway Literary Festival in Chicago, and the Miami Book Fair International. He is the author of Cantos to Blood & Honey, Wise Fish, and, most recently, Handling Destiny.