By Mike Sonksen
FROM: Cultural Daily

“Latinx is not a singular story or identity,” says award-winning poet, educator and mom Luivette Resto. “We all have different paths and stories. Being Boricua isn’t just one thing. Being bilingual isn’t just one thing. Being a woman isn’t just one thing. I hope that my poems help people see those things.”

Recently published on FlowerSong Press, Luivette Resto’s new book Living On Islands Not Found on Maps is a finalist for the Juan Felipe Herrera Best Poetry Book Award at the International Latino Book Awards. Resto’s first two books, Unfinished Portrait and Ascension were published by Tia Chucha Press, the publishing company founded by former Los Angeles Poet Laureate Luis J. Rodriguez.

In this essay there is a link to listen to an audio recording of one of Luivette’s recent poems, but first let’s talk about the scope of her work and how she became the prolific poet that she is.

Luivette was born in Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico and grew up in the Bronx, New York City. In her 11th grade English class, there was a breakthrough moment that led her to poetry. “I read Dorothy Parker’s poem ‘Indian Summer,” she remembers. “I didn’t know poetry could be feisty, funny, and meaningful. Parker opened the door for me.” Read Rest of Article Here