Bosque - (The Albuquerque Poet Laureate) by Michelle Otero (Paperback)

About the Book

In her debut poetry collection, Bosque, Otero celebrates the importance of water and the bosque to the people of Albuquerque.

Book Synopsis

Winner of the 2021 Southwest Book Award from the Border Regional Library Association

Nestled in the heart of Albuquerque is a vibrant cottonwood forest that has flourished for centuries along the Río Grande--providing a home for porcupines, migratory birds, coyotes, and other wildlife as well as a sanctuary for its city residents. Today, in the midst of climate change and the slow drying of the river, the bosque struggles to remain vibrant. As a former Albuquerque Poet Laureate, Michelle Otero champions this beloved Albuquerque treasure. In her debut poetry collection, Bosque, she celebrates the importance of water and the bosque to the people of Albuquerque. Otero shares her reflections on the high desert--where she is rooted, where she draws her strength, and where she has flourished--and she invites readers to do the same.

Published in Association with the City of Albuquerque's Department of Cultural Services.

Review Quotes

"Bosque will inspire pride as well as self-reflection and is likely to send readers born and raised in the state down memory lane."--Jennifer Levin, Santa Fe New Mexican

"Michelle Otero's Bosque poems fuel multifarious definitions, including definitions of givers, art-makers, makers, and even the color brown. At the core of the poetry project is the consistent defiance to restrictive definitions and a call to recognize that we, just like water, are fluid."--Melinda Zepeda, Latino Book Review

"Ultimately, this is a collection full of praise poems, full of gratitude for herbs and rain, librarians and storytellers, brothels and the circus. The poet acts as chronicler of a place and all of its times."--Carla Panciera, Mom Egg Review