I Ask the Impossible - by Ana Castillo (Paperback)

About the Book

Cherished for her passionate fiction and exuberant essays, the author returns to her first love--poetry--to reveal an unwavering commitment to social justice, and a fervent embrace of the sensual world. Sometimes erotic, often funny, this remarkable collection sounds the unmistakable voice of a "woman on fire--and more worthy than stone".

Book Synopsis

An Anchor Books Original

Cherished for her passionate fiction and exuberant essays, the author hailed by Julia Alvarez as "una storyteller de primera," and by Barbara Kingsolver in The Los Angeles Times as "impossible to resist," returns to her first love--poetry--to reveal an unwavering commitment to social justice, and a fervent embrace of the sensual world.

With the poems in I Ask the Impossible, Castillo celebrates the strength that "is a woman buried deep in [her] heart." Whether memorializing real-life heroines who have risked their lives for humanity, spinning a lighthearted tale for her young son, or penning odes to mortals, gods, goddesses, Castillo's poems are eloquent and rich with insight. She shares over twelve years of poetic inspiration, from her days as a writer who "once wrote poems in a basement with no heat," through the tenderness of motherhood and bitterness of loss, to the strength of love itself, which can "make the impossible a simple act." Radiant with keen perception, wit, and urgency, sometimes erotic, often funny, this inspiring collection sounds the unmistakable voice of a "woman on fire" and "more worthy than stone."

From the Back Cover

Cherished for her passionate fiction and exuberant essays, Ana Castillo returns to her first love -- poetry -- to reveal an unwavering commitment to social justice, and a fervent embrace of the sensual world.

The poems in I Ask the Impossible celebrate the strength that "is a woman . . . buried deep in [her] heart". Whether memorializing real-life heroines who have risked their lives for humanity, spinning a lighthearted tale for her young son, or penning odes to mortals, gods, and goddesses, Castillo's poems are radiant with keen perception. She shares over twelve years of poetic inspiration, from her days as a writer who "once wrote poems in a basement with no heat", through the tenderness of motherhood and bitterness of loss, to the strength of love itself, which can "make the impossible a simple act". Her bold voice travels across continents and reaches across cultures -- included here are six poems written in Spanish, with translations by Rosario Ferre. Sometimes erotic, often humorous, this remarkable collection resonates with the unmistakable voice of a "woman on fire -- / and more worthy than stone".

Review Quotes

"Poems alight with stubborn love, crackling wit, and towering anger. Earthy and well molded like clay, Castillo's poetry serves as a vessel for emotions . . . Castillo writes on behalf of the voiceless and nameless . . . Castillo writes, too, of her late mother, her thriving son, and the spiky ironies of love, always willing to face the painful truths of human life but always finding her way to beauty." --Donna Seaman, Booklist

About the Author

Ana Castillo is the author of the novels Peel My Love Like an Onioin, So Far from God, The Mixquiahuala Letters, and Sapogonia. She has written a story collection, Loverboys; the crtitical study Massacre of the Dreamers; the poetry collection My Father Was a Toltec and Selected Poems; and the children's book My Daughter, My Son, the Eagle, The Dove. She is the editor of the anthology Goddess of the Americas: Writings on the Virgin of Guadalupe, available from Vintage Espanol (La diosa de las Americas). Castillo has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the American Book Award, a Carl Sandburg Award, a Mountains and Plains Booksellers Award, and two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts. She lives in Chicago with her son, Marcel.