“The maternal instinct is a complicated emotional experience for a Latina in an interracial marriage and raising an adopted black son. Givhan’s heartfelt poems don’t come across as sentimental because her angst is expressed through the unsettling truths about the racism in today’s America that her partner faces and that her son will undoubtedly encounter. Channeling her inner healer and her inner bruja, the speaker offers words as solace and safety, knowing this doesn’t always guarantee an uneventful homecoming, “the boy on the street, his too-large cowboy boots/ forever walking home toward his mama. His mama/ forever on the porch, searching the skyline for a hat.” This moving and sometimes painful book of poems is nonetheless filled with positive light and hope.” ~Rigoberto González
PROTECTION SPELL in NBCLatino
01 Mar 2017 3 Comments
in Essays and articles Tags: adoption poetry, Jenn Givhan poetry, motherhood poetry, NBC news Latino, Protection Spell, Race in America
Landscape with Headless Mama in NBC News Latino!
30 Nov 2016 Leave a comment
in Published poems Tags: Jenn Givhan poetry, Landscape with Headless Mama, Latina poetry, Latino news, Latinx poetry, motherhood poetry, NBC news Latino, poesía de la maternidad
Amid Uncertain Times, 11 New and Necessary Latino Books to Read
Mil gracias al maestro, Rigoberto González for including my debut poetry book LANDSCAPE WITH HEADLESS MAMA on this list from NBC News Latino!!
González writes:
“This list of recently published books features fiction, poetry and nonfiction by writers whose personal journeys as women, men, artists or activists are informed by their immigrant and ethnic histories or by their political and spiritual beliefs — values that need to be upheld as xenophobia, division and even hate crimes intensify.”
&
“This moving collection of poems is Givhan’s literary debut, heralding the arrival
of an edgy and candid voice in Latina letters.”