7 Poetry Collections by BIPOC Texas Writers

Photo by Pete Alexopoulos on Unsplash Over a decade has passed since I traded the sunny, desert landscape of El Paso, Texas, for the vibrant chaos of East Coast city life. And no matter the distance, all roads lead back to Texas, my compass, guiding me home. Although much has been said about The Texas-Mexico border, for me, it contains multitudes: it is home, my community, my comfort, and my voice—a voice resonating alongside diverse storytellers who have deeply shaped and inspired me. This connection was especially profound when I wrote my debut poetry collection, Cowboy Park , which reflects on my upbringing in a place often misrepresented. The collection honors those who influenced me and the writers who came before me. In moments of doubt or homesickness, I turn to these poets to anchor my identity as a Tejano, a Mexican-American from the Lone Star State. In one way or another, each collection is committed to revealing painful truths and uncovering beauty within them. Their work has ignited my passion to write my truths—a calling that feels more urgent now than ever. Our stories as writers of color enrich the literary world, and these poets have paved the way for me to share my own. Borderlands: La Frontera by Gloria Anzaldúa In the pantheon of Texas writers, the goddess watching over us all is the incomparable Gloria Anzaldúa. Her magnum opus, Borderlands: La Frontera , is a sacred text for any writer, especially those of us who identify as queer. Born in the Rio Grande Valley, this Chicana feminist weaves her lived experiences into both prose and poetry. Anzaldua’s forward-thinking work remains timeless, challenging concepts of binaries, physical and mental borders, and gender roles. Anzaldua was one of the first writers where I truly saw myself reflected in her words, hearing an amalgamation of English, Spanish, and Spanglish. Her unapologetic code-switching defies labels like “pocha” Instead, she embraces these polarities, this split self, subverting expectations of what it means to be wholly Mexican or American. Reading her work empowers me, reminding me that dual and hybrid language are […]

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