This poetry collection opens with the dedication “For all the lovers born the color of earth. This book is for us.” And that is what this collection does highlight the richness of culture and life experience of those with a darker hue especially from the Caribbean. The poet experiments with various forms: some short, some long. In the poem, mashing platanos, it can be read multiple ways: horizontally and vertically. Other poems acknowledge literary heritage, the poet pays homage to Lucille Clifton, Toni Morrison, Claude McKay, Suzi Q. Smith. The poems also incorporate recent tragedies like the death of Breonna Taylor. This collection is truly rich in depth and style. I plan to revisit it often.

Actual rating 4.5 stars

I really enjoyed the poems, especially with the mixture of Spanish sayings throughout. This was an informed, cultural moment that I’d recommend over & over again!

Not my cup of tea! DNF'd @ 25%. These started off as small essays rather than poetry and it read more like a memoir/autobiography which also lacked the lyricism of poetry.

Thank you netgalley and publisher for the free arc! All the poems were so beautifully written, although I didn't think too much of the short poems. This is a personal preference but I really enjoy the long descriptive poems of the author's experience. I will be recommending on my bookstagram account and would recommend anyone reading this who loves poetry to pick this one up.

Sadly I didn't finish this book. While some of the poems where beautiful and the themes that the author touched on where raw and heartbreaking, the format was not something I enjoyed. I requested this book expecting poetry and it contains mostly short essays. Sadly I realized that is not something I enjoy reading, I do really think this was a case of me not vibing with a book and not of a bad book.

Plantains and Our Becoming is the first poetry book I have read where the author uses so many different styles of poetry, yet keeps everything cohesive and flowing. Melania Luisa weaved beautiful imagery with modern day references in a unique and brilliant way. I can't wait for more works from her.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers, PENGUIN GROUP Dutton and Tiny Reparations Books for the advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review.

A strong examination of what it means to be Afro-Latinx in today's world and a scathing indictment of colonizers and their treatment particularly of women of color and intersectional identities.

I absolutely loved this mixed format poetry collection, and as I usually do with poetry, I'm gonna share some of my favorite lines both in the carousel & down below:

"My culture is not your cash crop
My mother's country is not your paradise.
My bilingual tongue is not your inquisition to crusade over.
Dicen que "soy Latina," until I start talking about colorism.
Until I check them on erasure.
Until I choose to speak on ym own behalf.
Until I remind them my Afro comes before Latina."

-

"My name is not here for your apology-- is busy right now living it's best life. Too busy to care if you can't stand how "un-American" this name be soundin' in America. So when I say, No, it's Melania Luisa, what I mean is, Watch how gracefully I decolonize my name out of your fuckin' mouth."

-

"Unclench your fist and roll out the beauty in your fragile palm. In your genes are a paper trail. You will find a map back to yourself. // We may all have the same God but we don't have the same mother."

-

"mashing plátanos:

coddle them with praying hands
remember they were born //hanging//
not like fruit but like bodies dragged
into boats & shipped like cargo
propped crates, bonded limbs
groups of 5 or 10 standing upright
fresh for sale."

-

"Abuela asks, what do you do when you're depressed? I say, fill myself with water I drink but can't keep from leaking."

-

Did I convince you? 😍

I've been following Melania for years on various platforms (thank goodness she has an IG now that I'm just here 🤣) and I honestly can't wait to see where her journey will take her next. The entire collection is just as amazing as the few bits I shared above. Highly recommend.

Day 22 of #TheSealeyChallenge 2023. Plantains and Our Becoming by Melania Luisa Marte published by Penguin Publishing Group.

@SealeyChallenge @penguinbooks @melatocatierra

#thesealeychallenge2023 #sealeychallenge #poetry

Rich narratives and lyrical lyrics.

Some of my favorite moments:

All it takes is a particular shade of skin.

Still zesty and firm, denying another man agency to comment on my body. Reminded that I am always the question mark at the end of, What are you mixed with?

I learned fear before I learned words.

I don’t know much about struggle, is what I have concluded.

I giggle at the nerve of all this performative wokeness.

i don’t know a growing pain stronger than being both living and not human.

I wanna admit that it took a pandemic to teach me to rest.

"Plantains and Our Becoming" by Melania Luisa Marte offers a compelling journey into Afro-Latina identity, navigating the complexities of cultural roots and self. From the historical narratives of Hispaniola to introspective reflections on self-definition, Marte's poetry beautifully blends cultural understanding with a boundary-pushing spirit. This collection not only showcases her personal experiences but lights the path for all seeking to understand their place in our intricate world in a powerful yet vulnerable way. A truly enriching read for anyone captivated by introspective, culturally rich poetry. Highly recommend!

I first heard of Melania Luisa Marte when she narrated Elizabeth Acevedo's book, Clap When You Land, so I was beyond excited to see that Marte's poetry was being collected and released as Plantains and Our Becoming!

Marte's poetry aesthetic plays with both structure and style in ways that I really enjoyed throughout this collection. She has a prose that is incredibly immersive and there is just such a richness to these poems. I think the choice to divide the poems into three different sections worked well. The first section, Daughter of the Diaspora explores Marte's experiences navigating the world as an Afro-Latina woman and the ways in which others have defined her without her being given the opportunity to define herself. The second section, A History of Plantains, discusses the history of Hispaniola and how colonial legacies shaped tensions between Haiti and the Dominican Republic that still exist today. As a history nerd, this was probably my favorite section. I found the poems to blend a very complicated history and socio-cultural taboos in such interesting ways. In the third section, On Becoming Marte explores how her life and experiences have shaped her into the woman she is becoming and how she has nurtured that woman to continue growth and healing. Each section was individually impactful, but also built off of one another to make this a cohesive collection.

I have quite a few favorite poems in this collection - if I can find them again among my many highlights, tabs, and annotations! There are some poems I would love to work into lessons with my ESL classes as I always love to find works like this that can help students see themselves, their languages, and lived experiences. Overall, this was a really great debut collection and one that I am sure I will return to!

"Plantains and Our Becoming" by Melania Luisa Marte is a collection of poetry that takes readers on a lyrical journey through the nuances of identity, heritage, and the interconnectedness of cultures. Marte's poetic voice resonates as she crafts verses that explore the beauty of individual experiences and the shared threads that bind us together. The book's evocative language and heartfelt verses create a deeply moving reading experience that resonates with lovers of poetry. Marte skillfully navigates themes of self-discovery, belonging, and the power of embracing one's roots, adding depth to each poetic expression. "Plantains and Our Becoming" is a poignant reminder that poetry has the ability to capture the essence of the human experience in its most raw and honest form, leaving readers with a sense of connection and a renewed appreciation for the power of words to evoke emotion and understanding.

Stunning, achingly beautiful poetry on what it means to be Afro Latina. This is such a powerful book of poetry I will be recommending to my friends! As a person of color I could see myself in these poems, I could see my parents, my ancestors but at the same time I learned so much. I am so happy this book was written and I look forward to more poetry by this author!

The poetry collection, Plantains and Our Becoming by Melania Luisa Marte, is beautiful and raw, covering a variety of biographical topics. Marte is an Afro-Latina whose family comes from the Dominican Republic. Her powerful poems touch on things like immigration, race, trauma, beauty, strength, and endurance. I really enjoyed this powerful collection. I listened to the audiobook, which she passionately narrates.

Thank you, Penguin Group Dutton, PRH Audio, and NetGalley, for providing this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

4.5 stars. Thank you to Net Galley and Tiny Reparations Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. This poetry collection of bold, beautiful and touching stories and feelings was a glimpse into the author's experience as a Black Latina/Dominican from an immigrant family living in New York City. Her poetry ranges from stories of her parents' immigration, family, community, otherness/not being seen, acceptance of self, politics of being brown/black infused with love, anger, frustration, defiance and beauty. Highly recommended.

What a collection of beautiful yet gut-wrenching verse. I could relate a lot to the aspects regarding girlhood and femininity. The parts regarding Marte’s Afro-Latina culture and upbringing were fascinating as well. She has such a way with words and I was immersed in her poetry. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Thanks to NetGalley for an eARC!

I discovered about Melania Luisa Marte on Instagram and really loved what I was reading about this poetry book. I'm so glad I was able to read this poetry collection. It was deep, rich, and raw. This poetry collection moved me, and I've bookmarked quite a few poems in the book to re-read and share with others. I highly recommend this book.

This collection was a wonderful surprise of mostly prose poems about heritage, empowerment, love, and healing. Marte writes for Black women, deepening her connection to her lineage and embodying self actualizacion. Broken into three sections, I loved the last section, “Becoming,” the most, particularly for the way Marte considered this self love and how it extends outwards.

“We hungry for home, buy into whatever they’re selling. To maybe one day feel worthy of starring in our own telenovela. To have a stage all to herself, one where she can dream of a world that won’t swallow her for being born the color of Earth.“

Empowering and emotional and heartbreakingly honest, this collection of poems tells a poignant story that is necessary to be told. The author shares her heart and experiences as someone who is Afro-Latina, complete with the joys and struggles that come with that identity.

The writing evokes raw and real emotion, and the use of different poetry styles helped to tell this story in a unique and creative way. Each individual poem felt like a small piece of a larger picture, with history and personal experience being woven together into a beautiful tapestry of words.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Dutton for this advanced digital copy!

Empowering!

Melania Luisa Marte did a phenomenal job in this beautifully comprised collection of poems. Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This collection is about culture, identity, belonging, acceptance and home. In particular where identity is concerned, she examines the origins of the term Afro-Latina and how it is not recognized within the dictionary. She delves into the Dominican and Haitian cultures and what it means to identify as such. Highlighting their rich histories of racism while also acknowledging what it means to celebrate who and what you are as an individual and a community.

Her poems are personal and moving, exploring themes of self-love, trauma, and ancestral knowledge through the lenses of she and her family as they move about in search of home. I love the vulnerability she expresses all throughout. My favorites in the collection are: "A Love Letter to All The Women Who Loved Him Before Me", "Good evening, Officer", and "Island Gyal".

Definitely worth a read!
Book Release Date: August 22, 2023