Black Mestiza is drenched in powerful, colourful imagery of the poet’s journey to make sense of identity and gender. As a mixed-race woman myself, the metaphors within Aldana’s collection are universal. Her poetry is an ode to every mixed-race girl’s struggle with charting ancestries and the majority’s inability to accept otherness.

The collection is split into four sections and embraces Aldana’s Caribbean and Colombian heritage thoughtfully, weaving in experiences and imagery from both cultures. Reading the collection for the first time, the speaker emanates feelings of anguish and a quiet resistance.

Aldana’s deft use of sound creates tension within verses. Her language is precise and there is not a word out of place. I was struck particularly by the rhythm of ‘Why Don’t You Write About Joy?’ and the lines: ‘Because when my grandmother came to the Anglo world, / they cleaved her name in half’ hold so much power and knowing in what colonialism willingly does to strip us of coloured histories. Aldana’s poems are a fight to regain identity and a candle in the dark for mixed-race women everywhere.

One other poem that struck my little mixed-race heart was ‘Self-Portrait in Your Slices’. The lines: ‘I am the nice brown skinned girl being held by my white / passing / Grandmother. She becomes un-white passing with the / context of me’ hit home, and reminded me of how my own people have a thousand different faces, yet the media chooses only white-passing children to showcase.

I loved this collection, and I have a feeling this will stay on my shelf and my lips for a long time to come.

Thanks to University Press of Kentucky and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book.
I enjoyed the culture represented in this title.

Black Mestiza by Yael Valencia Aldana is a striking collection that never feels repetitive. Aldana’s musings on identity and culture are beautiful. The poems are thoughtful, rich in language, and unafraid to confront complexity. I especially appreciated the way the collection navigates heritage, selfhood, and belonging with both intensity and nuance. This collection is a must-read for those who appreciate poetry that challenges, reflects, and lingers long after the final page.

✨ Review ✨ Black Mestiza: Poems by Yael Valencia Aldana

Thanks to University Press of Kentucky and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

This is rooted in her identity as a Caribbean Afro-Latinx woman with Indigenous, Black, and white ancestry. It crosses generations as she seeks connection with her ancestors. It really brilliantly expresses her own struggles juggling her interethnic/interracial identities.

My favorite poems included "Talisman," "We Are Very Witchy," "I Give Different Answers," and "Black Person Head Bob."

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Genre: poetry
Pub Date: Jan 2025

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review Black Mestiza by Yael Valencia Aldana.

The collection is an interesting one but there are some bits where it does drag a bit. I do love the references to other women, my favourite poem was easily the one on Zora Neale Hurston.

Me gusta que hable sobre la pertenencia o no pertenencia que uno tiene cuando es descendiente de varios lugares, cuando tiene una descendencia variada. Lo hace de una manera respetuosa y bastante acertada.

People who enjoy the poetry of Sandra Cisneros and Maya Angelou will enjoy this book by Yael Valencia Aldana. Most of the poems were an expression of the long lines of heritage we contain and not allowing anyone (including ourselves) to deny them. As the title indicates, sometimes we’re quite a complicated mix. This book is about relationships, especially ties to women, although there are a couple of poems to men and a couple about her son. There are tributes to Angela Davis, Zora Neal Hurston, and Margaret Atwood, acknowledgement of literary ancestors as well as genetic ones.

This is highly accessible poetry that invites one to think about one’s own connections and influences: relations, mentors, icons. This would make a great summer reading book. There is some experimentation but it remains very readable throughout. While it deals with some difficult topics, it doesn’t dwell on them. There is loss but it is expressed more as remembrance and spiritual connection than as grief. Overall, I found this an enjoyable, interesting, and quick read. It was a bit of summer for me reading it in winter.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!*

‘Black Mestiza’ is a stunning collection of trials of life. From a mix of cultures and people trying to separate her from her roots to family, love, friendship, and grief.

What I appreciate about this collection is the stunning and creative lines without being so obscure that to understand them you have to dissect every line. Instead we get beautiful verses that speak right to our hearts and minds, flowing along with the story of her life. She also covers so much and I appreciated that because never once did it feel like I was reading the same poem twice. They also tied together, moving from one to the other in such an obviously cohesive way that I was just amazed the entire time.

I enjoyed all of the poems, especially ones so casual that she set a scene for us. I could see them, feel them, and hear them as I read along. My favorite, however, was the closing poem. I will absolutely be forcing everyone I know to pick up this book.

This is a powerful collection exploring identity and history. Aldana's voice is thundering and passionate, while also being mystical and philosophical at times. She has an excellent mastery of rhythm and a keen eye. Her writing is extremely sharp and worthy of the praise it will receive.