I loved the poems in the "Late to the Search Party" collection. The poems were easy to understand yet had deep and insightful themes.

Wonderful debut collection! These poems were heartfelt and also nostalgic at times. If you are new to reading poetry, this might be a great one to try as the poems seemed accessible and relatable. Thank you so much for this ARC!

One of my favorite reading experiences is falling in love with a debut poetry collection and its author. (A close second is the joy of reading a new poem by a beloved author.)

“Late to the Search Party: Poems” (Scribner, 2025) is Stephen Espada Dawson’s poignant, powerhouse poetry debut.
The son of a Mexican immigrant, Espada Dawson explores his childhood memories, grief, and burgeoning responsibilities amidst the backdrop of his deconstructing family in East Los Angeles.

Divided into four sections after an introduction by his poem “A River is a Body Running,” which references his brother’s drug addiction, including the line: “His skin, blanched blue fresco: Patron Saint of Smack.”

Each section also contains at least one poem titled “Elegy for the Four Chambers of My Heart” or a variation, such as “Elegy for the Four Chambers of My Mother’s Heart,” speaking to the visceral nature of Espada’s poetry.

One of the most distinguishing features of “Late to the Search Party” is Espada Dawson’s poetry about living through his brother’s disappearance. The disenfranchised grief and ambiguous loss expressed in “Late to the Search Party” is unique, perceptive, and mournful.

Thank you to Stephen Espada Dawson, Scribner, and NetGalley for the eARC.

I'm at a loss to express how phenomenal this collection is. Steven Espada Dawson engages with language and emotion in innovative and powerful ways. What a fantastic debut—poems like these are what keeps the genre alive.

Dawson writes with such ease and grace, even when the words are absolutely cutting. This was a beautiful book of poems, albeit devastating. Themes of addiction are explored in a completely new way, which at times feels jarring--but I appreciate the authors exploration of this topic, and the grief every person holds in their body when they love an addict. (4/5)

I went into this collection expecting a little more than what I got. Overall Dawson is a talent, that much is clear. There were some poems that I felt emotional about, and deep connected, but others fell flat to me. The emotion throughout this collection is clear, but perhaps it's a reader issue if I didn't connect with the entire collection. Still a talent and would recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for a copy of this ARC.

I like poetry but I thought this collection was pretty average. The writing and prose is decent but the composition is not well structured. I would recommend it to poetry lovers like myself, but unfortunately I wasn’t blown away by the material.

Late to the Search Party by Steven Espada Dawson is a poignant debut poetry collection that navigates grief, loss, and fractured family bonds. Through rhythmic, vivid imagery, Dawson stitches together memories of his dying mother, an absent father, and a brother lost to addiction.

Balancing abstract lyricism with raw honesty, these elegies explore the weight of survival and the persistence of love despite absence. There’s a tenderness woven into the sorrow, making each poem both heartbreaking and hopeful. Deeply moving and beautifully crafted, this collection lingers long after the last page—highly recommended for poetry lovers.

Late to the search party by Steven Espada Dawson is an interesting collection. It is full of sorrow and angsty but an underlying bitterness or sarcasm can be seen. I enjoyed it.

"I want so badly to write words / with a future attached." - Every Word is My Mothers

"We're under the same moon and I'm sick / with that knowing." - Elegy for the Four Chambers of My Brother's Heart

A stunning debut collection! I was in awe of every poem, marking each as a favorite to return to. It is a collection of elegies for those dead and alive, of looking for/at, of building a childhood, and of loss and love. I particularly found the elegies a stunning set of poems. The title poem-- "Late to the Search Party" is a feat!


I highly recommend this collection!

Debut??????

My man’s gifted through and through. Excellent, raw, emotional collection of poetry. Would recommend ♾️/10!!