In Inheritance of Drowning

by Dorsía Smith Silva

In this striking debut, Dorsía Smith Silva explores the devastating effects of Hurricane María in Puerto Rico, highlighting the natural world, the lasting impact of hurricanes, and the marginalization of Puerto Ricans. These poems also focus on the multiple sites of oppression in the United States, especially the racial, social, and political injustices that occur every day. Smith Silva writes with a powerful, gripping voice, confronting the “drowning” of disenfranchised communities as they are displaced, exploited, and robbed of their identities, but remain resilient. Written with unflinching language and vivid imagery, In Inheritance of Drowning reveals the many facets of the lives of marginalized people.

Genres: Poetry

104 pages, Paperback

Published November 12, 2024

Reviews

[Michael Kunz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dorsia Smith Silva offers a rebellious swing of optimism. The University of Puerto Rico, Rio Pedras professor is “not supposed to write” that Hurricane Maria (which claimed at least 4,600 lives) “held intoxicating possibilities and mysteries.” But she does just that, in the final line of the first poem of her debut collection In Inheritance of Drowning.