The Language of Unbreaking

by Keana Aguila Labra

The Language of Unbreaking by Keana Aguila Labra is her fourth poetry collection, offering a deeply personal exploration of the author's memories, ranging from reflections on family and self to broader themes of connection. Through the seamless blend of Cebuano and Tagalog, Labra crafts poems that weave together vibrant, delicate recollections, sometimes anchoring them in physical artifacts that hold profound emotional weight. The words themselves feel like they unravel the very fabric of memory, pulling readers into intense emotional capsules. Labra's deep love for family, home, and community resonates throughout the book, offering a powerful and heartfelt expression of belonging. There are moments of loss that can break the reader's spirit, yet these same poems provide a sense of catharsis, as if the reader is finally receiving the balm they've longed for. Labra's physicality is present in the poems, with some exploring the raw autopsies of pain and suffering, while others celebrate the joys of the body and life. The interplay of Tagalog and Cebuano echoes the natural world's reclaiming of urban spaces, infusing the poems with a sense of renewal. The Language of Unbreaking is a collection that functions as both a prayer for healing and a powerful litany of hope, dissolution, and redemption.

Genres: Poetry

114 pages, Paperback

Published February 26, 2025

About the author

Keana Aguila Labra is a Cebuana Tagalog Pilipinx poet & writer in diaspora residing on stolen Ohlone Tamyen land, also known as San Jose, California. They work to provide a safe literary space for underserved & underrepresented communities as the Co-Founder & Co-Publisher of the BIPOC/LGBTQIA+ focused Sampaguita Press, & Co-Editor in Chief of Sampaguita Press’ magazine imprint, Marías at Sampaguitas.

Outside of Sampaguita Press, Keana served as the co-Assistant Director of the Santa Clara County Youth Poet Laureate Program alongside Director and 2020-2021 Santa Clara County Poet Laureate, Janice Lobo Sapigao from 2021-2024. In Oct 2021, Keana served as Honorary Santa Clara County Poet Laureate alongside poet Lorenz Mazon Dumuk.

Keana was formerly a book reviewer with City Book Review, and in 2021 was a fellow for the Kearny Street Interdisciplinary Writer's Lab.

In addition, Keana was formerly the Interview Lead for the Walang Hiya Project, an arts collective centering Filipinxaos of marginalized genders & LGBTQ+ folks, & a Barangay Tanod intern with the Bayanihan Center in San Francisco.