Glassful of Prayer

by Anthony Ceballos

A stunning debut collection, Anthony Ceballos' Glassful of Prayer, wrestles with questions of identity against the backdrop of loss, heritage, family ties, addiction, nature, and urban Minneapolis. Ceballos relentlessly delves into the experience of claiming and defining a self with vivid imagery of reflections and nature, and through dreamed or imagined dialogue with an alcoholic father he never "I am not/my father's boy, I am not/his body, I am not nobody.." In another poem, his grandmother's spirit asks, "Who? Who do you want to be?" Ceballos connects these themes of negative and positive identity through a single thread prevalent throughout the collection, authenticity, leading us through a landscape of darkness and ash to a place of self-acceptance and love.

Genres: Poetry

106 pages, Paperback

Published February 1, 2026

Reviews

[Elliot Mevissen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this collection. It was powerful, raw, with imagery that I wasn’t expecting and yet that fit perfectly into the poet’s voice. Anthony Ceballos writes on the complex interaction between his sense of self and his connection to his parents, grandparents, and ancestors. His absent father’s death is a refrain throughout the poems, especially because of their shared name. There is tension and collaboration between earth and urban imagery that helps to describe his complicated feelings around his Ojibwe heritage, and the process of grief complicated by life is strong throughout. I loved the grimy feel of a lot of the poems, and how it was balanced with light and earth and nostalgia.

[Sawyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5

10/12 of my self imposed “buy a random poetry book every month from my local indie bookstores” challenge. Ceballos writes with an urgency and desperation that pushed me to take my time with this collection. Definitely liked this one.