Shadowboxing: Poems & Impersonations

by Joseph Rios

Borrowing the poetic language found in boxing lore and in the Rocky films, Shadowboxing pieces together a poetic portrait of Josefo, a Chicano adolescent working and becoming a poet in the farm territories of Central California. Rios confounds the relationship between author, speaker, and subject within various forms and, at times, across genre. He challenges the usefulness of poetry and stands upon oral histories to demystify California's overlooked labor class. Rios invites the reader to enter Josefo's world of memory, experience, and talk, of packinghouse mentors, storytelling grandmothers, parable-sharing plumbers, smooth talking truck drivers, and infinitely patient literature professors.

Genres: Poetry

95 pages, Paperback

First published October 3, 2017

Reviews

[Kyle Cheddar Czech · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing

[Michael Reyes · Rating 4 out of 5]

"They can't knock you out if you keep moving. [Even on the page.]" writes Joseph Rios in the Prologue of this exciting and unforgettable collection. And the collection's sparring partner is clear. Rios squares up with the poetic traditions in which this collection is being thrown into. Rios writes in the Prologue that "the progression of this art form has left some people behind." And the collection moves forward with an urgency, fearlessness, confidence - 16 Rounds! - throwing combinations of lyric, narrative, and playwriting to honor the overlooked "sound, rhythm, cadence, word choice, simile, metaphor, etc." of his friends, brothers, and cousins. However, Rios doesn't write as himself. He gives us Josepho, an impersonation of Rios's grand imagination. And if a reader can't keep up with his dance, Rios says: "put the book down and go get lost in IKEA." Shadowboxing: Poems & Impersonations is doing something worth celebrating - simply bringing the poetic traditions into a new arena - Rios's backyard. After reading this collection, I'm proud to be a poet in the long, unsung lineage of Latinx poetics. Being a fan of the Rocky films, and seeing how the collection is organized around the films' knockout one-liners, well that brings me so much joy, too! A must read.

[bracket boi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this collection more. I happen to come across it at my local thrift shop and picked it up because it looked cool and after skimming through it, I saw that it was full of topics very familiar to me and that i could relate to as a latino american living in California.

After reading it, my opinion is that the poems in this collection are ok for the most part with few standing out more than the rest and overall they didn’t really move me or seem to be coming from a broader place. It’s a very passionate collection and there’s no discrediting the love that was poured into this but it seemed far too personal and specific most of the time for many readers to relate to. At least not as much as i’d imagine most would want to.

Other than that it was pretty solid.

Actual Rating: 2.75

[Cody Stetzel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm somewhere between a 3 and a 4 on this one.

I think Rios is an authentic and vulnerable motherfucker. I think these poems reflect a particular type of masculinity that is very much rampant still -- that type of brotherhood above all mentality. The collection works toward a continuum against a struggle.

It's not a compassionate collection, although I would argue for a kindness within.

[Lauren Contreras-Loreto · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gave me the shivers so many times as I read it. A fantastic mix of pop culture, latino culture and street culture with dashes of the romantics. WOW. I want to take away a star from all the other 5 star books I've read this year. Definitely a new fave in the realm of poetry.

[Tom Romig · Rating 3 out of 5]

A work of unrelenting vitality, though the different poetic forms and pacing can at times lead to a lack of focus.

[Sébastien Bernard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A kind of Savage Detectives of the Mexican diaspora of the west coast. Almost too good, if that's a thing.

[Dree · Rating 4 out of 5]

This poetry collection revolves around the character Josefo (the author's alter-ego or younger self?). He is a young man, Chicano, working class, and living in CA's Central Valley, and writes poetry and enjoys poetry. He works, he hangs out with friends, family, co-workers. He may be teased for loving poetry a bit, but he does not care and people let him be. Pop culture--from movies to songs to TV is mixed in. An interesting look at a community of regular people doing regular things in a regular place--but one of them happens to love poetry. I do think this book might resonate better with working-class young men--or older men who were or still are working class. Especially if they appreciate poetry.

[Jineen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book came to me through an event at the New York Public Library. I grew up in my local library, and it's one of the main reasons why I fell in love with books, so it made finding this book even more special for me.

It's a collection of poems that speak to the nuance of Latinx culture and community.

With its exciting tempo and cultural references, it discusses how many of us are balancing our internal ambitions with our external world and relationships.

This book struck me as a beautiful contribution to the genre of poetry and opened my eyes to the potential of the genre as a whole. It does not conform or apologize for being what it is, and it's that attitude that brings you in and keeps you interested.

It's a way of bringing readers into the world of poetry and introducing the world of poetry, a nosotros.

[Timothy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some fine poems and some stylistically boring poems.

[Marjorie Jensen]

Read for my creative writing TA-ship at Berkeley.