like a solid to a shadow

by Janice Lobo Sapigao

like a solid to a shadow is a documentary poetry collection about grieving, fatherlessness, and the limitations of language. Sapigao finds her deceased father’s love ‘letters’ to her mother: cassette tapes recorded in Illokano, a language of which she has imperfect knowledge. The book moves through Sapigao’s process of translating and transcribing the tapes; playing with, learning, and unlearning the Ilokano and English languages. This book then launches from the tapes to ask “What can we really know?” when it comes to family lineages and personal histories. Through family trees, photos, and mapping, Sapigao articulates, distorts, and heals her knowledge of the man who is is her deceased father.

Genres: Poetry

102 pages, Paperback

First published November 11, 2017

Reviews

[jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

what we write is what we keep in order for it to stay.
soft for using the words as documentation and foothold <3 has held my hand in braving new approaches to my writing.

[Taylor Napolsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

A soulful meditation on uncovering the past, learning about one's self and legacy. This work feels comprehensive: rooted in history, but also the "now"; and futuristic in the way Sapigao unabashedly incorporates the digital age into the work.

[Will Florentino · Rating 4 out of 5]

grief! daughterhood! filipinos in san jose!

i think i may need to read a romcom after this to make up for how scooped out i feel

[Sean Dunnsue]

A startlingly personal reflection on identity, family, and loss. I'm not sure how blown away I am by the lines of poetry themselves - so much of that comes down to personal taste - but the overall presentation and storytelling are immaculate. Fascinating to think about the internal struggle that created the need for this project, and how careful documentation and creative license can be used to help navigate that delicate balance between our personal and family histories.

[pey · Rating 4 out of 5]

beautiful memoir and poetry about grief and the absence in analogous to the lost of language; in finding her father, she finds her voice