Dirt and Honey

by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland

The retelling of Mexican family folktales, feminist reclamations of ancient myths, and new motherhood: Raquel Vasquez Gilliland's debut collection, Dirt and Honey, unearths the connection of these experiences with innovative language. Gilliland writes across myth, describing a woman who grew leaves, the grandmother of God, and the story of her grandfather, who left for Texas as a refugee of the Mexican Civil War. Gilliland's work centers readers in a place all her own--one in which ancient lineages are drawn with breast milk, seduction begins with feasts of peppers, and "fisherchildren" displaced by wars are always welcomed into new lands.

Genres: Poetry

128 pages, Paperback

First published May 18, 2018

About the author

Raquel Vasquez Gilliland is a Mexican American poet, novelist, and painter. She received an MFA in poetry from the University of Alaska, Anchorage in 2017. She’s most inspired by fog and seeds and the lineages of all things. When not writing, Raquel tells stories to her plants and they tell her stories back. She lives in Tennessee with her beloved family and mountains. Raquel has published two books of poetry. Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything is her first novel.

Reviews

[Melissa Helton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strong images of nature and food and the female body weave themes of motherhood, love, and the non-human realm. Accessible and beautiful poems. Definitely want to read more by this poet.

[Antoinette M · Rating 5 out of 5]

A an extraordinary and exquisite collection of mythic and sensual poetry that offers solace, lamentation, rage, and astounding beauty.

[Lisa Stice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dirt and Honey celebrates the magic of womanhood and motherhood. For my full review visit https://militaryspousebookreview.com/....

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful collection of poems; mythic, and earthy, and very personal.

[E H · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Mud's got a voice you know." I could read this book fifty times and not get sick of it. Every time I read a poem from it, it makes me appreciate the beauty of our world a little bit more, and the beauty of being a woman.