Danzirly

by Gloria Muñoz

Danzirly is a striking bilingual poetry collection that fiercely examines the nuances of the American Dream for Latinx people in the United States. With a backdrop of stringent immigration policies, the #MeToo movement, and the increasingly tangible threat of climate change, this collection considers multigenerational Latinx identities in a rapidly changing country and world. Through the author’s Colombian American lens, the poems explore the intersections of culture, gender, history, and intergenerational grief.

Danzirly does not shy away from confronting traditional gender roles, religion, and anxieties surrounding climate change and the digital age. Gloria Muñoz addresses Latinx stereotypes and powerfully dismantles them in poetic form, juxtaposing the promised wonders of a life in America with the harsh realities that immigrants face as they build their lives and raise their families here. Winner of the Academy of American Poets’ Ambroggio Prize, this collection of poems is an unforgettable reckoning of the grief and beauty that pulses through twenty-first-century America.

Genres: Poetry

160 pages, Paperback

First published April 13, 2021

Reviews

[Kimberly Karalius · Rating 5 out of 5]

This poetry collection is gorgeous! Munoz’s mastery of language is at work with each poem; I feel like I went on a journey, each poem a bite-sized adventure. “Time Travel” is my favorite poem of the collection, but it was hard to really choose. The creaminess of stargazing just grabbed me for that one. Other great that stick out to me were were “Morning Flight,” “Llorona,” “Dawn’s Early,” “Red Alert” and “Narwhals are Real.”

[Nicole Caron · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished reading this delicious volume shortly after I got my hands on a copy, but I’ve been occasionally rereading bits and pieces, and now it’s time to write a review.
The short version, because I prefer short reviews, if you like reading poetry that bursts in your mouth like a just-ripe summer peach, this book is for you. With poems in Spanish and English, Munoz seamlessly glides between these languages (if you find an audio of her reading on YouTube or other site, listen - her voice, especially in Spanish, is gorgeous). The title poem, “Dawn’s Early/Danzirly,” reads like a short inaugural poem. Run to your local independent bookstore right now and order this book - don’t wait!
(disclosure: the author and I are friends, but I would still wax rhapsodic over this work!)

[Sonja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gloria Muñoz is the proud daughter of immigrants. Yes, this book of poems in Spanish and English is a delight. So many poems I loved:
When you cry, I cry. When you eat, I eat
When you sleep I read the news:
A shooting, a shooting, a shooting and then
Another. Children trapped in border camps, still
Cuando lloras, lloro. Cuando comes, como.
Cuando duermes, leo las noticias:
Un tiroteo, un tiroteo, un tiroteo y luego
Otro. Niños atrapados en campos fronterizos, todavía

It goes on about the discounting of these people, these children and then her own child.
Danzirly is a beautiful book to hold and read too. Now I hope to find her reading some of them on the internet. Thank you Gloria Muñoz

[Becky Robison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m somewhat biased here, because Gloria and I attended the Tin House YA Fiction Workshop together. But even if I didn’t know her, I’d be dazzled by this bilingual poetry collection. I especially loved the images in her poems. They’re vivid, bursting like fireworks. On a personal note, I’m slowly (and badly) learning Spanish, so I loved reading the Spanish versions of the poems aloud to practice my accent, and then trying to guess what various words meant before flipping to the English translation. Stunning and educational!

This review was originally published on my blog.

[Shouty · Rating 5 out of 5]

ESTOY APRENDIENDO ESPAÑOL TODAVÍA PERO LAS PALABRAS DE MUÑOZ ERAN MÚSICA/THEN I’D READ THE ENGLISH VERSION AND BE LIKE HOLY SHIT I HAVE TO SIT WITH THIS

[Ashley Bostrom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorites:
-Glosa
-Clauses
-Dawn’s Early (Danzirly)
-The Bear
-Defense Mechanism
-Startle Reflex