Trace

by Brenda Cárdenas

Through image-rich poems regarding migration, transcultural identity, loss, connection, dream, and aging—some translingual, some ekphrastic responses to ephemeral and surreal works of art—Brenda Cárdenas’ Trace explores conditions of displacement, liminality, and mutability. These poems transgress illusory borders between lands, languages, humans and the rest of the natural world, waking and dreaming, and the living and the dead as they unearth traces of experience that shape and haunt us, traces we leave behind for others to encounter. Although elegy resurfaces throughout this collection as does a poetics of social consciousness, Cárdenas also embraces moments of levity, story, and an effervescent internal music that balance her steps through fraught yet bewitching terrain.

Genres: Poetry

120 pages, Paperback

First published April 18, 2023

About the author

Poet

Reviews

[Lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a powerful read. What a moving collection that really picks up to a roaring pace as it gets going.

[Lea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good poetry collections covering a lot of topics - immigration, migration, menopause, life.

[Molly]

Sealey Challenge 2024 9/31

I consider myself so lucky to have had Brenda as a teacher. Her poems reflect all the things I remember best about her: her passion, her joy, and her incisive understanding of the human spirit.

[Taylor Franson-Thiel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid collection. 3.5 rounded up. Ekphrastic and narrative. The best poems were in the second section when the author fully committed to the eco/political threads that were hinted at though out.

[Catherine Stover · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quote: “Time to purge . . . impossible futures, manacled to metal desks and manicured lawns.”

A review of “Trace” in 100 words by Catherine Stover

Reading poetry silently can be a mistake when part of the poem’s power lies in the rhythm and music of the verses. When Brenda Cárdenas read her poetry as a keynote speaker at the Wisconsin Writers Association conference, I felt as though I was under her spell. It was beautiful! Some of her poetry has been set to music that was performed at Carnegie Hall. Many of the poems in this collection, such as “Against Insularity,” are calls to action. She encourages us to enter worlds “we’ve never traversed, across the line we’ve never transgressed.” I am ready! Are you?

Work cited:
Cárdenas, Brenda. “Against Insularity.” Trace, Red Hen Press, 2023, p. 45.

More of my reviews can be found at https://www.catherinestover.com/

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I added this to Goodreads months after I finished the collection. I don't remember it.