My Book of the Dead

Ana Castillo is a celebrated author of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and drama. Among her award-winning books are So Far from God: A Novel; The Mixquiahuala Letters; Black Dove: Mamá, Mi'jo, and Me; The Guardians: A Novel; Peel My Love Like an Onion: A Novel; Sapogonia; and Massacre of the Dreamers: Essays on Xicanisma (UNM Press . Born and raised in Chicago, Castillo resides in southern New Mexico.

Acknowledgments


Part I

A Storm upon Us

Tell Me to Live for Something

Hache ¡Presente!

The Reflection

Algo de ti (An Ekphrastic Exercise

Something About You (An Ekphrastic Exercise

     Translation by Sylvia Mullaly with Ana Castillo

What is Your Writing Process?

When Snow Turns to Rain and It Is Still Winter

Mass Shootings (2016 to 2019 and Counting

If I Pray

Homage to Akilah

Two Men and Me

Othering

Gotas caían en el techo

Drops Fell on the Roof

     Translation by Tyehimba Jess with Ana Castillo

Everybody Wanted Everything

White Buffalo Calf Woman




Part II

How to Tell You Are Living under Rising Fascism (A Basic Primer in Progress

Eyes, Heart, and Mind: Take Action

Soy la muxe juchiteca

I, Muxe Juchitec

     Translation by Ana Castillo

P.S. Bittersweet

Whitman

Tantrum

Cat’s Mad Lick

A Francisco X.

For Francisco X.

     Translation by Julieta Corpus with Ana Castillo

Fun House of Muted Desires

When Myra Had Enough

Click (Simple Present

Insomnia

Insomnia

     Translation by Sara Solaimani

Cancer Poem

Mierda

These Times




Part III

On the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Black Panther Party

Xicanisma Prophesies Post 2012: Putin’s Puppet

Detention

Lamento

Lament

     Translation by Sara Solaimani with Ana Castillo

By the End of the Twenty-First Century When

A Amazônia está queimando

The Goldfish Went Missing

Florinda se fue al cielo

Florinda Went to Heaven

     Translated by Ana Castillo

Pande . . . monium

Wednesday Night in the Boogie Down Bronx

My Book of the Dead




Notes