In this episode, we had the immense honor to chat with mónica teresa ortiz, author of book of provocations, the inaugural winner of the Joe W. Bratcher Prize for Poetry. mónica teresa ortiz (they / them) is a poet, memory worker, and critic born, raised, and based in Texas.

In book of provocations, mónica teresa ortiz posits that the most important role of the poet is that of “provocateur, to prod the audience, to interpret a visible and invisible world, to unveil secrets through the communication of language, sound, and meaning.” Tender and radical, these poems offer an unflinching look into the present, which they see with a brutal clarity.

With the Joe W. Bratcher Prize, Host Publications aims to amplify the kind of work that Joe was most passionate about—poetry that pushes the boundaries of form, art and culture, poetry that is urgent in its subject matter, poetry with a heart that beats for change.

In this conversation, we talk about the origins of mónica's radical poetry, and how their work has evolved since we published their chapbook autobiography of a semiromantic anarchist in 2019. Some of the recommended works mónica cites in this episode are:

Open Veins of Latin America by Eduardo Galleano
The works of Kwame Nkrumah
The works of Aime Cesaire
The Great Camouflage by Suzanne Cesaire
The works of Khaled Mattawa