Cowboy Park

By Eduardo Martínez-Leyva

Book Overview

"There are fevers you still wish to forget," writes Eduardo Mart nez-Leyva, but how fortunate for the rest of us that he remembers. These tenderly crafted autobiographical poems pierce through to the heart of pain, love, loss, and the ongoing search for salvation--or at least a salve. Housed in the lived experiences of a queer Latinx person born and raised in the border town of El Paso, Cowboy Park seamlessly blends themes of masculinity, identity, and the immigrant experience, offering a new perspective on the iconic image of the cowboy and a deeper understanding of the complexities of human experience.

The detainment and deportation of Mart nez-Leyva's brother grounds this exquisite collection in the all-too-common familial tragedy of political violence and discrimination. Mart nez-Leyva honors the people, language, culture, and traditions that shaped him, revealing the indignities, large and small, experienced by a community that is too often misrepresented and maligned. "My voice was the only thing keeping us warm," he writes, and the warmth from this striking debut collection is beautiful to behold.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0299350843
• ISBN13: 9780299350840
• Release Date: November 2024
• Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press
• Length: 110 Pages
• Weight: 0.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 8.2" x 10.7"