The Concrete River
Poems
Published on 30. July 1995
Book
Paperback/Softback
125 pages
978-0-915306-42-8 (ISBN)
Description
Winner of the Pen Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award, The Concrete River's poems illuminate the gritty idiosyncrasies of immigrant life in urban barrios spanning Los Angeles to Chicago to Harlem. Luis J. Rodriguez lends powerful voices to those struggling to keep the gas on, to find work, and to keep love. Populated by a vibrant cast of characters, ranging from the drugged, to the eccentric, to the heartbroken, Rodriguez's poems protest capitalism, violence, and exploitation while reveling in the potential of compassion.
Reviews / Votes
1991 PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Award for Literary Excellence"This poetry is of the barrio yet stubbornly refuses to be confined in it-Rodriguez's perceptive gaze and storyteller's gift transport his world across neighborhood boundaries."-Publisher's Weekly|"What makes Luis Rodriguez's poetry attractive is not its raw honesty but rather the lyrical beauty that suddenly emerges at unpredictable moments. There are lines that bloom like the flowers he is always making reference to."-The American Poetry Review|"The poetry is of the barrio yet stubbornly refuses to be confined in it-Rodriguez's perceptive gaze and storyteller's gift transport his world across neighborhood boundaries."
-Publisher's Weekly
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
St Paul, MN
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 140 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
Weight
333 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-915306-42-8 (9780915306428)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Luis J. Rodriguez has published fifteen books of poetry, children's literature, fiction, and nonfiction. He is best known for his 1993 memoir of gang life, Always Running: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A. His awards include a Finalist for the 2011 National Book Critics Circle Award, a Lila Wallace Readers Digest Writers Award, a PEN Josephine Miles Literary Award, a Paterson Poetry Prize, a Carl Sandburg Literary Award, and fellowships from the Sundance Institute, the Lannan Foundation, the City of Los Angeles, the City of Chicago, the California Arts Council, and the Illinois Arts Council, among others. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti in 2014 chose Luis J. Rodriguez as Poet Laureate of the city. Luis is also Scholar in Residence at California State University, Northridge.
Content
I. Prelude to a Heartbeat
Watts Bleeds
The Coldest Day
Deathwatch
Tia Chucha
Speaking with Hands
Night Dancing
Soundtracks
II. Dancing on a Grave
Dancing on a Grave
The Village
Chota
Writhing Skeletons
The Conrete River
The Best of Us
The Threshold
The Twenty-Ninth
The Rooster Who Thought It Was a Dog
III. Always Running
Always Running
Columbian Star
Waiting
Black Mexican
The Bull's Eye Inn
Don't Read that Poem!
Jarocho Blues
Lips
IV. Music of the Mill
Music of the Mill
Jesus Saves
The Blast Furnace
Carrying My Tools
Heavy Tells a Story
First Day of Work
They Come to Dance
Bethlehem No More
V. A Harvest of Eyes
A Harvest of Eyes
The Quest for Flight
The News You Don't Get at Home
City of Angels
Mean Streets
Every Road
Chained Time
Don't Go Gentle Into that Good Expressway
Every Breath, a Prayer
This Tree, this Poem
Then Comes a Day
VI. Glossary of Spanish/Calo Terms
Watts Bleeds
The Coldest Day
Deathwatch
Tia Chucha
Speaking with Hands
Night Dancing
Soundtracks
II. Dancing on a Grave
Dancing on a Grave
The Village
Chota
Writhing Skeletons
The Conrete River
The Best of Us
The Threshold
The Twenty-Ninth
The Rooster Who Thought It Was a Dog
III. Always Running
Always Running
Columbian Star
Waiting
Black Mexican
The Bull's Eye Inn
Don't Read that Poem!
Jarocho Blues
Lips
IV. Music of the Mill
Music of the Mill
Jesus Saves
The Blast Furnace
Carrying My Tools
Heavy Tells a Story
First Day of Work
They Come to Dance
Bethlehem No More
V. A Harvest of Eyes
A Harvest of Eyes
The Quest for Flight
The News You Don't Get at Home
City of Angels
Mean Streets
Every Road
Chained Time
Don't Go Gentle Into that Good Expressway
Every Breath, a Prayer
This Tree, this Poem
Then Comes a Day
VI. Glossary of Spanish/Calo Terms