Northwestern University Press, 1991 Paper: 978-0-915306-42-8 Library of Congress Classification PS3568.O34879C66 1991 Dewey Decimal Classification 811.54
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
ABOUT THIS BOOK
1991 PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Award for Literary Excellence
The Concrete River is a collection of poems by poet laureate of Los Angeles Luis Rodríguez. They illuminate the gritty idiosyncrasies of immigrant life in urban barrios spanning Los Angeles to Chicago to Harlem. Rodríguez 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, Rodríguez’s poems protest capitalism, violence, and exploitation while reveling in the potential of compassion.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
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.
REVIEWS
“This poetry is of the barrio yet stubbornly refuses to be confined in it—Rodríguez's perceptive gaze and storyteller's gift transport his world across neighborhood boundaries.” —Publishers Weekly
— -
“What makes Luis Rodríguez’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
— -
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. Prelude to a Heartbeat
Watts Bleeds
The Coldest Day
Deathwatch
Tía 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
Jesús 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/Caló Terms
REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you
with an electronic file for alternative access.
Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.
Northwestern University Press, 1991 Paper: 978-0-915306-42-8
1991 PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Award for Literary Excellence
The Concrete River is a collection of poems by poet laureate of Los Angeles Luis Rodríguez. They illuminate the gritty idiosyncrasies of immigrant life in urban barrios spanning Los Angeles to Chicago to Harlem. Rodríguez 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, Rodríguez’s poems protest capitalism, violence, and exploitation while reveling in the potential of compassion.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
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.
REVIEWS
“This poetry is of the barrio yet stubbornly refuses to be confined in it—Rodríguez's perceptive gaze and storyteller's gift transport his world across neighborhood boundaries.” —Publishers Weekly
— -
“What makes Luis Rodríguez’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
— -
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. Prelude to a Heartbeat
Watts Bleeds
The Coldest Day
Deathwatch
Tía 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
Jesús 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/Caló Terms
REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you
with an electronic file for alternative access.
Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.
It can take 2-3 weeks for requests to be filled.
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE