Here to Stay: Poetry and Prose from the Undocumented Diaspora

Undocumented and formerly undocumented poets forge a radical new poetics of belonging in this exciting anthology that transforms the language of documentation into art. The collection pulses with formal innovation: Vanessa Angélica Villarreal’s “table {border-collapse: collapse;}” turns cold bureaucratic syntax into burning testimony, while Wo Chan’s drag performances and Laurel Chen’s ecological meditations expand what undocumented literature can contain, turning government forms into portals and official paperwork into poetry. The contributors don’t just switch between languages but create new ones, building linguistic homes in the spaces between nations. An archive of joy and struggle emerges, in which poetry preserves what official documents cannot. As Yosimar Reyes writes, “There is nothing beautiful about being undocumented, but if I must find something, it is that we found each other with our voices.” Through their vivid writings, these marginalized voices reaffirm poetry’s capacity to observe, recall, and deliver alternative realities. (Sept.)