Description
From former U.S. poet laureate Juan Felipe Herrera comes a searing bilingual collection that speaks directly to America and all its peoples. Flourishing Shadows / Sombras Florecientes is a lyrical journey through migration, memory, and resistance--an urgent address to a nation grappling with its identity. Blending autobiography and Indigenous, Chicanx, and Beat traditions, Herrera reclaims language as a tool of compassion and truth. With ink drawings and evocative verse, this book honors the migrants who traverse borders and histories, flourishing even in the shadows. A call to listen, to remember, and to act.
More than a poetic critique, this book initiates a conversation--a direct address to readers that invites reflection, solidarity, and action. Drawing on his anthropological training and lived experience, Herrera weaves together the cultural richness of Indigenous Mexico, the urban vibrancy of San Francisco's literary scene, and the enduring legacy of migrant journeys. Flourishing Shadows / Sombras Florecientes is a vital addition to the Camino del Sol series and a powerful testament to the resilience and humanity of those too often relegated to the margins.
Author: Juan Felipe Herrera
Publisher: University of Arizona Press
Published: 10/13/2026
Pages: 94
Binding Type: Paperback
ISBN13: 9780816557011
ISBN10: 0816557012
Language: Spanish
BISAC Categories:
- Poetry | Hispanic & Latino
- Poetry | Subjects & Themes | Political & Protest
- Social Science | Immigration & Emigration
About the Author
Juan Felipe Herrera was born in 1948 to farmworker parents. He is a graduate of UCLA, Stanford, and the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop. The author of thirty-five books in various genres, Herrera served as poet laureate of the United States from 2015 to 2017. Herrera has taught Chicano and Latin American studies at California State University, Fresno, and creative writing at the University of California, Riverside, and has held numerous visiting positions. He is a professor emeritus in the Department of Chicano and Latin American Studies, Fresno State University, and is the current coordinator for the Laureate Lab Visual Wordist Studio at the Fresno State Library.
Lauro Flores is a professor at the University of Washington. He is the author, editor, and translator of several publications, including the anthology The Floating Borderlands, winner of the American Book Award.