Tropicalia

by Emma Trelles

Tropicalia is a collection of poems by Emma Trelles, winner of the Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize. The book is a melodic union between the green insistence of the subtropics and the city ensconced within. Trelles's language is detailed and startling, her poems infused with color and light, and the secret beauty of back alleys and parking lots is seamed to sorrow, hope, and land. Rock bands play among odes to Lorca and Chagall, and the hard news of protest and war lives among the simple pleasures of words and sky.

"Tropicalia borrows its title from the Brazilian art movement of the same name, a vibrant blend of genres and styles that colored the international arts scene in the late 1960s and 1970s. Edgier and more savvy than the flower-power hippie culture of its neighbors to the north, its vast creative energy drew from many different sources to shape a new hybrid most strongly felt in music, but also visual and performance art, poetry, film, and fashion. As mirror, Tropicalia the book brings a similar energy into the mix. Trelles imbues her odd brew of poetic styles and voices with a strong visual sense. The result is a narrative infused with a powerful physicality of place." —from the introduction by Silvia Curbelo, 2010 Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize judge

Genres: Poetry

72 pages, Paperback

First published February 15, 2011

About the author

Emma Trelles is the author of the poetry chapbook Little Spells (GOSS183) and the full-length collection Tropicalia (University of Notre Dame Press) — winner of the Andres Montoya Poetry Prize and a finalist for ForeWord Reviews/IndieFab poetry book of the year. Her poems and prose have appeared or are forthcoming in The Los Angeles Review; Miramar; Political Punch: Contemporary Poems on the Politics of Identity; Poet Lore; The Best American Poetry; PoetsArtists; Best of the Net; the Miami Herald; & others. She has taught creative writing workshops at Antioch University, PINTURA/PALABRA, an ekphrastic project sponsored by Letras Latinas/Institute for Latino Studies at Notre Dame; the Sanibel Island Writers Conference; The Center for Literature and Theatre in Miami; and Florida International University. She is the receipient of an Individual Artist Fellowship in poetry from the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs & now lives with her husband in Santa Barbara, where she programs the Mission Poetry Series.

Reviews

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Check out my review at Florida Book Review (www.floridabookreview.com)

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely worth a read. The imagery and craft in Trelles's poetry is extraordinary and surprising in quite a few spots. I found her poems to have depth while still being accessible. A recommended read for lovers of poetry or those who are looking to dip their toe in the genre.

[Gio Vignati · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the way early aughts/'nineties South Florida is represented in these poems. There is a life and vivaciousness that exists within the dirt and grit.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am closing my poetry loop. During my “Sealey Challenge” (if I dare even call it that), I started with two collections I had never read before and am now peppering in collections that I read at the start of my foray into poetry. It’s left me feeling nostalgic, and I really enjoyed rereading this one. So many things to love here. The collection is a barrage on each of the five senses. I felt like she had scooped me up and left me on a sidewalk in Miami or that I was peering over her shoulder as she was preparing a post-2016-election meal. Another thing that Trelles does extremely well is pairing form with topic, and she certainly is not afraid to play around with form.