Celebrate Local Poetry with a Senator, NM's leading folklorist, & former Albuquerque Poets Laureate!

To join us on Zoom, please register here!

Duende de Burque: Albuquerque Poems and Musings by Manuel González can be purchased from CW here!

Bosque: Poems by Michelle Otero can be purchased from CW here!

The Definition of Empty by Senator Bill O’Neill can be purchased from CW here!

Lágrimas: Poems of Joy and Sorrow can be purchased by calling CW at (505) 988-4226

Duende de Burque: Albuquerque Poems and Musings by Manuel González

At its center, Duende de Burque is a love letter to Alburquerque and its surroundings—the Sandia Mountains, the Rio Grande Bosque, and all the people whose spirits fill these spaces. It is an exploration of one poet’s search for duende, that elusive state of spontaneous expression and authenticity. In this collection, González writes about his beginnings as a poet and his work as the third Albuquerque Poet Laureate. He writes about what inspires him and how he works to inspire others and to craft poems that do the same. In his core is Burque—his heart, his sangre, and the home of his ancestors.

Manuel González is a former Poet Laureate of Albuquerque. A performance poet who rose from the world of slam poetry, González uses the power of his voice to teacher, mentor, and help his New Mexico community in a multitude of ways.

Bosque: Poems by Michelle Otero

Nestled in the heart of Albuquerque is a vibrant cottonwood forest that has flourished for centuries along the Río Grande—providing a home for porcupines, migratory birds, coyotes, and other wildlife as well as a sanctuary for its city residents. Today, in the midst of climate change and the slow drying of the river, the bosque struggles to remain vibrant. As a former Albuquerque Poet Laureate, Michelle Otero champions this beloved Albuquerque treasure. In her debut poetry collection, Bosque, she celebrates the importance of water and the bosque to the people of Albuquerque. Otero shares her reflections on the high desert—where she is rooted, where she draws her strength, and where she has flourished—and she invites readers to do the same.

Michelle Otero is a former Poet Laureate of Albuquerque. She is is a member of the Macondo Writers Workshop, founded by Sandra Cisneros.

The Definition of Empty by Senator Bill O’Neill

The story of a dedicated advocate trying to help adolescents facing incarceration and newly released parolees navigate imperfect and seemingly indifferent legal systems and societies. Told from the point of view of a public servant trying his best to work with people at various levels of brokenness, these poems are compassionate, heartbreaking, and even sometimes brutal while the voice is gentle, outraged, and naïve in turns. With this collection O’Neill insists that readers bear witness to the struggles of disenfranchised people they might otherwise ignore.

Senator Bill O'Neill is a New Mexico State Senator representing District 13th. O’Neill grew up in rural Ohio and graduated from Cornell University. Elected to the New Mexico Legislature in 2008 he is now in his second term in the New Mexico State Senate.

"Lágrimas: Poems of Joy and Sorrow" by Nasario Garcia

A new bilingual poetry collection by award-winning author Nasario García. Author V.B. Price says, "These poems ring out with the truth of the world and the reality of the human heart. One of New Mexico's greatest poets, Nasario García speaks to the interior life of those who are honored to be New Mexicans, who are fascinated by life and its irony, and those who feel blessed by our homes, our families, and the gifts of friendship." 

Considered a leading folklorist in New Mexico, Nasario Garcia has published 10 books in Spanish and English related to folklore and oral history. For the past thirty-plus years he has worked tirelessly to preserve the rich Hispanic culture and language of northern New Mexico. Besides his bilingual works on folklore and prose stories—the latter for adults as well as children—that depict a disappearing way of life in rural life New Mexico, García’s books of poetry also capture the spirit of his childhood in his village of Ojo del Padre.