This collection was a wonderful surprise of mostly prose poems about heritage, empowerment, love, and healing. Marte writes for Black women, deepening her connection to her lineage and embodying self actualizacion. Broken into three sections, I loved the last section, “Becoming,” the most, particularly for the way Marte considered this self love and how it extends outwards.

“We hungry for home, buy into whatever they’re selling. To maybe one day feel worthy of starring in our own telenovela. To have a stage all to herself, one where she can dream of a world that won’t swallow her for being born the color of Earth.“

Empowering and emotional and heartbreakingly honest, this collection of poems tells a poignant story that is necessary to be told. The author shares her heart and experiences as someone who is Afro-Latina, complete with the joys and struggles that come with that identity.

The writing evokes raw and real emotion, and the use of different poetry styles helped to tell this story in a unique and creative way. Each individual poem felt like a small piece of a larger picture, with history and personal experience being woven together into a beautiful tapestry of words.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Dutton for this advanced digital copy!

Empowering!

Melania Luisa Marte did a phenomenal job in this beautifully comprised collection of poems. Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This collection is about culture, identity, belonging, acceptance and home. In particular where identity is concerned, she examines the origins of the term Afro-Latina and how it is not recognized within the dictionary. She delves into the Dominican and Haitian cultures and what it means to identify as such. Highlighting their rich histories of racism while also acknowledging what it means to celebrate who and what you are as an individual and a community.

Her poems are personal and moving, exploring themes of self-love, trauma, and ancestral knowledge through the lenses of she and her family as they move about in search of home. I love the vulnerability she expresses all throughout. My favorites in the collection are: "A Love Letter to All The Women Who Loved Him Before Me", "Good evening, Officer", and "Island Gyal".

Definitely worth a read!
Book Release Date: August 22, 2023

MY GOSSSSSSH! I so enjoyed this collection and am so thankful to Dutton/Tiny Reparations Books for granting me digital and physical access to this eloquently proud and stand-up collection of prose that read like a fighting cry for help in a nation where we are so hateful and segregated against our own people. Melania Luisa Marte evoked so many feelings for me as the reader, and rattled out her stance on broken down and corrupted politics, language barriers, and immigration statuses and I just couldn't get enough.

Plantains and Our Becoming hits shelves on August 22, 2023 and I can't wait.

A timely meditation of her experiences as an Afro-Latina girl and woman and child of immigrants. Thoughts and reflections of dealing with colorism, discrimination, depression, and struggling with assimilation. The reader is treated to how she found strength and pride in her roots, culture (the food, the language, the music, the art, etc.) to embrace first and foremost her Blackness to accept herself and discover her voice and self-worth. She notes colonialization’s debilitating and dehumanizing practices and goes deep within to redefine her identity in her own terms – making it 100% her own.

This collection is sobering, inspirational, empowering, and for some, inspirational because there is no doubt others who have similar circumstances and experiences. There is also reverence for the mothers and grandmothers who had their own set of challenges and suffering, who survived failed marriages and relationships, and entered single motherhood involuntarily. She pays homage to her family members/the ancestors and celebrates the literary greats in verse (Toni Morrison, Lucille Clifton, and others), and references the musical greats (from Celoa Cruz to Megan the Stallation and Cardi B) who fueled her imagination and buoyed her confidence when it was lacking.

I enjoyed every page - thanks to the author for sharing her gift and insights.

Thanks to the publisher, Penguin Group Dutton, Tiny Reparations Books, and NetGalley for an opportunity to review.

Such an awesome collection of poetry! Every piece was so powerful, beautiful and some times sad. She’s not apologetic (doesn’t need to be) and talks about everything, nothing is off limits. Thank you so much Melania Luisa Marte, NetGalley and Tiny Reparations Books for this amazing and brilliant collection.

Beautifully written books of poems that speak to the lived experience of Afro-Latina people in a society that doesn’t recognize them. Furthermore, a society that they find hard to belong in without judgement. As an African American I was able to relate to some of these issues of racism, identity, and culture.

Overall, this book was a great read especially considering it was the author’s debut. If nothing else this collection of poetry will make for a great discussion piece. I look forward to reading more from this author soon.

This was a fantastic and powerful collection of poetry. There were so many pieces that I related to. It was interesting to read Marte’s take on stereotypes, generational trauma, Dominican culture, history, and identity.

Self awakening and the love of once culture will always be a good jumping point for a good book. I love when a book make you feel like you aren’t ready but actually living through the story with the character.

I feel like this book was written for me. Each poem was empowering and filled with emotion. There were soo many relatable lines and spoke to me on another level.

I have not felt this connected to a poetry collection since the words of Maya Angelou.

Highly recommend for Negras and Afro Latinas.

this was good! too short! i liked this style of poetry and would love to read more from the auhtor.

— thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the free digital ARC.

These lush, fiery, powerful poems celebrate Afro-Latina identity, womanhood, Dominican culture, and so much more. It's a far-reaching collection that feels like both a celebration and a call to action. I love how Melania Luisa Marte draws inspiration from other poets and uses plantains as a theme throughout. Definitely a poet to watch!

A mesmerizing collection of prose on the topics of black diaspora, immigration, culture, and feminism.

I would like to note that this book is marketed as poetry and, while I don't necessarily like to be pedantic, I would disagree. This is a collection of mostly biographic prose with poems peppered in. The reason I bring it up is mostly because I've never been a huge fan of prose so it kinda threw me off when I started reading. That being said, the lyricism and emotion throughout was palpable and well written.

The separate sections flowed well and felt cohesive and well polished.

My favorites are: "Mami & Technology", "Serpentine Salon", and "Losing You."

A beautiful depiction of Blackness, culture, and history. Each poem was eloquently written while also being emotionally raw and honest. This is a work I would love to see implemented into academic curriculums; it deserves to be studied and appreciated!

this entire collection hit so hard i immediately became a mashed plantain after reading "swallowing teeth." knocked my teeth out. full stop. the writing is so embodied and gorgeous and confident and i am in love with everything MLM will ever write. if you're into ANYTHING along the lines of memoir/short stories/poetry, pick this up and give it a try.

favorites were "swallowing teeth," "ode to the new york public library," "homecoming," "climacteric wonders," "tropical depression," and "self-portrait as a green goddess." (there's a lot. i know.)

Stunning. Emotional. For a debut collection, this superb collection wowed me! I loved the various forms of poetry and that the author used many techniques to share the moving poems. I look forward to reading whatever Melania Luisa Marte writes next.

I thoroughly enjoy this poetry collection. It has brought me great joy, and the way it eloquently portrays a range of emotions and experiences is truly exceptional. I loved seeing myself, my family, my culture sprinkled in each poem. Certain poems have made a lasting impression on me, and I believe they will continue to occupy my thoughts for quite some time. I eagerly anticipate recommending this book to my friends and loved ones, as I believe they too would appreciate its captivating beauty.

I absolutely loved this poetry collection and felt joy and the representation in these poems. Some poems will remain with me for a long time. I can't wait to recommend this book to readers so I can share the beauty of this collection. I look forward to seeing what the author publishes in the future and I'm really hoping to see fiction by her. This cover is also easily my favorite book cover of the year.

The title of this book of poetry instantly caught my attention and made me desperate to read Melania Luisa Marte's words.
The content of this poetry collection went so far above and beyond any expectation I could have had.
Marte finds a way to navigate through incredibly dense and difficult subject matter with ease. She finds a way to make the content of her poems relatable to those who don't have the same background as her. Marte is most importantly able to convey an important point of view/perspective on current events with commentary on the current cultural climate.
The exploration of ancestry, her ancestral home, connection with nature, and the importance of her Latin culture was absolutely stunning. It made me smile at time and devastated me at others.
As someone who identifies at Latin, I found Marte's poetry to be like a warm blanket. I do believe my reading experience was enhanced by my familiarity with aspects of Marte's story/history. Being able to read and understand Spanish allows for ease within the reading process.
I would recommend this book of poetry to anyone, especially those who identify as Latin.

Intentional. Powerful. Raw. Beautiful. Genius.
These are just some of the words to describe the debut poetry collection “Plantains and Our Becoming,” by Melanie Luisa Marte.
Diving deep into the waters of being an Afro-Latina and what that signifies in her life, Marte uses her lyrical words to shout about her culture, heritage, and identity. These poems cover a range of themes, from self-love, motherhood, and sexuality, to class, history, colonialism, racism, and even the radicalization of language. Marte does not stop to explain any nuances and leaves it up to the reader to further investigate the matters she has brought to light.
A reader is captivated by Marte’s story from the first line of her poems. Every word, punctuation, capitalization, and even the structure of her poems, are intentional. It is an added layer to the story she is telling. Marte uses her powerful voice to claim her space and speak about her diverse life in a monotone world.
From a personal perspective, I really resonated with the first poem in her collection, which speaks about being an Afro-Latina and attempting to embrace all her heritage, but living in a world that forces her to choose between the two. As a Mexican American, I also find myself constantly struggling to really find my identity and to honor both countries my blood comes from. Moreover, her piece, “amantar,” sang to my soul, as I am currently in the middle of my second breastfeeding journey. Simply put, our bodies continue to give to our children, even when out of our wombs, and it really does feel “as close to immortal as we’ll ever be,” as Marte puts it.
This collection of art is an anthem to Afro-Latinas, and everyone would do well to read what Marte has to say.