My debut poetry collection
ENCOUNTER BETWEEN CUENTOS AND VERSOS is a gem to treasure for readers of all ages. Stories are told in poetic form and show us a childhood lived in Puerto Rico. They uncover a heart awakening to meet the complexity of a new life in the U.S. The many contrasts found here serve as portals into a private self, looking outwards with compassion. The Spanish language dispersed throughout this collection adds a necessary pulse to the poet’s love and care for the beat and rhythm of her native tongue. But at its core, this work stands strong with meaning, encountering, through lyricism, beauty and pain from the past and the attention to the now.
I have never considered myself a poetry lover, but the aptly titled "Encounter Between Cuentos and Versos" pulled this reader in. The collection is kind of a memoir in verse with the first poem imagining what her family life in the Brooklyn projects was like the day she was conceived. My favorite, "Nina," is told in third person, with the adult poet looking back at her thirteen-year-old self and the pain and humilition of being overweight and the shame of poverty. Readers not fluent in Spanish may have to Google certain phrases and references, but that did not slow down the narrative. Perez's Peurto Rican heritage plays no small role in her story telling. It's a unique story, but relatable, touching on themes of love, desire, family dysfunction, loneliness. Another favorite is Encountre between Two, a dreamy and humorous tug of war between the realist and romantic. If I had one word to describe this collection it would be vivid.
– Amazon Reviewer
