Sermons of the Real / Sermones de lo real

Personal, political, earnest, and funny, Sermons of the Real blossoms in celebration of the tenderhearted life. This full-length, bi-lingual (English/Spanish) poetry collection, translated by four internationally-renowned poets, is both entertaining and accessible. The fifty-seven new works in this long-awaited second collection from Julie Ann Otis, author of elastic communion, invites us into spaces of personal contemplation for ourselves and our world. Each poem is filled with the extraordinary perceptions of a woman who sees the miraculous in everyday life and the possibility for global change that starts with the individual. Otis offers levity and brutal honesty in equal dosage, touching on a wide range of topics, including rape culture and misogyny, the power of play, the Boston city bombings, the guidance of our ancestors, and falling in love for a night or a lifetime. Although Julie Ann is a remarkably intelligent and analytical woman, her poetry is not an act of architecture. There are no constructions here; there is only love and honesty. I would encourage you to bask in each poem and return to them as meditations that grow over time and that allow you to discover and rediscover this artist and yourself. - Daisy Novoa Vasquez, Author of Fluir en ausencia.