#thepoetx

[talesofanavidreader]

Happy Friday, everyone! ⁣ ⁣ Today’s post is dedicated to books by black authors. I am ashamed to say that I don’t have many books by black authors, but I am committed to changing that. ⁣ I just got these books and I’m currently reading #TheHateUGive by Angie Thomas. I’m only about a quarter in, but I’ve already experienced so many emotions. I can feel this book changing me already. ⁣ ⁣ I also am waiting for #ASongofWraithsandRuin to arrive and I downloaded the ebooks of #HowtobeanAntiracist by Ibram X. Kendi and #MeandWhiteSupremacy by Layla F. Saad. ⁣ ⁣ What is your favorite book by a black author? I’d love to hear recommendations!!⁣ ⁣ *Please see my story & highlight for resources and education regarding black lives matter and becoming an ally. I have found all of these helpful for myself on this journey!*⁣ ⁣ #thehateugive #angiethomas #thepoetx #elizabethacevedo #longwaydown #jasonreynolds #blackauthors #blackcreators #blackvoices #listenandlearn #dothework #bookrecs #recommendations #talesofanavidreader #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #bookstagrammer #bookblog #bookreviewer #booknerd #booklover #bookworm #instareads https://www.instagram.com/p/CBD2FgGAiKk/?igshid=18o9k9xf730nu

[serataino]

My school participates in an annual reading competition where a team of students reads and becomes experts on a selected book. I'm sponsoring these two great novels. We are going to smash the competition. #bookbowl #thepoetx #elizabethacevedo #acursesodarkandlovely #brigidkemmerer #theperksofbeingateacher😂 https://www.instagram.com/p/B3paHIwgZvs/?igshid=q4yzqlfrjoom

[audreyglynnc]

"Education never ends, Watson. It is a series of lessons with the greatest for the last." - Sherlock Holmes . . . . After weeks of thinking about it, I have finally made my decision. Starting today I making a study and book instagram and tumblr. I've wanted to do this ever since May because of all the amazing booktubers and study youtubers I have come to love. They make me feel super motivated and helped me rediscover my love of reading, which I almost forgot last year. For my first post here's some of the books I've read in September. Do you realize how hard it is to balance books on your head? Studyblr: audreywillstudy.tumblr.com .... #bookstagram #books #study #studygram #studyblr #elizaandhermonsters #astudyincharlotte #animalfarm #thepoetx #aesthetic #motivation #inspirational https://www.instagram.com/p/B24xfylJDGw/?igshid=1u9c1r4af3z5p

[urfavoriteauthor]

So many of you who have been following my journey know that I started writing as a poet. So when I listened to the audiobook for The Poet X by @acevedowrites it stirred some powerful feelings in me. She told an amazing story through verse and inspired me to get back to my poetry roots. Soo new poetry coming soon. I'm also going to do an audiobook review of this because I really enjoyed it. Definitely check this out if you love poetry. Also remember to follow me on Patreon.com/urfavoeiteauthor #urfavoriteauthor #thepoetx #poetry #spokenword #verse #rhyme #art https://www.instagram.com/p/B0Bu3H_lEUA/?igshid=1wi3yxniefj5l

[gsosa4realty]

#Repost @acevedowrites with @get_repost ・・・ I’ll probably come back later and revise this caption with something deep and inspiration and about imperialism and publishing and the stories we are told and the ones we need to tell, but yo. Yooooo. WE IN HERE!!! — #writers #books #literature #elizabethacevedo #thepoetx #carnegieaward https://www.instagram.com/p/By23-kBHiiF/?igshid=1hzybcmd1uhsd

[bookw0rm99]

currently reading: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo😍📚 i'm only a 100 pages in but so far i enjoy every single word😊💕 #bookstagram #book #bookish #booklover #bookworm #bookhoarder #thepoetx #elizabethacevedo #reading #books #bookobsessed #bookishlove #bookaholics #flowers https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt5Ss2Qg3Ss/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=5afoa0qjf5ra

[catareads]

One Word: Breathtaking

The book setting is based in Harlem following the story of a young afro latina (dominicana 🇩🇴) Xiomara and her heavily catholic family. Consisting of her twin brother, cuero father, and overbearing mother. Here is the synopsis:

" Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking.

But Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, and she pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers—especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her bio class named Aman, who her family can never know about.

With Mami’s determination to force her daughter to obey the laws of the church, Xiomara understands that her thoughts are best kept to herself. So when she is invited to join her school’s slam poetry club, she doesn’t know how she could ever attend without her mami finding out. But she still can’t stop thinking about performing her poems. "

I honestly loved the book. It showed a side of latino culture that I really never focused on (religion) as I'm not a religious person nor latino so I do not really know anything about the heavy catholic culture that is common amongst said groups. I feel like it also touches on how mothers often treat their teenage daughters once they become older and start to develop naturally. It also raises the question for me: Where does the line cross between being a "strict parent" & being abusive?

[nprbooks]

Book Cover Crush: ‘The Poet X’

For March’s Book Cover Crush, I chose Elizabeth Acevedo’s The Poet X. The book follows Xiomara, a teenager who writes frequently but is challenged to grow into her voice when she’s invited to join her school’s slam poetry club. Cover designer Erin Fitzsimmons tells us how the cover, illustrated by Gabriel Moreno, went through several drafts before the final one was chosen. 

“I loved the boldness of the title and thought there could be a way to focus on the title as graphic image for the cover, specifically by including a large “X” on the cover, referencing the vibrant and rhythmic energy of slam poetry poster design,” she says.

“At the same time, I also knew how much I loved Xiomara, and I wanted to see her on the cover as well, so we considered two approaches: type driven or character driven. In the end, we agreed that our inspiration for the cover had to come from Xiomara herself.”

“She is powerful, defiant, hopeful, and beautiful. I knew Gabriel Moreno’s work was perfect for this book, and that his style would give us a dynamic combination of both concepts: we could feature Xiomara but we could also include Liz’s words as part of the cover image.”

“One of my favorite aspects of the jacket design is that every element has life to it: very few elements are straight, and this mimics Xiomara’s passion and energy throughout this powerful book.”

Images courtesy Gabriel Moreno and HarperCollins Children’s Books

-- Sydnee 

[booksofwonder]

Going on the road tomorrow? What books are you bringing?? We’re curling up with these beauties.... • • • • • #thepoetx #analeeinreallife #averylargeexpanseofsea #heartsunbroken #rabbitandrobot #anassassinsguidetoloveandtreason #theastonishingcolorofafter #bonelessmercies #kingdomofash #shadowofthefox #archenemies #bookstagram #books #bookstack #bookish #booklove #booknerd #bookworm #bibliophile #ireadya #yalit #youngadult #fiction #fantasy #igreads #igbooks https://www.instagram.com/booksofwonder/p/BqdklYHByv2/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=4kh6wwshn1d1

[dacih9943717]

Daci Hughes’s The Poet X Discussion Post

Elizabeth Acevedo’s verse novel, The Poet X, begins with Xiomara, the novel’s protagonist, stoop-sitting, and listening to her neighborhood. It’s comforting to her, these noises, they are things she knows well, and has grown familiar to. She is someone who has had to grow more comfortable in her own skin, and with who she is, and has had to do to far too quickly. Xiomara talks about how because of her body, men and boys have been interested in her from a terribly young age, and she isn’t sure how to handle it. Her poem, entitled, ‘Questions I Have’, explains it simply.

And I get all this attention from guys

But it’s like a sancocho of emotions.

 This stew of mixed-up ingredients:

Partly flattered they think I’m attractive,

Partly scared they’re only interested in my ass and boobs,

And a good measure of Mami-will-kill-me fear sprinkled on top (32, lns 8-12).

 Xiomara is dealing with confused feelings and she is steadily growing, especially as the struggles of a secret boyfriend create a little web of guilt. She not only feels guilty about that, but also further on in the book, after her mother finds out about the boyfriend, and things seemingly fall apart. To Xiomara, there is no reason to use her words, according to part of the poem, A Poem Mami Will Never Read (In Translation).

How your lips are staples

That pierce me quick and hard

 And the words I never say

Are better left on my tongue

Since they would only have slammed

Against the closed door of your back.

 Your silence furnishes a dark house,

But even at the risk of burning,

The moth always seeks the light (234, ln 9-17).

 This was a poem that really stood to me. Not only does it come at a rather pivotal moment in the novel, when her mother finds out about Xiomara’s secret relationship, but it is also the moment when Xiomara discovers that there are really two options in regards to words. Her mother’s way of dealing with issues is to direct her words to God, and to everyone else, but when it comes to actually confronting the person she’s in conflict with, it’s harder for her to talk to them. Xiomara can be like that. But she isn’t. She stands up for her brother, and herself, and whatever else she wants. She is the kind of person who needs to be heard, and relishes in the feeling of being able to share that.

The Mic Is Open

---and the first line clicks.

I say it, my voice trembling.

I clear my throat.

I take a breath.

I begin the poem all over again.

I forget the comparisons.

I forget the nerves.

I let the words fill the room.

I let the words carry me away (279, lns 1-9).

 This is all too relatable a feeling; crossing the threshold of something that seemed daunting and terrifying, and being able to excel at it so well, that it almost doesn’t seem real. Xiomara is not someone who wants to hold back her words. They are a part of her that needs to be shared, and not oppressed. The words are where she finds her strength.

Discussion Question: Compare two poems that focus on Xiomara’s coming of age as a writer. What impacts her development as a writer? What does she write about? And why does she write about those things?

[jennamariesblog]

The Poet X

The Poet X- Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, and she pours all her frustration and passion into poetry onto the pages of a notebook, especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her class named Aman, who her family doesn't know about. With Mami’s wanting her daughter to obey the laws of the Catholic church, Xiomara knows that her thoughts are best kept to herself. she is invited to join her school’s slam poetry club but is scared of what her mami's will say Xiomara refuses to be silent.

[johnnyraine]

I finished reading this book earlier today and I loved it!

[theannotatedbook]

Reading the work of @acevedowrites felt like seeing my reflection in a mirror. My teenage self would have loved knowing that one day a Latina heroine in #yaliterature would not only be accepted but phenomenal! She writes in spoken word prose & regular chapter format but the emotional impact is still very effective. It’s also cool to know that the author is Afro-Latina & resides in the DMV area! #elizabethacevedo #thepoetx #withthefireonhigh #clapwhenyouland #bookstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/COYQU3khln2/?utm_medium=tumblr

[generallygothic]

"𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖍𝖔𝖚𝖘𝖊 𝖎𝖘 𝖆 𝖑𝖎𝖛𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖘𝖆𝖉𝖓𝖊𝖘𝖘, & 𝖆𝖘 𝕸𝖆𝖒𝖎 𝖜𝖆𝖑𝖐𝖘 𝖎𝖙𝖘 𝖍𝖆𝖑𝖑𝖘 𝖆𝖙 𝖓𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙, 𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖋𝖑𝖔𝖔𝖗𝖇𝖔𝖆𝖗𝖉𝖘 𝖜𝖊𝖊𝖕." - Elizabeth Acevedo 🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯🕯 Could it be? Two posts in one week?? Don't say I don't spoil you... 🌊 You'll be forgiven for thinking I'm absent here for lack of reads to share. Au contraire! Reading is, in fact, one of the things keeping me away. I'm currently co-hosting a Carnegie book club irl, for halflings of target audience age. I find, so far, that the YA, teen, and children's reads are affecting me far more than those they're designed to captivate. And, they are *really* not into fiction in verse... 🌊 'Clap When You Land' is the second Acevedo I've read. Last year I enjoyed 'The Poet X', which is about a girl finding strength as a poet. CWYL is not about poetry; it is about a plane crash and grief shared across an ocean. Yes, it is written in free verse. But mostly, it is prose split into formless poetry, breaking over lines. Whilst I cannot say it is a linguistic delight crafted consciously, line by line, moments of pure poetry surface amongst the surf. And on those lines I linger. 🌊 Mostly, I think that the space between the words is needed for the audience that shuns it. To explore a topic weighted with real-life loss, prejudice, and inequality, maybe we need the room for silence on the page. Though I enjoyed this less than 'The Poet X', which itself was solid but not mind-blowing, I will never not celebrate texts that play with words in their own way. I don't care what the halflings say, I love me a verse novel. 🕯Have you read this one? Did you shed a silent tear too? . #clapwhenyouland #elizabethacevedo #thepoetx #freeverse #bookstagram #bookreview #bookclub #generallygothic #versenovel #dominicanrepublic #YA #poetry https://www.instagram.com/p/CPBU8Svrzzr/?utm_medium=tumblr

[reading-in-a-nook]

Happy Bookstagram Wednesday!! 🌼❤️ The Poet X by @acevedowrites - one of my favorite books ever. #thepoetx #thepoetxelizabethacevedo #addictivereads #bookloversalways #instagrambooks #bookstagrammers #bookworm #bookcommunity #booklover #booknerd #booksofinstagram #bookmerch #booktography #toberead #bookblog #readmore #igreads #readingtime #reading #readers #instaread #readabook #readmorebooks #followme #readersofinstagram #readinginanook #thegirlwiththebooks #readersofindia #instareads📚 https://www.instagram.com/p/CONdYUtpqAP/?igshid=sm7iv1o4pigy

[booknerdteen]

Elizabeth Acevedo has blown me away!!! I love this! #thepoetx #elizabethacevedo #books #yabooks #bookstagrammer #lovethisbook #poetryverse #booksbooksbooks https://www.instagram.com/p/CNxXJlTglny/?igshid=1sa2sp0m66bz2