Here to Stay: Poetry and Prose from the Undocumented Diaspora

FINALIST FOR THE INTERNATIONAL LATINO BOOK AWARD'S "BEST POETRY ANTHOLOGY"

A lush tapestry of poetry and prose, Here to Stay is an invitation to engage with a new field of contemporary American poetry.

"I cannot separate my work from my undocumented identity." —Aline Mello

From the indomitable activist writers Janine Joseph, Esther Lin, and Marcelo Hernandez Castillo comes an anthology gathering some of the best work from currently and formerly undocumented poets, as well as poets from mixed status families from across the undocumented diaspora in America. Here to Stay is a collection of honest, searing, and evocative poems interspersed with short personal narratives. Deeply intimate, these works explore how to exist in the space between the familiar and the unknown, between the safety of silence and the desire to share. Highlighting the significant insights of undocumented poets, this brilliant compendium—a work of Undocupoetics—challenges misconceptions of what it means to live and write as an undocumented person in modern America.

Beautiful, poignant, and timely, this must-read collection is a rich and essential new chapter in the ongoing story of the eclectic immigrant experience and the United States itself.

This anthology proves there is no single undocumented experience, offering poems and poetics that explore:

• Social and Political Poetry: Poems that wrestle with government forms, border checkpoints, and the language of bureaucracy, transforming legal status into powerful art.
• A Diversity of Voices: Fifty-three poets from a spectrum of countries, cultures, and legal statuses—including DACA recipients, TPS holders, and members of mixed-status families.
• Personal Narratives: Intimate prose and mini-manifestos from each contributor describing the unique inner workings of their craft and lived experiences.
• Challenging Misconceptions: A collection that moves beyond monolithic narratives to reveal the complex, deeply individual, and resilient truths of the undocumented diaspora.