Congrats to Paul. I can’t wait to read the book!
From final judge MartÃn Espada:
This is one tough, smart poet. The poems of Paul MartÃnez Pompa are gritty and visceral, but never cross the line into sensationalism. They are poems that vividly evoke the urban world, especially Chicago, without ever lapsing into urban cliché. They are poems that seek justice for the Latino community without ever resorting to the overheated language that all too often consigns poetry of social conscience to oblivion.
More from MartÃn’s intro over at Letras Latina blog.