I Ask the Impossible: Poems - Paperback

I Ask the Impossible: Poems by Ana Castillo

An Anchor Books Original poetry collection from Ana Castillo, the celebrated author praised by Julia Alvarez as "una storyteller de primera" and by Barbara Kingsolver in The Los Angeles Times as "impossible to resist." This collection marks a return to her first love—poetry—revealing an unwavering commitment to social justice and a fervent embrace of the sensual world.

Award-Winning Poetry Collection

With the poems in I Ask the Impossible, Castillo celebrates the strength that "is a woman buried deep in [her] heart." This collection spans over twelve years of poetic inspiration, from her early days as a writer who "once wrote poems in a basement with no heat," through the tenderness of motherhood and bitterness of loss, to the strength of love itself, which can "make the impossible a simple act."

Themes and Content

Whether memorializing real-life heroines who have risked their lives for humanity, spinning a lighthearted tale for her young son, or penning odes to mortals, gods, and goddesses, Castillo's poems are eloquent and rich with insight. Radiant with keen perception, wit, and urgency, sometimes erotic and often funny, this inspiring collection sounds the unmistakable voice of a "woman on fire" and "more worthy than stone."

About Ana Castillo

Ana Castillo is the author of the novels Peel My Love Like an Onion, So Far from God, The Mixquiahuala Letters, and Sapogonia. She has written a story collection, Loverboys; the critical study Massacre of the Dreamers; the poetry collection My Father Was a Toltec and Selected Poems; and the children's book My Daughter, My Son, the Eagle, The Dove. She is the editor of the anthology Goddess of the Americas: Writings on the Virgin of Guadalupe, available from Vintage Español (La diosa de las Américas).

Castillo has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the American Book Award, a Carl Sandburg Award, a Mountains and Plains Booksellers Award, and two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts. She lives in Chicago with her son, Marcel.

Collection Highlights

This paperback edition features poems exploring cultural identity, feminist themes, and social justice issues. Cherished for her passionate fiction and exuberant essays, Castillo brings the same intensity and authenticity to her poetry, making this collection essential reading for lovers of contemporary Latina literature and feminist poetry.