Like a New Sun: New Indigenous Mexican Poetry - Paperback

Contemporary Indigenous Mexican Poetry Anthology

Like A New Sun presents contemporary poetry written in indigenous Mexican languages, featuring six dynamic poets writing in Huasteca Nahuatl, Isthmus Zapotec, Mazatec, Tsotsil, Yucatec Maya, and Zoque. This bilingual anthology balances established voices with emerging talents, offering English-speaking readers access to vibrant poetic traditions rarely available in translation.

Featured Poets and Languages

The anthology includes three women and three men, each representing a distinct indigenous language: Víctor Terán (Isthmus Zapotec), Mikeas Sánchez (Zoque), Juan Gregorio Regino (Mazatec), Juan Hernández (Huastecan Nahuatl), Briceida Cuevas Cob (Yucatec Maya), and Enriqueta Lunez (Tsotsil). Well-established poets like Juan Gregorio Regino appear alongside exciting new voices like Mikeas Sánchez, providing readers with both historical context and contemporary innovation.

Expert Translations and Context

Each poet's work includes contextual introductions by their translators, helping readers understand the cultural and linguistic backgrounds of these indigenous languages. The translation team includes Adam Coon, Jonathan Harrington, Jerome Rothenberg, David Shook, Clare Sullivan, and Eliot Weinberger, bringing decades of combined expertise in indigenous language translation.

About the Editors

Víctor Terán is the preeminent poet of the Isthmus Zapotec language. His trilingual selected poems, The Spines of Love, is available from Restless Books. His work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and appeared in Poetry. In 2010 he toured the UK. He lives in Juchitán, Mexico.

David Shook is a poet and writer in Los Angeles, where he edits Molossus and Phoneme Media. His debut collection Our Obsidian Tongues is available from Eyewear Publishing.

Notable Translator

Eliot Weinberger was born and still lives in New York City. He is Octavio Paz' translator, and has also translated a wide range of international poets including Bei Dao and the Mazatec-language poet Juan Gregorio. He has won the NBCC Award for his anthology of Borges' nonfiction, and is the only writer to have been bestowed with the Mexican Government's Order of the Aztec Eagle.

This groundbreaking anthology serves as an essential resource for readers interested in indigenous languages, Mexican literature, world poetry, and contemporary voices from underrepresented linguistic traditions.