Poet Martín Espada on “Floaters,” the Dehumanization of Refugees, Puerto Rico & His Father | Democracy Now!

Poet Martín Espada on “Floaters,” the Dehumanization of Refugees, Puerto Rico & His Father | Democracy Now!: Acclaimed poet Martín Espada recently won the National Book Award for Poetry for his anthology “Floaters.” He became just the third Latinx poet to win the award. “Floaters” is titled after the photo of the Salvadoran father and daughter who drowned in the Rio Grande in June 2019 trying to cross into the United States, one that sparked outrage at the humanitarian crisis at the U.S. southern border. Espada discusses U.S. immigration policy and reads the poem “Letter to My Father: October 2017,” which looks back at his father’s native Puerto Rico.

(Martin was one of my very favourite teachers in school & is a righteous person as well.