Books (Click on the book covers for links to purchase)
In Om Boy, Gonzalez reveals the cartography of his being, inviting the reader to look into themselves as well. Part prayer/
part revolution, Om Boy is a study in how softness is not a weakness, and how humanity is it’s own best defense. Unapologetic and poignant, this collection is a mindful fist thrust into the air.
-SaraEve Fermin, Poet, Advocate, Author of Trauma Carnival
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Manuel González's "OM Boy" is a heartening look forward, informed by the past that he's come to terms with in order to make Art, family, a difference in the world. He breaks down the myths of who he's "supposed to be" and writes about the power of emotion and what it is he strives to bring to his communities. He lets us walk in his shoes, feel his experiences, and join him to "Be the one who battles darkness/With light."-Matt Mason, Nebraska State Poet, Author of The Baby That Ate Cincinnati
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“Manuel Gonzalez’s poetry is authentic, genuine, revolutionary, and infused with the vibrant fire-language of the Mexica. A native Burqueño, his voice rings true with the cuentos of our sacred lands, the water-rush of our rivers, and the magnanimous love for our mountains. Manuel is his poetry and his poetry is a reflection of the myriad of voices that are New Mexico. His writing is a vital contribution to the literary dialogue of the Chicano experience, but most of all, he is good gente and this is one damn firme book.” ~Jessica Helen Lopez Albuquerque Poet Laureate author of Always Messing with Them Boys
NEW BY
Manuel Gonzalez
Long before I had the pleasure of sharing this pedigree of Albuquerque Laureateship with Manny, I shared a classroom with him at an adolescent treatment center in Albuquerque. Both of us, tending to our wounded younger selves, seated at the feet of young poets tiptoeing the precipice of themselves. Us coaxing them to dive in, instead of out or off. Him teaching me, while teaching them. Now it is your turn, as Manny invites you to this balancing act of teacher and student, parent and pupil, politic and poet in this collection of poems unique in its introspection of the poet as person…rather than position. Prompts y todo, Manny is sharing more than trade secrets when it comes to being this City’s Poet Laureate. In this collection, you get equal parts “the joys of the job” and “the job of the joy.”- Hakim Bellamy
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Manuel Gonzales’ poet-duende swaggers through the Burque streets, orgullosamente, con honor y respeto. His duende loco is proud, honoring, and respectful. But Gonzales’ duende also speaks in parables of poetic hard-truths that prompt us to think, feel, muse, and ask questions about ourselves and the worlds we inhabit. These poems are a meditation of the senses. They intrigue and inspire and hold our breath. They are not random forms of expression, but measured calculations that know their aim. Puro Corazón! Thank you, Manny, for the healing you bring us in this collection. Like dragonflies dancing in the amber light of sunset, your illuminations shine us forward.
Levi Romero
Inaugural New Mexico Poet Laureate
“Duende de Burque jams on his saxophone invoking all the spirits, complexities, and truth of our community! It is a ballad of a Chicano poet finding his truth through the Slam poetry movement, his teaching style, and cultivating his ancestral wisdom. A sneak peek into the life of an artist devoted to his craft, to incarcerated youth, and using poetry to overcome trauma and promote healing. It’s vulnerable, magical, and full of reverence. Yet, it is also a call for justice and liberation of our people through literary power and creativity. Manuel’s work can help anyone who is seeking inspiration and self-expression pick up the pen! It’s fuel with an after burn like chile verde!” –Olivia Romo, Poet and Water Rights Activist
From asphalt mirages to the demons that know the fears of a poet, from the calling of trumpets to the memories that fold into modern codices, Duende de Burque is a stunning collection of poems and musings on place. Across these pages Manuel Gonzalez's beloved Albuquerque reads as a poem and the soul of a poet merges with the joys, pain, struggles and healing of a people. An instant classic. -Matt Sedillo author of Mowing Leaves of Grass and literary director of The dA Center for the Arts
