hambre, by Isa Alvarez

Poetry, chapbook, 36 pages, from Bottlecap Features.

hunger verb have a strong desire or craving for.

hambre is a debut chapbook of heart and soul meditations on the immigrant experience. With magical realism undertones, this collection of poems explores the many aspects that make up a life bound by borders- one lived in Guatemala and one lived in the U.S.

Ultimately, this is a story of resilience told through the lens of grief, with the inspiration for the chapbook being the loss of a matriarchal figure: Refugio de Jesus. The author explores this loss through food, recounting stories through cultural dishes that deeply connects her to a grandmother and culture left behind.

Themes of motherhood/mothering, spirituality, and ancestral connections are also explored throughout the chapbook, with stories paying homage to Chiquimula, also known as the Land of Birds in the Ch’orti’ indigenous language, a small town in eastern Guatemala. The author uniquely shares valuable indigenous knowledge learned through oral storytelling passed down by Refugio of the value, worth, and love of the natural land and its immense power to heal.

These poems are a dedication to all immigrants, using the language of art to transcend borders, touch hearts, and shift the terrifying perception of “immigrant” many in U.S have come to adopt.

Isa (she/ella) immigrated to the U.S. from Guatemala when she was just seven years old, settling in Chicago with her mom. She graduated from the University of Chicago with a B.A. in History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine (HIPS) and successfully completed the Stanford Storytelling and Medicine Summer Scholar Program. The program highlighted the importance of arts in medicine and its role in healing. Through her poetry and writing, Isa was able to reflect and process her grandmother’s sudden death from COVID-19 in 2021, connecting this deep loss to her own complex feelings of being an immigrant in this country. Isa hopes to integrate her love of poetry in her work as a future doctor, lifting up her community through the various forms of art.