Winner of the Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets,
Ethiopian American Mahtem Shiferraw's Fuchsia examines conceptions
of the displaced, disassembled, and nomadic self. Embedded in her
poems are colors, elements, and sensations that evoke painful
memories related to deep-seated remnants of trauma, war, and
diaspora. Yet rooted in these losses and dangers also lie
opportunities for mending and reflecting, evoking a distinct sense
of hope. Elegant and traditional, the poems in Fuchsia examine what
it means to both recall the past and continue onward with a richer
understanding.