From Junot Díaz to Eve L. Ewing: Poet Elizabeth Acevedo Shares What She’s Reading

Poet and novelist Elizabeth Acevedo has been well known on the slam poetry circuit for years. Her poems cover subjects like colonialism, spirituality, feminism, and Afro-Latinidad, and pull from a variety of inspirations. This spring, Acevedo is reaching a whole new audience with her words: Her debut YA novel, The Poet X, is hitting shelves to rave reviews and sold-out tours. The Poet X follows Xiomara, a teen growing up in Harlem who feels caught between her mami’s sometimes-oppressive faith and her love for writing and performing poetry. While the book itself isn’t autobiographical, it’s clear that Acevedo mulls over many of the same things in her poetry and her fiction.

She shared with Remezcla what she’s been reading lately, and you’ll find she’s drawn to many of the same topics present in her writing: the perils of rape culture, of racism, colonialism and immigration, and the power of storytelling, and the need to include brown and Black girls. Here’s what she had to say.

The Poet X is now available for purchase. Buy it here.