Cipota / Chelsea Guevara / 2025

Cipota / Chelsea Guevara / 2025
There is an undeniable verve in this collection, which is a coming-of-age story of a young Central American woman as she tries to recuperate her identity as a Salvadoran and recover from the losses brought about by migration, war, and perhaps most personally for the author, divorce. Guevara successfully articulates her ethic and hopes in a passionate, poignant lyric that will break your diasporic heart. The collection is young, but it’s named Cipota for a reason. I love it for the ways it reminds me of the most beautiful younger versions of myself, of many of my Central American peers.