SANA: A Visionary Poetry Collection from Sampaguita Press

Our editor recently had the absolute pleasure of reading SANA, a collection of poems from Maria Bolaños (@marspoetika) and published by Sampaguita Press.

Sampaguita Press is a nonprofit independent micropress committed to serving underrepresented voices and communities who may not have access to traditional publishing spaces. They publish works by and for Black, Indigenous, and POC artists of all genders and LGBTQIA+ identities.

SANA was published by Sampaguita Press in April of 2022 and is thrumming with lyric, memory, and vision. The three segments that make up this collection orbit each other in thoughtful arcs; allowing the gravity of each poem to transform your relationships to tradition, myth, and community. There are so many poignant lines and images that weave together beautifully—like song, like prayer, like dream.

We’ll leave you with a line from the poem Prayer to My Ancestors that struck our soul:

“what is a body in pain but a prayer—what are our hands but our trauma:
palms open, asking and asking”

SANA absolutely belongs on your must-read list.

To view Sampaguita Press’s catalogue, visit https://sampaguitapress.com/catalogue/.