From Unincorporated Territory [Saina]

Using a replica of the native Chamorros' outrigger boats as his figurative vessel, these poems explore the personal, historical, cultural, and natural elements of?the poet's?native Guam. Combining and contrasting the fragmentary myths of the author's island ancestors, intimate childhood stories of growing up on Guam, and the history of his family's immigration to the United States?with primary histories and texts of the colonial domination and abuse brought on by Spain, Japan, and?the United States?these poems give voice to the anguish of the oppressed as well as their hopes for the future. Referring to both the island nation of Guam and?the uncharted expanses of one's own soul, the ?unincorporated territory” title reflects the author's attempts to express concepts that go beyond the current reaches of any language.

Craig Santos Perez is the cofounder of Achiote Press and a leader in the activist Chamorro organization, Famoksaiyan. He is the author of several chapbooks?including?All with Ocean Views, Constellations Gathered Along the Ecliptic,?and Preterrain?and the book From Unincorporated Territory [Hacha]. His writings have appeared in New American Writing, Pleiades, and Rain Taxi. He lives in Berkeley, California.