I Am Offering This Poem

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"I Am Offering This Poem" is a poem by Jimmy Santiago Baca, first published in Immigrants in Our Own Land (1979).[1] It was reprinted in 1990 in the collection Immigrants in Our Own Land and Selected Early Poems. [2] Baca’s diction and imagery convey a central theme of the work- the importance of poetry and art in general.

History[]

Jimmy Santiago Baca began writing poetry during five years he spent in prison (1973-1978) for drug charges. During these years, he learned to read and began writing the poetry that would later bring light to not only his personal story of incarceration, but to the complex and murky world of the US penal system. “I am Offering This Poem” echoes the importance of poetry (and art) for survival in oppressive environments; the work explains what is truly valuable in life- things that affect our spirit, not our pockets or egos- this is understood by no one better than Baca himself, who not only survived a combative, luxury-free warzone, but used the experience to educate himself and learn the value of poetry that would later translate to the publication of this poem.[3]

References[]

  1. ^ Baca, Jimmy Santiago (1979). Immigrants in Our Own Land. Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Louisiana State University Press. p. 52. ISBN 0-8071-0572-4.
  2. ^ Baca, Jimmy Santiago. Immigrants in our own land & selected early poems. Vol. 701. New Directions Publishing, 1990.
  3. ^ Jimmy Santiago Baca and Cedar Tree (2016). "About Jimmy Santiago Baca". Retrieved 29 April 2019.

External links[]

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