Fluent in English and Spanish, Huerta writes poems in both languages, and occasionally combines the two in the same poem. In this, his first full-length collection of poetry, he explores themes of dislocation, loss, love, and art. Whether mourning the tragic suffocating deaths of immigrants in a tractor trailer, lamenting the loss of a lover, or writing about childhood fears, Huerta sketches haunting pieces about a bilingual, bicultural experience. In Coyote, Huerta evokes a child's unvoiced fear about his father, who, his cousins tell him, is a coyote, an immigrant smuggler. "I was only six so I pictured Father on all fours with tongue out, panting, on the prowl."
Winner of the University of California, Irvine's 2005 Chicano / Latino Literary Prize, this debut collection marks the arrival of a vibrant new voice in Mexican American literature.
