Martín Espada is a finalist for the National Book Award in poetry for his collection, Floaters.
Five books are now shortlisted for National Book Awards in each of five categories: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, translated literature, and young people’s literature. Winners will be named in November.
Floaters takes its title from a term used by some Border Patrol agents to describe migrants who drown trying to cross the Rio Grande at the U.S./Mexico border. The book’s eponymous poem—which Espada read on an episode of Democracy Now! in January 2020—was written in response to the deaths of Óscar Alberto Martínez Ramírez and his 23-month old daughter Angie Valeria. A photo of the drowned Salvadoran father and daughter caused outrage and drew attention to the humanitarian crisis at the U.S. southern border. The poem also responds to allegations that the photo was faked posted in "I’m 10-15," a Facebook group used by Border Patrol officers.