Parables and Fables: Exegesis, Textuality, and Politics in Central Africa, (Paperback)

Winner of the 2014 Brittingham Prize in Poetry, selected by Naomi Shihab Nye
The word tyrant carries negative connotations, but in this new collection, Joanne Diaz tries to understand what makes tyranny so compelling, even seductive. These dynamic, funny, often poignant poems investigate the nature of tyranny in all of its forms political, cultural, familial, and erotic. Poems about Stalin, Lenin, and Castro appear beside poems about deeply personal histories. The result is a powerful exploration of desire, grief, and loss in a world where private relationships are always illuminated and informed by larger, more despotic forces.
Winner, Midwest Book Award for Poetry, Midwest Independent Publishers Association"