reported by Dianne Newberry, FictionFanatic.com

New Mexico Poetry Tangents, the state’s newest and fastest growing poetry organization, has released the next chapter in the ever growing evolution of the state’s unique and diverse poetry scene, including special selections from Jimmy Santiago Baca, Sandra Cisneros, Ana Castillo and several of the state’s premier writers under age eighteen.

Earthships: A New Mecca Poetry Collection is the first anthology to be published by Horse and Tiger Press, which is the publishing arm of NM Poetry Tangents.

Zachary Kluckman and Jessica Lopez, the editors of this highly anticipated new compendium, feel very confident in the project. "We have worked on this project for nearly ten months now, and the process has yielded an amazing collection of poetry from familiar names and newer voices as well," states Kluckman.

In terms of what this book means to the community at large, they add that this new collection represents the diverse and the dynamic, offering flash fiction and poetry from artists across the state, including nationally recognized talents like Jimmy Santiago Baca, Ana Castillo and Sandra Cisneros, as well as the voices of writers as young as eight years old.

The editors, who founded NM Poetry Tangents late in 2005, feel that this book reflects what they call the current status of New Mexico as a Mecca for modern poetry. The book is a welcome blending of slam poetry and more traditional styles, without making distinctions, which the editors chose to do to demonstrate that the two styles of poetry have more in common than many people believe.

"Ultimately, the anthology is an effort on our part to bring to light all of the genres and styles of poetry that New Mexico is birthing," says Kluckman, adding that "We believe this book demonstrates the diversity and the breathless power of this state’s literary arts tradition, as well as the towering phenomena of slam, and we are very excited to be able to make it available to the rest of the world."

Earthships is readily available worldwide through major booksellers such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble, both in the continental United States and worldwide. For more information please visit the website at http://nmpoetrytangents.com.