Latitude - Paperback

by Natasha Rao (Author), Ada Limon (Introduction by)

Chosen as the winner of the 2021APR/Honickman First Book Prize by Guggenheim Fellow Ada Limón, Natasha Rao's debut collection Latitude abounds with sensory delights, rich in colors, flavors, and sounds. These poems explore the complexities of family, cultural identity, and coming of age. By turns vulnerable and bold, Latitudeindulges in desire: "In my next life let me be a tomato/lusting and unafraid," Rao writes, "...knowing I'll end up in an eager mouth."

Author Biography

Natasha Rao is a poet and educator from New Jersey. She holds a BA from Brown University and an MFA from NYU, where she was a Goldwater Fellow. She has received support from the Bread Loaf Environmental Writers' Conference, the Martha's Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing, and the Vermont Studio Center. Her work appears or is forthcoming in Poetry Northwest, The American Poetry Review, Narrative, The Offing, Rattle, and elsewhere, and she was a finalist in Narrative's 30 Below Contest. She is a managing editor of American Chordata and lives in Brooklyn.