Poetry. Gustavo Perez Firmat examines relationships, sex, and Cuban American life in this collection of accessible poems. Perez Firmat, who writes with wicked humor and candor, handles both Spanish and English with seamless assurance. He is an economical and confident poet.

A poet, fiction writer, and scholar, Gustavo Pérez Firmat is the author of many books of literary and cultural criticism, among them Tongue Ties, Cincuenta lecciones de exilio y desexilio, My Own Private Cuba, and Life on the Hyphen. He has also written a best-selling memoir, Next Year in Cuba; a novel, Anything But Love; and several collections of poetry, including Bilingual Blues (also published by Bilingual Press). In 1997 Newsweek listed him among "100 Americans to watch for the 21st century" and Hispanic Business Magazine selected him as one of the "100 most influential Hispanics." He is currently the David Feinson Professor of Humanities at Columbia University.