Poetry. Asian American Studies. Winner of the 2011 PEN Center USA Literary Award for Poetry. Using a replica of the native Chamorros' outrigger boats as his figurative vessel, these poems explore the personal, historical, cultural, and natural elements of the poet's native Guam. Combining and contrasting the fragmentary myths of the author's island ancestors, intimate childhood stories of growing up on Guam, and the history of his family's immigration to the United States—with primary histories and texts of the colonial domination and abuse brought on by Spain, Japan, and the United States—these poems give voice to the anguish of the oppressed as well as their hopes for the future. Referring to both the island nation of Guam and the uncharted expanses of one's own soul, the "unincorporated territory" title reflects the author's attempts to express concepts that go beyond the current reaches of any language.

Author City: Kailua Village, HI USA

Craig Santos Perez is the co-founder of Achiote Press and a member of the activist Chamorro organization Famoksaiyan. He is the author of several chapbooks—including All with Ocean Views, Constellations Gathered Along the Ecliptic, and Preterrain—and the books FROM UNINCORPORATED TERRITORY [HACHA] and FROM UNINCORPORATED TERRITORY [SAINA]. His writings have appeared in NEW AMERICAN WRITING, Pleiades, and Rain Taxi. A native Chamorro originally from the Pacific Island of Guåhan (Guam), he lives in Kailua Village, Hawaii.

Reviews and Other Links
Finalist for the 2010 Los Angeles Times Book Prize in Poetry
Amish Trivedi @ Jacket2
2011 PEN Center USA Literary Award Winners