PROVIDENCIA, Sean Frederick Forbes’s debut poetry collection, offers deeply personal lyric poetry that digs beneath the surface of family history and myth. This coming of age narrative traces the experience of a gay, mixed-race narrator who confronts the traditions of his parents’ and grandparents’ birthplace: the seemingly idyllic island of Providencia, Colombia against the backdrop of his rough and lonely life in Southside Jamaica, Queens. Written in both free verse and traditional poetic forms, PROVIDENCIA conjures numerous voices, images, and characters to explore the struggles of self-discovery. Cover Art by Holly Turner. With an introduction by V. Penelope Pelizzon.