Sylvia Sánchez Garza, Ph.D.
Cascarones: Growing Up in the Rio Grande Valley
Cascarones is a young adult coming-of-age story that revolves around a Mexican American family living in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas. The main character, Suzy, her family, and friends are enriched by the rich traditions and culture of the region, shaping who she becomes. The narrative shifts from present to past, connecting readers to cultural traditions that changed throughout the years. Cascarones, first published in 2018, won three awards.
Awaken!: A Collection of Poems
Awaken! is a short yet powerful collection of poems that will move and inspire readers. The lyrical verses capture the challenges, struggles, heartaches, and celebrations we go through individually and as families. Culture, love, hope, nature, and family bonds are evident in the words that will take you on your own journey.
Ghost Brother
Carlos and his twin brother Cris were looking forward to their school dance, but an encounter with a pair of bullies on a slick road during a terrible thunderstorm leads to a horrific auto accident and the deaths of two people—including Carlos. Cris, who was driving the car, is overcome with guilt, and their mom is devastated at the loss of her son.
The hazy details of the crash and its fallout are narrated in the alternating voices of the brothers, one a survivor and the other a ghost. No one can see or hear Carlos despite his efforts to let them know he is still there, so he is able to listen in on numerous conversations. One of the bullies that died in the crash was the son of the local sheriff, and the ghost learns the lawman intends to place the blame for the accident on his brother!
As Cris navigates his sorrow, he is intent on getting to know his father, who has been absent all their lives. To complicate matters, he meets and falls head-over-heels in love with Selena, who has secrets of her own, including knowing more about the crash than she lets on. Exploring death and grief from a young person’s perspective, this absorbing novel for teens set in South Texas brims with the cultural traditions and beliefs of the Mexican-American community.
All Published Works
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Awaken! A Poetry Collection Cascarones, YA novel, published by Floricanto Press
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“Ojo,” published in Living Beyond Borders by Penguin Teens 2021
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Boundless 2021
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What They Left Behind: An Anthology 2021
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“Attack,” published by Unique Poetry
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“Delusional Dreams,” published by Covid Poetry
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“Please,” published by Ice Colony, forthcoming
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“Labores,” published by Ice Colony, forthcoming
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“Dance,” published by Indian Feminine Review
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“Remember,” published by ANA Magazine
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“Spiritless Stone,” published by ANA Magazine
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“Understand,” published by ANA Magazine
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"September," published by eris & eros
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Wards Literary Magazine
Reviews
Reviewed by María Elena Ovalle
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Sylvia Sánchez Garza
Arte Publico Press
“In Ghost Brother, Sylvia Sánchez Garza uses an authentic voice to portray the rich culture and politics in Deep South Texas. Twin brothers, Carlos and Cris attend high school in the small border town of Malton. Carlos is an athlete, and Cris is the studious one. They are excited to attend the end of school dance with their dates. As the dance winds down and they decide to leave, they are harassed and bullied by the son of the sheriff, Big J, and his thug friends. A severe thunderstorm blows in suddenly, and against the advice of the chaperone, they decide to leave the dance anyway. As they drive in heavy rain, Big J’s TransAm appears out of nowhere and causes a fatal traffic accident. Carlos and a person in the other car die in the crash. In the months after the crash, Cris, who shared a special bond with his brother, feels survivor guilt and intense grief. After the accident, Cris gets a feeling that the crash occurred under suspicious circumstances and he begins to investigate. He meets a mysterious new girl at school who has a few secrets of her own that might help Cris discover what really happened.
Throughout the story, Carlos’s spirit tries hard to communicate with his family to help with their grief and to help in the discovery of the truth behind the accident. Family members sense unusual things around them as Carlos sends them subtle messages from beyond. The story causes the reader to ponder if there is life after death, perhaps in a different form, or perhaps spirits of our deceased loved ones exist in a parallel universe, just slightly out of reach. This magical realism/fantasy story will keep your attention from beginning to end.”
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- María Elena Ovalle
South Texas Literacy Coalition
Post by Maxreview » 12 Apr 2022, 04:48
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Awaken!" by Sylvia Sánchez Garza.]
4 out of 4 stars
Awaken! by Sylvia Sánchez Garza is a chapbook consisting of 26 poems. "Awaken," the poem from which the title of this book is derived; "La Flor," "La Luna," "Mr. Sunshine" and "Clouds," which are among those about nature; and "Soar with the Angels" are some examples of the poems included in this poetry collection.
I love the themes that the poems in this book navigate through. The themes range from the beauty of nature (like "Mr. Sunshine" and "Clouds"), the hardships of life (particularly in the poem titled "Labores"), the recent covid-19 pandemic (in "The Delusional Dream"), a tribute to George Floyd, and the beauty of inanimate objects like the piñata and the lifeless stone.
Out of all the poems, I found the poem titled "September" to be the most emotional poem in this book. The persona in this poem is recollecting memories about his or her late mother and wonders why she had to leave. In the poem, the persona remembers her saying that everyone has their day, and they'll one day have to depart from this earth, but little did the persona know that she was speaking about her own day. The persona also laments and asks questions like "why did it have to be just her?" I felt the persona's anguish and pain as I read the poem and realized that life is but a foam in the ocean that lasts for a very short time.
I also loved the nature-inspired poems like "Mr. Sunshine," "Clouds," "La Luna," and "La Flora" among others. Particularly, "Clouds" speaks about the transitions and transformations clouds go through. The persona describes them at one time as "white sheep gliding across the blue sky." In "Mr. Sunshine," the persona pleads with the sun to take a nap for a while. The time appears to be just before a drizzle in the early morning, and the sun is urged by the persona to hold on a little longer—since there would still be time later in the day to show its might. The persona is hopeful to see the rainbow should the sun listen to him/her.
Structurally, most of the poems in this book are free verses. They have an unpredictable rhyme scheme. Most lines and stanzas don't follow the rules or patterns in traditional poems. However, this is not to say that there is no rhyme. There are some rhyming lines, consonance, assonance, and alliteration within the poems, but I think they're more coincidental than a precedented composition. All the above reasons have allowed the poet to freely communicate his message and emotions. And speaking of emotions, the poems have a pack of them. The rich imagery used also helps in visualizing the poems better.
Since these are poems, some of the few errors I noticed could pass as using the poetic license for stylistic reasons. There is one poem I didn't understand, too. These are the only negative aspects of the book, but because of the overall quality of the book and the dexterity in which most poems were written, I'll give this book a 4 out of 4. Furthermore, there is nothing else I disliked. The book seems professionally edited to me.
I dedicate this book to all lovers of poetry who love image-rich and emotion-packed poems.
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Awaken!
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Reviewed by Lone Star Literary Life
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Sylvia Sánchez Garza
White Bird Publications
Paperback, ISBN: 978-1633635562; 48 pgs.; $13.99
January 11, 2022
Infused with love and memories, Awaken! uncovers joy in moments of sorrow. The poet Sylvia Sánchez Garza dedicates this collection to her parents; her mother Elida Reyna Sánchez died in 2019 and her father Joe V. Sánchez in 2021. Grief-stricken, the author reveals that words overflow her mind, comparing them to water pouring from a faucet with broken handles. But she remains silent, knowing that eventually her “lost words/Will ignite and explode,” as they do in her poem “Words,” an expression of her emotional pain.
“Clouds” is a metaphor for those she misses. She watches them morph and move across the sky. “They grow, create themselves /and reunite with each other for strength.” Heartbroken, she acknowledges the anniversary of her mother’s death in “September” but feels her presence in the natural world and her grandbaby’s “silky-smooth skin.”
“Understand” is an internal conversation about “sacred shells,” bodies left behind at death. Sánchez Garza doesn’t understand those who look for loved ones in open coffins. She believes lives continue in the depths of souls, “where no one else can go.” She feels their spirits in the natural world, “…in the red, candescent cardinal /Perching on the windowsill.”
Her love for nature also comes through in the couplets of “Anacahuita” when she converses with an olive tree that she hopes will survive a freeze and in “La Flor” when she expresses gratitude for every moment. Her ode to “Mr. Sunshine” is set on a stormy day, but she encourages him to sleep in.
“La Luna,” about the moon, is another of her lyrical poems with s and w alliterations as soothing as lullabies. The first four couplets are lovely, but the rest of the poem detours to focus on a blue heron. In “Haibun: Meditating in the Backyard,” the poet combines a prose poem with a haiku. Sitting on a bench, sipping iced tea, she again reflects on egrets in South Texas:
Pure, angelic, birds,
majestic at water’s edge…
croaking a good night.