Through vivid and rhythmic poetry, My Heart of Rice moves to empower anyone who may have a difficult or unconventional relationship with their cultural identity. While Lanuza encourages acceptance of our unique details, she emphasizes the unity found in shared experiences and speaks of the inherent need for belonging, the youthful attempts at assimilation, and the deep melting pot of ethnicity and culture that makes up our humanity.

American Rendering showcases twenty-four new poems as well as a generous selection from Andrew Hudgins’s six previous volumes, spanning a distinguished career of more than twenty-five years.
Hudgins, who was born in Texas and spent most of his childhood in the South, is a lively and prolific poet who draws on his vivid Southern and,more specifically, Southern Baptist, childhood. Influenced by writers such as John Crowe Ransom,William

Haven't you get tired of picking up a book, flip to the dedication, and find that, once again, the author has dedicated a book to someone else and not you. If this book is not for you, why care about reading it.
This time you know this book is dedicated to you. This book is for those who prefer a certain amount of change and variety and become dissatisfied when hemmed in by restrictions and limitations. This book is for you. This is a book for