Oral Tradition

Written by Raquel Lanseros

Translated from Spanish by Gordon McNeer

Narrated by Bill Wolak

Spain

I like to love you on my knees.

Here, so far below, so close to the earth

I smack my lips on the throbbing of your concern

and I center my delight on the process.

It’s no surprise that the world is round.

What form could it adopt other than that of my mouth?

Raquel Lancers is one of the most awarded and recognized voices of contemporary poetry in Spanish. About 200 critics of more than 100 universities around the world have chosen her as the most relevant Spanish-language female poet born after 1970. Her last collection of poetry published in Spain entitled Matria won the 2019 National Critics Award.

Gordon McNeer is a poet, professor, and translator, who is of Mexican-American descent. He earned his B.A. and M.A. in Spanish and his Ph.D. in Romance Languages from Princeton University. His area of specialization is the Spanish lyrical tradition, with a concentration in contemporary Spanish poetry.