Diannely Antigua — Another Poem about God, but Really It’s about Me
whatshot 20 snips
Jan 27, 2025
A striking exploration of identity, faith, and desire unfolds as a Dominican-American poet navigates her relationship with religion through personal lenses. She contrasts societal expectations of womanhood with her own experiences, questioning the archetypes imposed by her church. The discussion reveals the tension between spirituality and sexuality, while also reflecting on biblical influences. Listeners gain insight into the complexity of virtue and the quest for self-discovery in the face of cultural norms.
16:21
forum Ask episode
web_stories AI Snips
view_agenda Chapters
menu_book Books
auto_awesome Transcript
info_circle Episode notes
question_answer ANECDOTE
Lousy Nun
The poem's narrator, overhearing a comment about being a "lousy nun," reflects on her own relationship with religion and womanhood.
She explores themes of restraint, devotion, and self-destruction, contrasting her experiences with religious archetypes.
insights INSIGHT
Hidden Desires
Diannely Antigua uses the poem's title and structure to explore the complexities of faith and sexuality.
The poem juxtaposes religious imagery with themes of desire and self-discovery, suggesting that these topics are often intertwined.
insights INSIGHT
Before & After
The poem contrasts the narrator's past restraint ("brothers were not allowed to do more than shake my hand") with her later liberation.
This shift marks a turning point in her self-perception and relationship with religious authority.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Diannely Antigua's "Good Monster" is a collection of poems that delve into the complexities of faith, identity, and sexuality. Antigua uses vivid imagery and powerful language to explore her experiences as a Dominican-American woman navigating religious expectations and societal pressures. The poems often juxtapose religious symbolism with personal experiences, creating a dynamic tension that challenges traditional notions of piety and purity. The collection's exploration of female identity and the complexities of faith resonates deeply with readers. Antigua's work is characterized by its raw honesty and unflinching examination of difficult themes.
44 Poems on Being with Each Other
44 Poems on Being with Each Other
Pádraig Ó Tuama
Kitchen Hymns
Kitchen Hymns
Pádraig Ó Tuama
“You would’ve made a lousy nun.” The narrator of Diannely Antigua’s “Another Poem about God, but Really It’s about Me” overhears these words, and they jolt her into contrasting her life experience with the limited archetypes offered by her church — good daughter, good sister, holy woman, whore. Which of these has she been? Where does her devotion lie? And what virtue can she claim?
Diannely Antigua is a Dominican-American poet and educator who was born and raised in Massachusetts. Her debut collection, Ugly Music, won a 2020 Whiting Award and the Pamet River Prize. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from NYU, where she was awarded a Global Research Initiative Fellowship to study in Florence, Italy. She was a finalist for the 2021 Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowship and the recipient of fellowships from CantoMundo, Community of Writers, and the Academy of American Poets. Her work has appeared in the Best of the Net Anthology and has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. She currently serves as the poet laureate of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and is the host of the podcast Bread & Poetry. Her most recent poetry collection is Good Monster.
Poetry Unbound