"In Inheritance of Drowning, Dorsía Smith Silva’s powerful debut collection, trains a lens on the history and ecology of Puerto Rico and mainland US. In poems of ethical witness, Smith Silva documents the linkages between slavery and present-day police brutality and racism, between recent, devastating hurricanes in the Caribbean and colonialism, past and present. Wideseeing and searing, In Inheritance of Drowning looks unflinchingly at violence and iniquity while testifying to Black and Caribbean people’s survival."

Shara McCallum, author of 'No Ruined Stone'

"In Dorsía Smith Silva’s astonishing new collection, In Inheritance of Drowning, we encounter a voice that understands violence, silence, loss and the power of undertow. This is a voice that understands “fret” sounds like “forget,” especially as winds and waves accrue, along with lost brown and black bodies. Page after page, this overwhelming rush of rivers and blood remind us we must not forget, as the list of names grow like a gathering storm, that those bodies whirl further and further away from their names."

Frances Richey, author of 'The Warrior: A Mother’s Story of a Son at War' and 'The Burning Point'

"Smith Silva navigates the treacherous waters of displacement and survival in the wake of natural disaster in this luminous and innovative debut . . . With a finely tuned ear for rhythm and syntax, Smith Silva unearths unexpected beauty amid devastation, insisting on a resilience that envisions 'uncombed/ gardens last where only hurricanes stay.' This noteworthy collection bears unflinching witness to calamity while still kindling hope for renewal."

Publishers Weekly