Mena Borges-Gillette

Saudades of a Nightingale Mena Borges-Gillette

The Portuguese are known for saudade, a deep state of profound longing for something lost while maintaining hope for the future. And nobody expresses that nostalgic longing more than those who hail from the Azores. As an Azorean-born poet who immigrated to the United States as a child by way of war-torn Angola, Mena Borges-Gillette bears the weight of that longing, not just for herself but for her family as well. In Saudades of a Nightingale, Borges-Gillette uses a rich tapestry of poetic works to wrestle with expressions of identity and culture. Though its Luso-American focus is strong, Saudades of a Nightingale honors the experience of anyone who has ever felt alone in a crowd or struggles with feelings that they don't "belong." This collection of poems speaks to the outsider in us all.