Writing and Poetry
Vessels: A Memoir of Borders
Flowersong Press
"There are borders other than those between countries, borders between man and woman, sanity and madness, living and dead. These borders shift.”
Vessels dwells in the borderlands. From this place, Michelle Otero turns to the seven directions and calls on Coyolxauhqui, Malinche, and her ancestors to answer the question, How do we put ourselves back together? Through memory, ceremonia, and testimonio, Vessels guides the reader through the long shadows of war, trauma, and death, lighting the way with the promise of wholeness and healing.
Vessels can be purchased locally in Albuquerque, New Mexico at the following locations:
Or ordered from the publisher when you click Order below.
Bosque: Poems
University of New Mexico Press
winner of a 2021 Southwest Book Award by the Border Regional Library Association
"Michelle Otero's Bosque is profoundly New Mexican, as vast as our desert and deep as our canyons. These poems hold us in their arms and draw us into the poet's multicultural multilingual heart."
—Margaret Randall, I Never Left Home: Poet, Feminist, Revolutionary and My Life in 100 Objects.
Nestled in the heart of Albuquerque is a vibrant cottonwood forest that has flourished for centuries along the Río Grande—providing a home for porcupines, migratory birds, coyotes, and other wildlife as well as a sanctuary for its city residents. Today, in the midst of climate change and the slow drying of the river, the bosque struggles to remain vibrant. As a former Albuquerque Poet Laureate, Michelle Otero champions this beloved Albuquerque treasure. In her debut poetry collection, Bosque, she celebrates the importance of water and the bosque to the people of Albuquerque. Otero shares her reflections on the high desert—where she is rooted, where she draws her strength, and where she has flourished—and she invites readers to do the same.
A Year of New Mexico Poetry
A Year of New Mexico Poetry
edited by Amaris Feland Ketcham & Zach Hively
Casa Urraca Press, 2026
I have four poems in this wonderful new poem-a-day anthology celebrating our beloved New Mexico.
Racial Healing: Courageous conversations for a better tomorrow
Racial Healing: Courageous conversations for a better tomorrow
Pass the Sopapillas Podcast: Episode 7
In this episode, host Manuel González welcomes Michelle Otero, Casey Douma, Dulcinea Lara and Loretta Trujillo for a conversation about racial healing in New Mexico, exploring how truth-telling, community, education and relationships can help heal generations of trauma. Through personal stories and reflections on culture, land, language and belonging, the guests share a vision for building stronger communities rooted in understanding, courage and shared humanity.
22 Poems & a Prayer for El Paso
Racial Healing: Courageous conversations for a better tomorrow
Community Matters: Conversation with Yolanda Cruz
Dos Gatos Press, 2020
edited by Michelle Otero, David Meischen, Scott Wiggerman
winner of a New Mexico -Arizona Book Award
The poems in this collection were read August 29, 2019, at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque. The event, curated by Albuquerque Poet Laureate Michelle Otero, was dedicated to the memory of those who lost their lives in El Paso on August 3, 2019.
Community Matters: Conversation with Yolanda Cruz
Racial Healing: Courageous conversations for a better tomorrow
Community Matters: Conversation with Yolanda Cruz
Monthly radio show hosted by Santa Fe Community Foundation Philanthropy HUB Coordinator, Yolanda Cruz
Michelle and Yolanda discuss relationship and mindfulness.
Aired Wednesday, January 19, 2022 – 6:00pm MDT
Presented by:
Santa Fe Community Foundation and KSFR
Video Interview with John Hoffsis, Treasure House Books
Video Interview with John Hoffsis, Treasure House Books
Video Interview with John Hoffsis, Treasure House Books
This virtual event is part of Albuquerque's Birthday Celebration. For more info go to https://www.cabq.gov/.../albuquerques-birthday-celebration