The University of Arizona Press
May 9, 2025
While all poets paint pictures with words, some poets also literally paint pictures: Leo Romero’s paintings are currently featured at Big Happy Gallery, on exhibition with the work of his wife, Elizabeth Cook Romero. Leo Romero also painted the image on the cover of his book, Trees Dream of Water: Selected and New Poems, seen in the header image above.
The opening reception will be on May 9, 5-7 p.m., MDT. Big Happy Gallery is located at 1300 Luisa St., Ste. 3A, Santa Fe, New Mexico. The show runs through June 14, 2025. Gallery hours are Saturday and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m., and by appointment.
About the book:
“The poems in this collection began as a search for a history of my ancestors in a small, isolated valley in northern New Mexico. But no one wrote it down, and I was left to construct a poetic history where there were no written records . . .”
Leo Romero stands as a foundational figure in Latino letters. With six books of poetry and a book of short fiction to his name, Romero’s contribution to the literary canon is profound and enduring.
Bringing together for the first time his new and selected poems, Trees Dream of Water reflects Romero’s journey from youth to maturity as a person and a poet, and his deep connection to New Mexico and its culture. Traversed by memory, myth, and observation of the natural world, these poems explore family, community belonging and conflict, life as an artist, and the cycles of life and death. This lyrical anthology includes accompanying essays to illuminate Romero’s life and work for longtime admirers and new readers alike.
