The University of Arizona Press
January 14, 2026
Literary Hub named The Whole Earth Is a Garden of Monsters | Toda la tierra es un jardín de monstruos as one of the most anticipated poetry collections for 2026. Written by Manuel Iris and co-translated by Iris and Kevin McHugh, this winner of The Academy of American Poets’ Ambroggio Prize will be published in February 2026. Literary Hub’s Rebecca Morgan Frank wrote, “Iris’ collections in Spanish have garnered awards in Mexico, while his more recent turn to bilingual collections has resulted in honors from the Latino Book Awards and the Ohioana Book Awards.”
Manuel Iris is a Mexican-born American poet based in Ohio. He holds a Ph.D. in Romance Languages from the University of Cincinnati. The former Poet Laureate of Cincinnati, Iris currently serves as Writer-in-Residence for the Hamilton County Public Library; is Writer-in-Residence at Thomas More University; and is a member of Mexico’s National System of Art Creators. Kevin McHugh is a translator, poet, and editor with over thirty years of experience in writing and teaching. He holds an MA in English from the University of Windsor, specializing in Irish literature.
Congratulations Manuel and Kevin!
About the book:
This Ambroggio prize-winning bilingual collection intertwines the lives of a Renaissance painter and a modern migrant worker, offering a fresh perspective on art and migration. In this highly imaginative work, the lives of the northern Renaissance painter Hieronymus Bosch (1450–1516) and an imagined contemporary migrant worker named Juan Coyoc, later known as Juan Domínguez, run in parallel as they mirror each other across languages, time, and continents.
By comparing and at times intertwining these two poetic narratives, the book explores themes of art, migration, narco-violence, family, spirituality, and the idea that every human being represents all humanity at any moment in history. Both Hieronymus Bosch and Juan Domínguez become relatable and intimate figures, part of our own story.
