Tato Laviera is the author of four previous collections of poetry: La Carreta Made a U-TurnEnclave (Arte Público Press, 1981), Mainstream Ethics (Arte Público Press, 1988), AmeRícan (Arte Público Press, 2003), and Mixturao and Other Poems (Arte Público Press, 1979), (Arte Público Press, 2008). He lives and works in New York City.