In SMALL FIRES, Jose Angel Araguz engages personal mythologies of the self, culture, and place. The crucible of Mexican-American identity is on display: poems about feeling the need to hide one’s Spanish and family history live alongside those dealing with reclaiming and owning one’s language and life. At the center of this collection is a series detailing a divorce where heart and heritage clashed and forged a new beginning. Whether creating a fable of a man who tries to walk across Texas only to turn into a mesquite tree, addressing issues of domestic violence experienced both in childhood and as an adult, or catching up with La Llorona in cafes, saloons, and movie theaters, these poems move with the urgency of the present moment and the intimacy of memory and imagination.