Burn After Reading: poems

In her powerful debut, Burn After Reading, Jessica Ciencin Henriquez gently peels back the layers of all we hide- grief, shame, suffering, and love. Blending traditional verse with striking erasure poetry, Henriquez plays with form to explore the experiences that connect us-from our deepest fears and unspoken desires to the courage it takes to reclaim what we thought was lost. This collection is an unflinching meditation on what it means to be human. Henriquez moves through each poem, extending a hand to her readers, offering an invitation to embrace the stillness that comes just before awakening. A quiet, tender moment is revealed where the ashes of our past selves are held, honored - not yet healed, but no longer hidden.