Taking its cue from Toni Morrison’s declaration that "language alone protects us from the scariness of things with no names" Kristiana Colón’s promised instruments stitches its own definitions for what is granted, what is surrendered, what is pilfered, and what is reclaimed. Her poems plumb the problem of woman’s sexuality, sexual agency, mental health, and consent with piercing musicality and disarming vulnerability. promised instruments invites its readers to interrogate their own complicity in these issues and share in the healing process.

KRISTIANA COLÓN is a poet, playwright, actor, and educator living in Chicago. She has been featured on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, WBEZ Chicago Public Radio, and her work has nominated for a Pushcart Prize and anthologized in various publications including Pank, African American Review, Diverse Voices Quarterly, and the Logan Square Literary Review.