A hyper-modern, radical poetry, minimalist in style and important not just for what it includes, but also for what it excludes. This excavation of public language offers a sudden tonality that’s both sharp and delicate, an example of how metaphysics is hiding in plain sight, everywhere. —from Ilya Kaminsky's Poetry Book Society citation for Mesándel Virtusio Arguelles
Mesándel Virtusio Arguelles (b. October 1977) is the author of twenty books of and about poetry and a three-time finalist for the National Book Award. He works as a book editor and translator, and teaches literature and creative writing at the De La Salle University in Manila.
Kristine Ong Muslim (b. September 1980) is the author of nine books of fiction and poetry. Her translations of the works of Mesándel Virtusio Arguelles include Twelve Clay Birds: Selected Poems (University of the Philippines Press, 2021) and Three Books (Broken Sleep Books, 2020). Muslim grew up and continues to live in a rural town in southern Philippines.