A new anthology built around Crisosto Apache Two-Spirit poetry and the work of fellow Indigequeer writers has arrived as the first collection of its kind in over a decade. Titled “The Starry Field: A Gathering of New Two-Spirit and Indigequeer Poetry,” the book is co-edited by poets Crisosto Apache and Julian Talamantez Brolaski and published by Litmus Press, with an introduction appearing in the September 2026 issue of Poetry magazine.
Crisosto Apache Two-Spirit Poetry Builds on a Decade-Old Lineage
The editors describe the anthology as building on foundational texts like “Living the Spirit: A Gay American Indian Anthology” (1988) and “Sovereign Erotics: A Collection of Two-Spirit Literature” (2011), framing their new collection as a “new cartography” of personhood — an attempt to expand, rather than repeat, the literary ground those earlier books broke.
Four Years From Idea to Published Anthology
The project began in spring 2022 and, by the editors’ own account, faced repeated uncertainty along the way: outreach to literary presses and funding bodies was frequently met with indifference or doubts about commercial viability. The editors describe pushing forward specifically because they identified a gap in the Indigenous literary landscape — a lack of dedicated platforms for emerging Indigenous poets, as opposed to already-established names.
Structured Around the Mescalero Ndé Concept of Guzhú
The anthology is organized into four sections — Lunarescence, Beauty Way, Ululation, and The Anterior We — collectively exploring the Mescalero Ndé (Apache) concept of Guzhú, meaning beauty, balance, and harmony. The editors describe the writing throughout as a form of “linguistic intervention,” treating the act of poetry itself as a bridge between ancestral knowledge and the present.
Two Poets, Two Distinct Bodies of Work
Crisosto Apache is Mescalero Apache, Chiricahua Apache, and Diné, originally from the Mescalero Apache Reservation in New Mexico, and holds an MFA from the Institute of American Indian Arts; his debut collection, “GENESIS,” was published by Lost Alphabet in 2018. Co-editor Julian Talamantez Brolaski is a poet and country musician whose books include “Sunwise,” “Of Mongrelitude,” and “Advice for Lovers,” and who also performs with the band Juan & the Pines.
Why This Matters for the Shamanic Community
Many shamanic and indigenous healing traditions worldwide have historically recognized gender-fluid or Two-Spirit individuals as holding distinct sacred or ceremonial roles — a thread the editors touch on directly when describing the anthology as reclaiming roles their communities have honored “since time immemorial.” For readers of Shaman Portal interested in the literary and cultural dimensions of indigenous spirituality, this anthology offers a contemporary, poet-led perspective on that lineage — worth noting, however, that the source material also engages current political debate around gender and Native identity, which readers should be aware of going in.
Explore More From Shaman Portal
Browse more Shaman News, or explore our Shamanic Wisdom section for related reading and resources.
