Claudia Castro Luna, the former Washington State Poet Laureate, and Seattle’s inaugural Civic Poet, is publishing her debut memoir, The Flowers Along the Way (Northwestern University Press) on September 15, 2026.
The memoir follows the poet as she reckons with the lasting effects of war, displacement, and inherited trauma after surviving a shooting in Oakland decades after fleeing civil war in El Salvador. Moving between personal memory and family history, it is a powerful exploration of PTSD, resilience, motherhood, and the long journey toward healing and belonging.
The Flowers Along the Way is available for preorder now and Debutiful is honored to reveal the cover, designed by José Cándido Pineda, along with a Q&A with Luna about its creation.
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