POETICS Podcast - Episode 26 "Native Antilles High School, Ft. Buchanan, Puerto Rico," by Beatriz Fitzgerald Fernandes, hosted by Tamarah Rockwood

Exploring Identity Through PoetryIn this episode, we explore the lasting impact of adolescent othering through "Native," a powerful poem set in Antilles High School, Puerto Rico. We examine how a casual classroom moment—a teacher's joke about "restless natives"—reverberates through decades, shaping the speaker's understanding of identity and belonging.The poem captures that vulnerable teenage space where the desperate desire to fit in masks deeper wounds. We follow the speaker's journey from confused laughter to painful realization: she was the "native" being mocked, marked as other by her island blood, skin, and unruly hair.Yet the poem's power lies in its transformation. Through the authority and beauty of poetry itself, the speaker reclaims the very label that once stung, reimagining what it means to be "native." She becomes native not to a place that rejected her, but to possibility—to a future where voices like hers are celebrated, not silenced.Join us as we explore how poetry transforms disturbing adolescent experiences into profound self-discovery, turning wounds into wisdom and finding strength through the beauty of reclaimed identity. Get full access to Bainbridge Island Press at bainbridgeislandpress.substack.com/subscribe