Unsolicited Press Announces the Forthcoming Release of The Book of Destructions by Margarita Vélez Verbel, Translated by María Fernanda Del Castillo Sucerquia
Unsolicited Press is proud to announce the March 31, 2026 release of The Book of Destructions, a bilingual poetry collection by acclaimed Colombian poet Margarita Vélez Verbel, translated by María Fernanda Del Castillo Sucerquia.
In this incendiary, unflinching work, Vélez Verbel tears apart the inherited narratives that have bound women to silence for centuries. The poems dismantle patriarchal mythmaking—from biblical icons to cultural archetypes—revealing the violence and hypocrisy long celebrated as moral authority. Here, David is not a hero but a predator cloaked in divine blessing; John the Baptist, a man whose contempt for women becomes his own undoing.
What emerges is a necessary breaking: a poetic demolition of the rules that have kept women obedient, invisible, and domesticated. Through searing language and fearless imagery, Vélez Verbel exposes society as a Gordian knot of domination, memory, and myth. Translator María Fernanda Del Castillo Sucerquia brings this voice into English with formidable clarity and reverence for the original’s fire.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Margarita Vélez Verbel (Corozal, Sucre) is the author of multiple poetry collections, including Los ángeles sólo bajan una vez, Espinas y cenizas, and Del polvo y el olvido. Her tragic, transgressive voice has become one of the most distinctive among women writers of the Caribbean.
ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR
María Del Castillo Sucerquia (Barranquilla, 1997) is a bilingual poet, literary agent, tutor, and translator whose work has appeared across Latin America and Europe. She has participated in festivals worldwide, with her poetry translated into several languages.
ABOUT THE EDITOR
Douglas Cole is the author of six poetry collections and the award-winning novel The White Field. His work is widely published and he contributes a regular column, “Trading Fours,” to Jerry Jazz Musician.
The Book of Destructions is available for preorder at retailers nationwide and through Unsolicited Press.
