erica monteiro’s collection, (evol)ution is love spelled backwards, is book of poetry created to give readers a glimpse into the personal politics of a woman of color coming into her own. The selected pieces are written as a journey through the writer’s heart. monteiro creates a mosaic through lyrical prose that is both tangible and illusive. Some of her pieces speak to current contemporary issues as in the poem “goodnight obama”, and others deal strictly with matters of love, as in “the last hurrah”. Each poem is flavored by its own unique brand of language reminiscent of twentieth century urban lyricism. monteiro’s “text speak” and new derivations on old words allow her to style shift between poetic lines, making for a creative blend of both academic and pedestrian imagery and symbolism. (evol)ution is love spelled backwards, is a mix of monteiro’s different voices, balanced to give her readers a unique perspective of her verses.