on, Roberto Germán, shares writing across 20 years of his life. The poems tell stories of love, relationships, race, identity, and everyday living. These subjects divide the book into three parts. The poetic forms include free verse, rhyme, haiku and more, all relatable and real with vivid detail. As he explores what it's like to be a young man growing into his identity, the readers are invited into a rarely explored point of view with this level of imagery and sensorial writing: life through the young adult eyes of a Black Dominican-American, son of immigrants.

"Blue Ink Tears is a work of emotional beauty, historical awe, and nostalgic reminiscence. What you've compiled here is a collection of experiences, not just poems, that will make young readers think and dig deep." Tanya Manning-Yarde