'The Border Simulator' poetry book explores encounters at U.S.-Mexico border

The U.S.-Mexico border is hotly debated and polarized in politics, often gracing headlines. But a new book examines it in a new way: through poetry.

“The Border Simulator” by Gabriel Dozal, translated by Natasha Tiniacos, tells stories of a brother and sister who attempt to cross the border in search of a better life. Dozal says that inspiration for the pair of siblings came from stories he’d heard of his own family members’ experiences at the border.

The poems are all written in English and Spanish, each one translating slightly differently to account for clever or figurative language. Tiniacos says that bilingual readers get a rich, multi-dimensional experience reading both versions.

Dozal — who grew up in El Paso, Texas, and has family in Juarez, Mexico — says that the general perception and polarization of the border don’t match up with his experiences. In the book, the border is represented as a simulation.