“The Contract Says: We’d Like the Conversation to be Bilingual” was written by poet Ada Limón and was published in her fifth collection of poetry, The Carrying (2018). The Carrying (2018) won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry the year of its publication and was a finalist for the PEN/Jean Stein Book Award.

“The Contract Says: We’d Like the Conversation to be Bilingual” is a searing, tongue-in-cheek examination of racial tokenism, or the practice of making only a perfunctory effort to be inclusive to minority groups, and the problematic stereotyping that occurs within the literary community (see: Themes). Limón reveals how poets, specifically female poets of color, are pigeonholed into writing about specific themes by large corporations like publishing houses, limiting the scope of their work to either gender or race, but never both simultaneously.

Limón believes that poetry breeds connection, revealing an essential humanity that makes readers understand that they are not alone, regardless of the struggles they have faced. Limón’s creative influences range from classic poets like Frank O’Hara and Sharon Olds to musicians such as Aretha Franklin and Fleetwood Mac. There is an honesty in Limón’s work that is both ordinary and striking, cementing her as an essential voice in contemporary poetry.

Poet Biography

American poet Ada Limón was born on March 28, 1976, and grew up in Sonoma, California. As a child, Limón was greatly influenced by visual artists and creative writers. Her mother, Stacia Brady, created ceramics, sculptures, and paintings during Limón’s childhood, exposing her to the beauty of form and instilling in her a fascination with the creative process from a young age. Limón went on to study drama at the University of Washington (1998) and later received her master of fine arts in creative writing from New York University (2001). Limón was a 2001-2002 fellow at the Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center, as well as a Guggenheim Fellow. Following this success, Limón received a grant from the New York Foundation for the Arts in 2003 to continue her written work, and she won the Chicago Literary Award for Poetry that same year.

Limón is the author of six collections of poetry. Her first collection, Lucky Wreck (2006), won the 2005 Autumn House Poetry Prize. Limón’s second collection of poetry, This Big Fake World (2006), was published the same year as her first, and won the 2005 Pearl Poetry Prize, establishing Limón as a prominent voice within the contemporary poetic canon. Sharks in the Rivers (2010) and Bright Dead Things (2015) received similar acclaim, as Bright Dead Things (2015) was a finalist for the National Book Award. Limón’s most recent publications, The Carrying (2018) and The Hurting Kind (2022) delve deeper into the themes of interconnectedness and identity she has written about throughout her entire career. Limón’s poetry is intimate, tender, and, at the same time, resounding. Limón’s poetic voice is honest and authentic, portraying her moments of self-discovery candidly on the page. Her work has appeared in numerous publications including Barrow Street, the Harvard Review, and the New Yorker.

Limón serves on the faculty of the Queens University of Charlotte’s low-residency MFA program, splitting her time between Lexington, Kentucky and Sonoma, California where she teaches and writes.

Poem Text

Limón, Ada. “The Contract Says: We’d Like the Conversation to be Bilingual.” 2018. Poetry Foundation.

Summary

“The Contract Says: We’d Like the Conversation to be Bilingual” exposes how racial tokenism is often cleverly disguised as inclusivity in the world of modern publishing. Limón interrogates this issue through the voice of a powerful publisher, talking down to a writer of color throughout the poem, detailing what this author can and cannot write about once they enter a contractual agreement together.

Limón uses coded language in Stanzas 1 and 2 to describe the many expectations placed on a woman of color when signing a writing contract. Limón describes diversity not as an asset to perspective publishing houses, but rather, as a way for them to appear more inclusive to their investors. Stanzas 3-5 ask invasive questions about the author’s experiences as a minority, leading to blanket statements detailing what the author can and cannot write about in order to remain marketable to a predominantly white audience (see: Contextual Analysis). This list of creative constraints spans from Stanza 6 to the final stanza of the poem.

“The Contract Says: We’d Like the Conversation to be Bilingual” examines the erasure that occurs to writers of color within the publishing industry, interrogating the negative stereotypes that diminish the identities of writers like Limón in an attempt to break the cycle.