In her debut collection of poetry and prose, Justine Marrion Massey gives a fearless recounting of her travels through Argentina and Uruguay, and back to California. Along the way she discovers that true freedom comes not from escape but from deep connection.

Moving between English and Spanish without losing the thread, Massey creates a sensory tapestry of dusty roads, mountain vistas, and late-night conversations with strangers who become family. Moments of transcendent beauty—handstands on multicolored hills, impromptu musical sessions in garages—find balance with hard truths about loss, climate crisis, and human resilience.

Perros Argentinos // Argentine Dogs: Wild Poems and ….
Massey, Justine Marrion

“Justine Massey is an image maker and a lyricist in this unconventional, self-revelatory collection of poems and prose. She exults in her Argentinean years, when she plunges into the unknown, haunted by her father’s early death, by an overheated world, by violence and inaction and even a fear dog—but is sustained by her own buoyant spirit. The braided structure and her facility with both English and Spanish mirror her project during those years, “Weave the Americas,” an initiative that brings together muralists and musicians across the hemispheres. To understand. To live in the present. To find joy. Those are the community needs reflected in her own internal quests. This book is wholly original, intimate, compelling, and delightful. We want Justine as our companion on the road and as the neighbor we might confide in.”

Susan Shillinglaw, Ph.D., Author of A Journey into Steinbeck’s California

Choose humanism over nihilism — enjoy some creativity and a look into Perros Argentinos // Argentine Dogs: Wild Poems and Related Stories.

  • Art supplies & prompts
  • Reading and signing by the author
  • Open mic opportunity