In her final hours, Julia's mind retreats to a bar of the soul, where the end of life is depicted as a final drink with the self, as the ego (Poetess) and the id (Feminine) come together to reconcile the contradictions of a life they are simultaneously exhausted by yet urgently cling to.

Julia continues her journey through the streets and pubs of New York, as her mind is flooded with the memories of past relationships. Her first marriage, acted out by Wife and Feminine, and told in reverse chronology, is a marriage of convenience and adhering to social norms. Her second marriage, acted out by Poetess and Revolutionary, and told chronologically, is a marriage of love and passion, with a progressive who promises to change the world with her by his side. As the two stories collide and comment on each other, Julia comes closer to confronting her final hours. 

At the end of her rope, Julia de Burgos leaves her home on June 28th, 1953, and embarks on an odyssey through the streets of New York City, where she is in exile from her homeland of Puerto Rico. We are drawn into her mind as the four personalities of her poetry--Poetess, Feminine, Revolutionary, and Wife--wrestle with the existential struggles of being a Latina woman navigating a world that was never made for her.   

Content warning: Contains some strong language.

Preview of Empire of Solitude!