R. A. Villanueva launches A Holy Dread with Pádraig Ó Tuama

In this highly anticipated second collection, Villanueva’s poetry emerges from fierce hopes about why we create, who we hold dear, and how we might brave "every small / catastrophe laced with joy." Inspired by his experiences as a Filipino American writer, educator, son, and father, Villanueva’s new book expands on his revelatory debut, Reliquaria, with intensity and grace.

To celebrate the release of A Holy Dread, Villanueva will be in conversation with acclaimed writer and theologian, Pádraig Ó Tuama, author of Kitchen Hymns, and host of Poetry Unbound from On Being Studios. Their reading and discussion will be followed by an audience Q&A and book signing.

R. A. Villanueva is the author of two award-winning collections of poetry: A Holy Dread (Alice James Books, 2026), and Reliquaria (University of Nebraska Press, 2014). New work has been featured by the Academy of American Poets and National Public Radio—and his writing appears widely in international publications such as Poetry London and The Poetry Review. His honors include commendations from the Forward Prizes, and fellowships from the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, the Constance Saltonstall Foundation for the Arts, and Kundiman. Born in New Jersey, he lives in Brooklyn.

Pádraig Ó Tuama (b. 1975, Ireland) is a poet with interests in language, violence, power, and religion. He is the host of On Being’s Poetry Unbound and has published volumes of poetry, essays, a memoir and theology. 2025 saw the publication of the poetry collection Kitchen Hymns and the anthology 44 Poems on Being with Each Other: A Poetry Unbound Collection (Canongate and WW Norton).

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