After more than five hours giving interviews, Juan Felipe Herrera, the brand new Poet Laureate of the Library of Congress , had no trouble once again he reiterate his passion for poetry, California and American identity in an interview with this medium, which recognized “love and inspired me for many years.”
It will be on September 5 when Herrera began his work as Poet Laureate, first Latino (and Chicano) writer and considered, allowing you to establish programs and events that strengthen the power of poetry in contemporary society. Born in Fowler, California, in 1948, in a family of immigrants (his parents were from Mexico and were engaged in agriculture), also a university professor in his younger years toured the state, from north to south, absorbing its cultural, social peculiarities and, why not say, espirituales.El result, in addition to various degrees by local universities it has been 28 books of poetry (including “Exiles of Desire”, the first published in 1985, “Half the World in Light”, “Featherless / Plucked” and “Senegal Taxi” The latest, filed in 2013). It has also signed 11 youth and children’s novels (such as “Portraits of Hispanic American Heroes”). His work has brought him awards as outstanding as the PEN USA National Poetry Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award and two Americas Awards. And in 2012 he was named Poet Laureate of California, period during which he was also Professor of Narrative Literature in the Universal of California at Riverside. “Through his poems, presentations and teachings, Juan Felipe Herrera has touched the hearts and minds of all, “he said in a statement this means the university chancellor Riverside, Kim Wilcox. “It is unique that a college has the honor of having a faculty member with such distinction.” To mark the honor that has been spoken of “American identity”. What is for you the American identity? you are changing. The boundaries hardly exist anymore. They do it in their forms of force, but culturalemnte and flow of people, go ahead. And we as Latinos are already the majority here in the United States. So the American identity, in many ways, is the Latino identity. I do not know if the word is fusion, but there are several identities. American, American and new Latino identity is perhaps beginning to give a new design to the first The Spanish language assume as part of the new tide of identity. Yes, very important. Perhaps most important is the language, language, text, speech, vocals. Without our voices present in all corners or circle of culture and American society, there are problems, conflicts and limitations. The key is the expression. His career has been mostly in English. If it had been in Spanish, do you think that would have appointed Poet Laureate? The two languages are important. So I’m glad to have means like this: it is important to continue writing in Spanish, in newspapers like “La Opinion” and electronic journals, and also with translations in English. It is what Mexicans here in America did in the 60s and 70s take inspiration from the media … in Spanish and English. Many publishers and media published only in English, but then continue speaking Spanish at home, and at school. Both are important but we must do more openness in Spanish. You have been very keen to share his poetry in public, not only in the privacy of reading. The book is important. The computer is important. Electronic books are important. But I like the live presentation, the relationship with the reader, with poets, with people, with the people there, grouper, forum, theater, the living room: I love it, because we face to-face, communicating not only with words, books or texts, but also with the energy of the word, you lose a little in other ways. You grew up in California in the 50s and 60s What was that California for a Latin girl like you? Oh, you can imagine … The people were younger, wider roads. Now it is all asphalt and malls … There was more open field longer. And the concept of security was not like today, everything was open, you could cross the border more easily. There are many legal, cultural and demographic differences compared to today. Before there was the gap between rich and poor as now, but now looks to technology, business, corporate … Silicon Valley, San Francisco, San Jose … what is there happening is that you are pushing them [the poor] outside. And where is it going? I do not know. Where we go? I do not know. That is the most dangerous: the control of the most fertile areas or offer more money. The working class has to look for other more difficult sites and with fewer opportunities. That’s the sharpest change … is a state of emergency. And how the Latino community, from a cultural perspective can adapt to this change? Many Latin people are entering this country in large numbers. But where are we going? And what conditions are we? That’s the problem. There are still barriers to enter the universities to participate in the centers of power. So the numbers are here, the cultural force is present … The problem is economic. How to gain access to powerful institutions such as education and especially the advanced technology industry. We have not yet come to a deeper level in it. Where do you see the poetry in the XXI century? has a very important role, but you notice it. Latinos have a great history of literature and poetry. In our countries there have been great poets, with world voices. How to follow that path? And how to deploy the new technology? If schools can not speak Spanish, how are we going to read in Spanish? There is a problem. But, anyway, there are many people who are supporting poetry, community centers … here we are, I’m here to support our Latino community, to find new methods. And I’m going to invite in September, when my position is opened. You’ve written literature. What would you say to a young Latino who want to follow in his footsteps? Many things … Write naturally. Find books, we have many Latinos, youth and adults. We have the material. What happens is that many books remain on the shelves, in publishing, not promoted … Young people have to look. Keep the information and use it. Is it easier or harder for a young writing now or when you began? When I started … Híjola! … When I started … There were books, but they were so out of our community who do not even know existed. Ruben Dario, Antonio Machado, Octavio Paz, Carlos Fuentes, perhaps were in the library, walked past. But they were not. And the community of young writers were like 20. But of those 20 came more.
This is the oldest cultural institution in the country, besides being considered the library’s volumes in the world, about 160 million books regardless of language or gender. The role of the Poet Laureate is to promote poetry through specific programs and along its title, from September to May events. In addition, the title is rewarded with $ 36,000. Others who have been honored with the title of Poet Laureate are Allen Tate, Conrad Aiken, Robert Frost, Louis Utermeyer, Josephine Jacobsen, Robert Penn Warren, Robert Hass and Louise Glück.
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