When did you first start writing poetry? Why did this specific medium compel you?

I started writing poetry in 8th grade. I was in a garage rock-n-roll band with my next door neighbor. We listened to a lot of bands, especially British bands. I wrote lyrics. My friend played lead guitar with me on rhythm and other friends chipped in. But I really was attracted to art as a young boy around 4 or 5 years old when I came across my mother’s stash of ancient Tarot cards and was mesmerized by the figures on the cards. I invented stories in my head about each illustration. Somehow, I knew this is what I was supposed to be doing later. One of my first poems was an imitation of an Ernest Hemingway war poem. Poetry in all its permutations appealed to my visual and aesthetic sensibilities. The possibilities suited me well. 

Your poem “Dreaming in Noir, #153” touches on the power of writing poetry, and you describe this practice as especially fervent and explosive. Can you expand on why you chose to incorporate this imagery within your poem? How might this accentuate the themes you're working with? 

The poem “Dreaming in Noir #153” is one of over two hundred poems in a manuscript of the same title, which I’m trying to finish.

 I was listening to Spanish singer Mónica Molina’s interpretation of a song titled “No son de Papel los Sentimientos” and working on the opening lines of the poem when suddenly the inspiration of her voice and lyrics exploded in my head, and I was able to capture the moment as if a literal explosion had occurred…it felt so physical. Something had jettisoned onto the page.  The song triggered the explosion. The poem was the result. And its irony was not lost on me.  These poetic moments cannot be manipulated. But you can nurture yourself to be ready when they happen having done your research and having set the mood, so to speak.

I’m always on the alert for “trigger” moments, which happen when you’ve disciplined yourself to them. Music, for me, is always a trigger, not all the time but they happen quite frequently.  Other triggers include art, photography, people, objects, wild life, and insects. You’ve just got to cast your poetic net out far and wide. I prefer poems that explode on some level on the page.

I've seen lots of discussion on whether translations should be provided for poetry/prose, and I thought it was interesting that you chose not to include them (disregarding the first two lines, which offer repetition). Can I ask why? Additionally, how does excluding translations affect the reading of a piece in general?

This poem began as something organic; something everyone can relate to: blood and salt. It started with those two images in Spanish and I repeated them in English in the second line to ground the context so the reader can enjoy the images in both languages without having to run to a dictionary. I left the other Spanish lines alone in the fourth couplet. I figured the words would find their way into the readers’ imaginations even with minimal knowledge of Spanish and a careful reading of the entire poem. I find that technique works for me. I enjoy writing in Spanish. As a matter of fact, I just completed a manuscript of Spanish and English poems. The poems were written in Spanish and then translated by me in English. It was taxing but liberating.

Sometimes a word or line in Spanish will make its way into an English poem, and it seems determined to make its presence felt. If it fits the context, flow, and rhythm, I keep it in the poem.

You’ve published three books of poetry: Ragged Borders, Red Accordion Blues, and BloodSongs. In these pieces, it’s clear that your work is often pulled from your heritage. When it comes to your identity, what specifically do you find yourself discussing the most about in your work?  

I'm a second generation Mexican-American. My parents are first generation. I do draw strongly on my heritage. There is so much to mine in those tunnels and caves.

In Ragged Borders and Red Accordion Blues, I invoked and evoked identity, family, location, social, and personal themes grounded in heritage.

However, I don’t set out to purposely write culturally thematic poems. Though cultural elements may find their way into a poem.

BloodSongs was a totally different book. The idea there was to write and present the sonnet form in a modern context. Utilizing the form colloquially and with respect for the time honored structure. It was a total labor of love for art, music, and literature.

The themes in BloodSongs are multi-layered with three narratives running throughout the text—not so much identity or heritage centered but rather artistically and musically focused.  BloodSongs includes 111 sonnets and 11 photographs by San Antonio artist Luis Lopez from which I sampled different elements from each of those paintings and placed them as dividers in the book. There’s a story on how the book came about and how it received a mysterious award that I was never able to trace. Strange! As I look back, those 1’s seem to say something.

You also received an ELLA (Exceptional Library Leaders and Advocates) award and an Arts and Letters award from the San Antonio Public Library System, which is an impressive feat! Can you speak on your experiences with how you went about contributing to the artistic and literary community? 

I started a group called Voces Cósmicas (Cosmic Voices) of emerging and established written word, spoken word poets, music groups, and singer-songwriters from our community back in 2009 to provide access to the poetic experience in underserved unrepresentative areas of the city. We met and performed at bistros, restaurants, coffee shops, bars, libraries, theaters, and street corners. We published small chapbooks of poetry to fund our readings. We are a grassroots organization. Subsequently, I was nominated through the library system in our city for the awards. A great highlight for the group as well as for me.

Also, I’m the poetry editor for the Catch the Next Journal of Pedagogy and Creativity, National Office, 582 Ocean Avenue, Suite A, West Haven, CT 06516. 

What advice do you have for young writers? 

I don’t espouse any theories or movements. I studied most of them on my own. Through experience, a few things I learned are reading everything and anything that interests you. I’m an obsessive and avid reader. Books hooked me at a young age. They came fishing for me. Listen for the call and look at things that inspire you. Spend time with them. When I started writing, something would awaken me in the early hours of the morning and I intuitively knew it was intended for me to write—part of my apprenticeship as a poet. This happened for years (not always daily). It still happens, but now I have a more disciplined approach. Then revise, revise, revise. First drafts are rarely final drafts. They do happen, but I call those teasers. They can lull you and dull your writing. Read, Write, Revise. Then repeat for the rest of your life. The rewards are ennobling and enabling. 

Read Fernando’s Poem, “Dreaming in Noir, #153” in dulcet Literary magazine, vol. One, Issue No. 1.