Episode 39 with Outstanding Prose Poet and Surrealist, Jose Hernandez Diaz

On Episode 39 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete has the pleasure to be joined by the talented prose poet José Hernández Diaz. 

Jose Hernandez Diaz is a 2017 NEA Poetry Fellow. He holds degrees in English and Creative Writing from the University of California at Berkeley and Antioch University Los Angeles. His The Fire Eater: Poems has been described as follows: “Surreal, playful, and always poignant, the prose poems in Jose Hernandez Diaz’s masterful debut chapbook introduce us to a mime, a skeleton, and the man in the Pink Floyd t-shirt, all of whom explore their inner selves in Hernandez Diaz’s startling and spare style. With nods to Russell Edson and the surrealists, Hernandez Diaz explores the ordinary and the not-so-ordinary occurrences of life, set against the backdrop of the moon, and the poet’s native Los Angeles.” 

Buy his collection today!

 

Show Notes and Links to José Hernández Diaz’s Work

Jose Hernandez Diaz Page at The Poetry Foundation

The Fire Eater: Poems-buy it here (Bookshop)

The Fire Eater: Poems-buy it here (Amazon)

Surrealism defined by The Poetry Foundation

Three Poems by Jose Hernandez Diaz, including one in which he writes of his appreciation for Mrs. Weir, his life-changing high school English teacher

 

Talking Points/Authors/Books Mentioned and Allusions Referenced During the Episode:

José talks about growing up, speaking Spanish and English in different contexts, and living in Buena Park and Norwalk-at about 3:40

 

José talks about “Chicanismo”/”Mexican-American” and similar terms-at about 6:45

 

José talks about his childhood and adolescent days as basketball-obsessed and how complimentary words from a high school teacher, Mrs. Weir, helped him believe in his writing abilities-at about 9:00

 

José talks about being drawn to Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye as a formative book, due to its subject matter and “everyday language”-at about 11:00

 

José talks about often sending copies of literary journals in which he’s been published to Mrs. Weir, his life-changing teacher and about his early writing for an “American Dream” prompt where the essay was well-received; the essay was based on Rage Against the Machine’s “Wake Up”-at about 11:55

 

José talks about another formative writing experience, a college assignment in which he successfully bucked tradition to make a point about tradition-at about 13:00

 

José and Pete talk about their shared appreciation of the politically-active Rage Against the Machine-at about 14:00

 

José talks about his college experience and his appreciation for the culture of Cal Berkeley-at about 15:40

 

José talks about MF Doom and his influence on José as a person and as a writer-at about 16:30

 

José talks about the beginning of his publishing career with “The Border Within” in response to SB1070-at about 17:30

 

José talks about what has been chill-inducing for him, including Snake Poems by Francisco Alarcon, and writers including Ray Gonzalez, Richard Garcia, Marosa DiGiorgio-at about 19:20

 

Pete and José talk about José’s appreciation for Octavio Paz as a chill-inducing writer and a bit about his writing style-at about 20:15

 

José talks about the creative aspect and the “freedom” that comes with surrealism, as Pete and José talk about some defining characteristics of the genre, as well as its connections to magical realism-21:30

 

José talks about the themes and background of The Fire Eater: Poems-at about 26:10

 

José talks about bringing together non sequiturs and disparate ideas to make surrealist poetry, as well as how his music listening history, his voracious reading, and living a “minimalist” lifestyle helps him nail the “sound” of his own poetry-at about 27:30

 

José reads and discusses his “Cuauhtémoc Xochipilli"-at about 30:25

 

Pete reads José’s “The Longboard” from The Fire Eater: Poems, and José talks about its significance and background-at about 36:45

 

José talks about his writing schedule and daily life as a writer-at about 39:20

 

José talks about prose poetry and about his future projects, including his first teaching gig coming up-at about 42:00

José shouts out current writers who he really enjoys, including Michael Torres, Felicia Zamora-at about 44:20

 

 

 

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The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode is “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.