My mother was a washerwoman - or a woman that cleaned houses in Texas... in Plano, Texas - who always loved poetry and always loved stories. Juan Felipe Herrera cleanhouselove Change image and share on social
I remember looking at James Joyce's journals. It was just amazing - it looked like ants had written on the page. So much writing on one page, every corner of the page was filled. Some of the lines were underlined in yellow or blue or red. A lot of color, intense writing. Juan Felipe Herrera amazeantblue share on social
Marvin Bell always looked very closely at how lines could break, how you could put over one line into the second line. How you could stop the line two or three times within the line: You could make it stop. Juan Felipe Herrera bellbreakclosely share on social
I'm very grateful to all the people of Fresno, to Philip Levine and all the poets before me, and all the farmworkers. I didn't get here by myself. Juan Felipe Herrera farmworkerfresnograteful Change image and share on social
Yes, I am the first Latino poet laureate in the United States. But I'm also here for everyone and from everyone. My voice is made by everyone's voices. Juan Felipe Herrera latinolaureatemake Change image and share on social
We speak about understanding each other, having those conversations nationwide - culturally, historically - and yet there's a lot of gaps. So I want to assist with closing the gap of knowing about and hearing about our Latino communities in terms of literature, in terms of writing. Juan Felipe Herrera assistclosecommunity share on social
I am representing California, and all of California, definitely as a Mexicano, a Chicano, a Latino. Juan Felipe Herrera californiachicanolatino Change image and share on social
Migrants all over the world are pushed and pulled across borders by hunger, terror and climate change. It happened to my own family. Juan Felipe Herrera borderchangeclimate Change image and share on social
San Diego shaped me a lot. The visual landscapes, the emotional panoramas, the teachers and mentors I had from the third grade through San Diego High - it's all a big part of the poetry fountain that I continue to drink from. Juan Felipe Herrera bigcontinuediego share on social
I know I'm representing the Library of Congress, all the people of the United States and, of course, the Latinos and Latinas as well. Juan Felipe Herrera congresslatinaslatino Change image and share on social