Daily Nourishment for April 5, 2024: Poems and more with Jose Hernandez Diaz
Daily Nourishment Read Time: 50 seconds
Pause/Prompt/Practice Time: 10-15 minutes
“It was the beginning of spring” - Jose Hernandez Diaz
Pause.
Take six deep breaths with a six-count inhale and a six-count exhale then read this poem by Jose Hernandez Diaz.
Prompt.
Read the following questions and answers from a recent interview with Jose Hernandez Diaz:
—Where does a poem usually begin for you? Are you an author of short pieces that end up combining into a larger project, or are you working on a "book" from the very beginning?
I usually start with a title or a striking image. I often like to write about iconic Mexican and Mexican American imagery or symbols like boxing, piñatas, sombreros, mariachis, jaguars, famlia, etc. Also, in my prose poetry, I tend to create characters and write from persona and third person, like the Man in a Pink Floyd Shirt or the Man in a “Kafka for President” Shirt.
—What fragrance reminds you of home?
From childhood? Chlorine from the pool in the apartments I grew up in. From adolescence: pan dulce from the panderia.
—David W. McFadden once said that books come from books, but are there any other forms that influence your work, whether nature, music, science or visual art?
MF DOOM, Chicano Batman, Ramon Ayala, The Get Up Kids (music), the beach (nature), Philosophy (academics), Picasso, Kahlo, Rivera, ASCO, Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner, Basquiat, my friends who wrote graffiti for DFLK, JPAK…
Practice.
Set a timer for seven minutes and write your own responses to one or more of the questions above.
Want More?
Join Jose Hernandez Diaz and me for our Thoughtful Readers Gathering on Sunday, 4/7 from 5-6 p.m. CT. Free, paid option includes a copy of the book.
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Today’s Daily Nourishment was provided by Charlotte Donlon.
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