Manos Consultation Statement

My Nahua ancestors taught me two things about poetry- one is that poetry is flower-and-song, and the other is that poetry is like the flint knife, cutting through bone down into the marrow of truth. In other words, poetry’s potency can be quite beautiful, flowery, and so serious it can center itself in the depths of us.

While I certainly look for what makes the writing beautiful, I also observe what impact it makes and how deep its potency dwells. And when I say beautiful, the range is wide- from the whimsical to the tragic, and any sentiment in between. My hope is that whatever the shape of feeling the words create, that it may be authentic. May your voice as writer come through true.I think that each writer has their own personal cannon and the potential to be part of someone else’s cannon. That said, each writer offers unique perspectives influenced by who they read and to whom they write. I like to try and see, understand more so, who it is that your writing is attempting to speak to. This helps hone voice and create context; two very crucial elements for authentic writing.

 I ask a lot of questions as part of consultation, so be ready to answer them. I find that getting writers to generate more content can offer new space to play and to consider the unseen in their work. So my questions often create the opportunity to write more.

Writers I’ve recently read from my own personal cannon include Julio Cortazar, Jimmy Santiago Baca, Sandra Cisneros, Kahlil Gibran, Tongo Eisen Martin, Juliana Spahr, and Joy Harjo. I’m a sucker for potent metaphor and clever wordplay. Currently my own writing has been concerned with family lineage and healing masculine traumas.