26 Questions with JUAN J. MORALES
1. Hey Juan, how does Horror inspire your work?
I grew up on horror movies and watched them with my mom. For some reason, the zombie movies infiltrated my dreams more than others, becoming a serious fear to me. I would study houses to see how easy they could be zombie-proofed, how quick the windows could be boarded up, and how the yard could help create zombie obstacles. Gradually I began to watch more and more zombie flicks to better understand why they affected me. Some of the best ones: 28 Days Later, Night of the Living Dead, [REC], and I would add the best friend in American Werewolf in London. They became part of my writing process, along with the regular conventions and criteria of horror. I continue watching and mining horror for inspiration and to also see how I can contribute more to the genre.
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2. Hey Juan, which foreign language poet do you most wish you could read in the original?
I’ve been learning Spanish as an adult since I grew up in a household hearing the language, but I never fully grasped the language or learned it. My proficiency and comprehension continue to improve, which puts me closer to being able to truly appreciate Pablo Neruda’s poetry and Gabriel García Márquez’s prose in Spanish. I also would love to read Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz in the original.
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3. Hey Juan, do you carry a notebook? Got a phrase dashed in there that you just can’t shake?
I always carry a notebook with me and sometimes put down phrases in my phone’s notes. I love filling them up with my rough handwriting. It reminds me that these are drafts. Sometimes I write when the idea hits and I write regularly with my students during class too. The phrase that I cannot shake right now is: “Allow me to be petty a little bit longer.” Maybe this can be a writing prompt too?
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4. Hey Juan, any poetry books you’d recommend?
Whereas by Layli Long Soldier, Unaccompanied by Javier Zamora, Banana Palace by Dana Levin, and The People’s History of Chicago by Kevin Coval.
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5. Hey Juan, how has the election of Trump affected your work?
The Trump Administration reminds me that the world can worsen at any moment. We already had insurmountable problems to overcome before it started getting more and more like Gilead. Whenever I get swallowed in frustration and anger, I calm down a little and then try to let it remind me that we have to use our writing to speak out. This election has taught me that we need to be braver and we cannot be complacent. Also, I have reduced my social media consumption a lot. It’s starting to remind me of the smaller political aspects of my writing and it challenges me to be more direct with my words and poems. It has also affected me as an editor. We at Pilgrimage are picking more themes and writing that speaks to our political landscape, and we are selecting themes that guide us toward fighting injustices with our words.
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6. Hey Juan, got a favorite lyricist?
I love writing to Radiohead, Rx Bandits, Portugal, the Man, Shakey Graves, and Broken Bells to name a few. Here’s a live session with Broken Bells that I’ve been loving lately:
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7. Hey Juan, how does the natural environment make its way into your art?
A lot of the poems in The Handyman’s Guide to End Times are zombie poems, but they’re also inspired by ecopoetic concerns. It’s tragic how we see our natural environment disappearing. I’m sad the hills where I played as a child are now a Walmart and Sam’s Club. I get destroyed reading about animals going extinct and keep wondering, “Is this the only chance I will see a sloth or an elephant?” There is an obligation to write what we experience and what we are losing in the natural world. It’s also important to write about our encounters with nature, even if it’s in our front yard or a few blocks away, down by the river.
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8. Hey Juan, what’s the last non-poetry book you loved?
I just finished Soccer in Sun and Shadow by Eduardo Galleano, and I’m in love! Other recents I loved: Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado, Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor, and Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones.
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9. Hey Juan, what’s the last great poetry book you read?
I keep a copy of The Book of What Remains by Benjamin Alire Sáenz in the glove box of my car.
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10. Hey Juan, do you have a website/Youtube/Tumblr/Instagram or the like?
I am on Twitter @moralesjuanj and on Instagram at juanmorales579. I am always tagging my posts with #ChairmanJuan.
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11. Hey Juan, what’s your favorite cartoon?
I would probably say The Simpsons seasons 2-7.5, which I can quote a little too well. I also grew up on a healthy dose of Looney Tunes, Ren & Stimpy, and I loved that cartoon, The Critic. These cartoons might be the reason I love fail videos so much.
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12. Hey Juan, got any go-to revision techniques?
I love reordering the poem. Whether it means flipping the poem, changing stanza order, or plucking out what I think are the best lines, changing the poem’s order always guides me toward the true intention of the poem.
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13. Hey Juan, is there a journal you think everyone should check out?
I remain a great fan of Sugar House Review, The Boiler, Fruita Pulp, The Acentos Review, Queen Mob’s Tea House, Copper Nickel, & Crazyhorse to name a few.
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14. Hey Juan, any poets you think should be household names in poetry households?
Rigoberto González and Aracelis Girmay are two for sure.
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15. Hey Juan, do you have a go-to poem to ward off fears?
I can see Robert Lowell’s “Skunk Hour” warding off fear. It takes us through the narrator’s hell where he then finds relief in the encounter of the skunk and her kits rifling through the trash.
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16. Hey Juan, do you ever set writing goals for yourself?
I have done 30/30’s (30 poems in 30 days) multiple times successfully, and I also try to give myself some personal challenges to accomplish too. Some of these challenges are based on a quantity of writing or based on a stylistic effort I should be trying. I also fail my writing goals regularly, but, like fools, we keep on trying.
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17. Hey Juan, ever written a prayer?
A lot of poems have started out being inspired by prayer. It helps create urgency and a desire to connect with others as a plea or as a clarifier to help us remember what really matters. Also, my first book, Friday and the Year That Followed, starts with a prayer that my mother used to always say as a child in Ecuador. She always called it “The Prayer for Sleep.”
Friday, it was Friday
when Jesus died on the cross.
Juan said, I am afraid, Lord.
The Jesus said,
There is no fear, nor fright
for he who says this prayer
three times upon getting up.
His enemy will never see him,
and he will find
the doors of heaven open.
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18. Hey Juan, ever keep a dream journal?
Yes! The majority of my writing notebook is full of dreams. It’s such a rich place to explore, and it inspires me to embrace the surrealism and to take greater leaps in my own writing. It also teaches me a lot about myself, where my obsessions lie, and other writing and work I should be prioritizing.
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19. Hey Juan, what’s something poetic about Pueblo, Colorado?
Having people underestimate Pueblo makes it rich for us. It’s the murals blooming on our buildings downtown, the Arkansas River’s gorgeous meander through, the train carts crashing together at night, and the ancient steel mill reminding us of the hard work so many have done for their families in this community.
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20. Hey Juan, what do you think: Are poets made or born?
I am in the poets are made camp. Writing for me has been a journey of persistence paved with revision, an exceptional collection of rejections, encouragement in the form of comments from my mentors and friends, reading the writers that inspire and challenge me with forms and style I wouldn’t think to try, and all the other process steps I continue to stumble upon. I pass those experiences on to my students in hopes they can find what can make them the best writers possible.
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21. Hey Juan, ever written any song lyrics?
In a past life, I was in a frontman in a band. Writing lyrics helped me learn to write poems, gave me a strong introduction to rhythm, and also helped me exorcise some cliches out of my system. I learned that I wasn’t meant to be a singer, but I never lost the love of working with words through this path.
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22. Hey Juan, working on any projects you want to tell us about?
I’m working a few projects, including soccer poems, a long ode to Pueblo, and a collection of horror stories with titles borrowed from pop songs. All of these projects will obviously evolve as I keep writing and revising.
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23. Hey Juan, what’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever received?
File it under poorly worded advice: “Add a Spanish word at the end of the line for flavor.”
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24. Hey Juan, any advice for giving a reading?
Stop and take a deep breath if you get nervous. It may seem like minutes have passed, but it’s probably only been four seconds. It should help you get centered again. Believe in the work and have fun. Also remember the audience is there to support you. In my experience, people don’t go to readings to see people fail.
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25. Hey Juan, ever used a pen name?
No. Still trying to figure out when to use Juan Morales vs. Juan J. Morales.
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26. Hey Juan, acrostics are cooler than we’re allowed to admit, right? Care to share one?
Couldn’t agree with you more. Acrostics can be harnessed for so much winning. A few months back, I wrote an acrostic with some elementary students about Pueblo:
People here
Understand
Every green chile
Burns
Lips
Off your face.
It’s probably the best one I’ve encountered.
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[This Q&A was conducted in June 2018 and first published, via Facebook and Twitter, in July 2018]
A Dozen Nothing 