Jose Hernandez Diaz is a 2017 NEA Poetry Fellow. He is the author of The Fire Eater (Texas Review Press, 2020). His work appears in The American Poetry Review, Boulevard, Colorado Review, Georgia Review, Huizache, Iowa Review, Poetry, and elsewhere.
Jose’s poems “Giotto’s O” and “The Void” appear in the Spring 2020 issue of Carve. Order your copy here.
In this issue, we’ve published two pieces, “Giotto’s O’s” a serious, poignant piece and “The Void,” a more playful piece that has an almost deadpan humor to it. How do you see these poems interacting with each other? What’s your thought process when grouping poems for submissions?
Yes, these poems are very different from each other. I don’t necessarily see them interacting with each other, except in the sense that they are both about a speaker seeking art or finding meaning/identity in art, even though, in “The Void,” art it is not necessarily as fruitful (yet) as he may have thought.
As far as grouping poems for submissions, I tend to try to get whatever is newest/I’m most excited about at the moment. Sometimes, too, if I’m not too sure about a journal’s aesthetic or I want to show range, I’ll put in a couple narrative poems combined with some surreal/deadpan prose poems. I figure, if they don’t like the narrative, they might dig the surreal, and vice versa.
Both poems read as a brief story or fable—do you write with a plot in mind or does it unfold during the process?
Usually, I write with an opening line or title and improvise from there. However, sometimes, as in the “Giotto” piece, I already have an idea about the plot, namely: I wanted to write about my experiences after undergrad, feeling lost, and having Giotto and renaissance art, give me hope and appreciation for art, which eventually led to studying Petrarch, Octavio Paz, etc. at the public library.
Going back to how the poems/prose poems unfold: sometimes, I will listen to music, especially instrumental music or Pink Floyd even, and get in a good zone, and improvise from there. If I’m in a particularly playful mood, I won’t even sip the coffee before writing, so as to show off that I did it without caffeine. Lol.
“Giotto’s O’s” explores the connection between painting and poetry. In “The Void,” the main character is described only as “the man in a Pink Floyd shirt.” How do other art forms, whether that be Renaissance painting or rock music, influence and inspire your poetry?
Yes, art is everything to me. I’ve always had an affinity for art and art practitioners. Early on, in high school, I wanted to be a guitarist/singer in a band, like my friends in Northern Orange County. But I only remained a fan, focusing on football, instead, and writing short stories.
I’d say that two of the main topics in my writing are about two art forms: painting and music. I always wanted to be a painter, whether graffiti or canvas, and I always wanted to be a musician. Instead of always writing from the perspective of a poet or writer, which can get boring/monotonous, I mix it up and pretend/persona that I’m a skilled painter or a professional musician. Or sometimes a surfer, or shortstop, boxer, etc.
Some of the music I’ve listened to while writing: Odd Future (usually instrumentals), Matthew Shipp, Dave Douglas, Rodrigo y Gabriela, M.F. Doom, Pink Floyd (many times), and others.
What do you see as the role of poetry and poets during this crisis?
I see it as a diverse, ever-changing role, according to the needs and frankly health of each poet. Some of us can keep going and write every day, especially if we’ve lived introverted lives to begin with. Others, especially in places like NYC, are just struggling with every day issues, that poetry might not seem practical or possible right now. Conversely, I could also see some folks who might lean on art even more during such crisis.
Overall, we are all here for each other, wherever you are in this moment is fine. It’s not a competition. Just try not to judge others, we never know what others are going through. Poetry is like religion to me. I do hope it can help others in bad times, good times, indifferent times.