#NuevasPáginas: The garden at Frida's
with Brent Ameneyro author of 'A Face Out of Clay': Poems
#NuevasPáginas is a space that aims to amplify and spotlight Hispanic/Latine/x authors with newly published books. The goal is to connect readers to their next favorite Hispanic/Latine/x authored book through a mini casual get-to-know-the-book-and-author interview. So please help me connect to more readers. So that together we can continue to build the love/support of Latine literature!
Hey, Book loves!
I am back in your inbox today as promised with a brand new author interview. I always get excited when I get to share author interviews with you because there’s this promise for me that I might connect someone to their next favorite book or author. Perhaps that’s a far stretch given a reader’s #ToBeRead pile but I like to dream like that.
Today’s interview comes from a special connection. I got to meet the author featured in the newsletter today virtually when I got to speak to a poetry cohort about all things social media. It feels special that getting to chat with the cohort has led to connecting you all with this author’s debut poetry collection. For those wondering how interviews with authors come to happen for this newsletter, it is a bit of this a bit of that — a bit of chance, connecting via opportunities like the one I described, and a little bit of that — having publishers reach out to me with Latine authored books that I might want to spotlight. The thing about having publishers reach out to me is that I’m relying on publishers to know who I am and what I do. More often than not I’ve been told by authors that publishers don’t know me or about this newsletter, which is okay. But for me that gives me a bigger reason to continue pursuing these interviews when I can in my own spare time. Not so that publishers will know who I am but so that readers know they have a space where they can come find out about new Latine books without feeling like they don’t know where to start. So if today’s interview resonates with you or one from the past, I hope you’ll consider sharing it!
In order book news — in case you missed it, Angie Cruz will be joining La Comunidad Reads for a special story time event. I wrote about it below and today is Angélica and la Güira book birthday! The picture book is available in English and Spanish and you should be able to buy it from any bookstore. I’m really excited about it for many reasons but the biggest reason is how delightful and powerful the book is. I’m so glad I get to read it to my kid and talk to him about the power of music and how it can connect us to our loved ones. Grab a copy for the littles in your life!
sent with bookish love,
Lupita
Without further ado…our special guest author for today’s Nuevas Pagina issue is…Brent Ameneyro author of A Face Out of Clay!
Could you tell me a bit about where this photo was taken? Is it special to your book in some way?
This photo was taken by my brother, Kent Ameneyro, at La Caza Azul, the Frida Kahlo Museum in Mexico City. In many ways, that day with my brother in the garden at Frida’s house is representative of the creative energy that went into my book, energy shaped by connecting with nature, family, culture, and community. My family lived in Mexico for a couple of years during my childhood, which is at the heart of my book. Frida and Diego Rivera make appearances in the collection as well.
Tell me about your book without telling me about your book - share any literary inspirations behind your book! If there are none, the gap you wanted to fill in the literary canon with your book
My writing style is not easily contained in a singular approach to the craft, although I think you can clearly identify the puzzle pieces that built the platform I stand on. I am influenced by many different styles: surrealists like Federico García Lorca; imagists like William Carlos Williams; nature poets like W.S. Merwin; stream-of-consciousness narrative writers like Virginia Woolf. I would also like to give a shoutout to living writers I admire, poets like John Murillo, Raina J León, Anthony Cody, and Rigoberto González, to name a few.
What are two central themes in your book that you connect with the most and why?
I see movement as a larger theme that contains many subcategories: moving (physically) from one country to another, moving (intellectually and emotionally) from childhood to adulthood, etc. I obsessed over this idea of “movement” for quite a while. I’ve always craved a sense of belonging, mostly in relation to place. I like the idea of a “hometown,” of a place that I can return to. I had one childhood in California and one in Puebla, and I never felt compelled to call a geographic location home. I think the movement theme arose out of an exploration of this desire to define home within the parameters of place. It ultimately became a way to reconcile with the fact that I am always in flux, that the only constant is change, and that home, to me, is a metaphor for peace.
Spending time in nature is another way that I learned about inner peace. A volcano erupting near the city I lived in, for example, taught me that the earth is part of this conversation. That volcano taught me as a child that there are things that are out of our control. I think you can feel this as you read my book. In a way, you have to relinquish yourself to the experience. As soon as you start to feel comfortable, the book has a volcanic eruption, so to speak.
If a book was home, where would your home be?
Oh wow, I should have read ahead before answering the last question!
If your book was a famous musician who would it be?
Charles Mingus because a cool rhythm might seduce you only to be interrupted by bursts of controlled chaos.
What comfort food could a reader pair with your book?
Tamales, although there is a lot of food imagery to choose from in my book. My grandma Mayté brought the whole family together around the dinner table. I remember spending all day at her house and never once leaving the table.
In what ways has access (or little to no access) to Hispanic/Latinx/e literature defined you as a writer?
I wasn’t exposed to many Latin American writers growing up. If I didn’t intentionally seek out certain voices on my own, I would have never read some of my biggest influences. We should be teaching contemporary poets to children. We should be showing them what’s exciting and fresh. We should be getting them interested. We should be introducing children to Hispanic writers, Black writers, Arab writers, Asian writers, Indigenous writers, Queer writers, Disabled writers, living writers working today who are discussing ideas that are relevant to their lives. Children need role models! My experience of not hearing those voices at a young age definitely motivated me to publish my book and contribute to the larger literary conversation.
Where can readers keep up with your work?
As long as you can spell my last name, I’m pretty easy to find. My website is www.BrentAmeneyro.com and I’m currently on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @BrentAmeneyro
Thank you to Brent Ameneyro for taking the time to chat with me about his book! Please please make sure you purchase a copy (or request your local library carry a copy) #SupportLatineLit!
Brent Ameneyro is the author of the collection A Face Out of Clay (The Center for Literary Publishing, 2024) and the chapbook Puebla (Ghost City Press, 2023). His poetry has been published in Alaska Quarterly Review, The Iowa Review, Ninth Letter, The Journal, Hayden’s Ferry Review, Salamander, and elsewhere. He was the 2022-2023 Letras Latinas Poetry Coalition Fellow at the University of Notre Dame's Institute for Latino Studies. He currently serves as an associate at Letras Latinas and as the poetry editor for The Los Angeles Review.
Synopsis for A Face Out of Clay:
Written at the convergence of imagination and memory, A Face Out of Clay delves deep into childhood experiences and cultural identity. Through eloquent verses and poignant imagery, alternating between narrative and lyric poems, the book paints a complicated portrait of a bi-national speaker. The poems navigate the interplay between Mexican roots and the American experience, seeking to reconcile both cultural identities. They present themes of social justice, family bonds, and the power of cultural traditions, highlighting both difficult truths and everyday beauty. The poems transport readers back in time, reliving childhood innocence, natural disasters, and political oppressors. They serve as a reminder of the power of nostalgia along with the challenges that come with recreating memories. A Face Out of Clay is a profound exploration of the human experience, inviting readers to reflect, celebrate, and connect with the transformative power of poetry.
Sounds like a fascinating collection, I'm looking forward to reading it. Thanks for sharing this book and author with us, Lupita!