A Collection of Poetry on Being Human looks like a
great book. What can you tell us about
the poems?
Thank you so much! My collection is a series of poems
complimented by a curated selection of photographs to enhance the message.
Themes covered in the book include love and relationships, personal experience
throughout my teens and young adult life, and commentary on universal feelings.
My hope is to bring insight through the written word and to help others through
their journey by way of reading. I hope that with crafting these words that it
had a hand in that
That’s an amazing cover.
Can you tell us a little about it?
Sure! When initially creating the cover, I had decided that
I needed something to really capture my debut and authorship. Initially, a
couple images captured that quite well until I thought if representing the
inner voice in a way that could become powerful. I did some retouching
techniques I had learned as well as some color bending and came out with a
wicked draft of a cover. Placement of the title took some time as I was
figuring out placement title and typeface. After the initial draft, I sent it
out to a focus group and the response was well received. A close friend even
said it was very Leo of me. I mean, given that its release date is during the
summer, I saw it vey fitting.
What inspired you when writing A Collection of Poetry
on Being Human?
While drafting out the manuscript draft for this piece, I
was inspired on contributing a source of hope and inspiration for people to
read. As a Chicano growing in a well-esteemed public school district and having
that as my centerpiece in an otherwise chaotic world, I really looked towards
the word to gain understanding of things around me. I hadn’t the ample
opportunities to find Chicanx/Latinx contemporary authors that resonated with
me and validated feelings that I experienced. The closest Chicanx role models I
looked forward to were the stories that my family had told me while growing up
by, most importantly my parents, grandparents and uncles. I had trouble finding
information about the world I was living in as it related to me and my roots. It
wasn’t until later in high school that I was making more sense of the world
through an honored teacher that I had the luck of learning and connecting to.
So, as a debut author, I wanted to contribute my insight from those times to
reach out to an audience that may have had these same feelings of loss, voice
exploration, and befriending old wounds.
What will readers get out of your book?
Refuge. From day one, my intention was to create a heartfelt
piece that someone can connect to and gain experience from through seeing it as
if it were my eyes. Visualizing each piece was the easy part. Having to create
a piece where there was understanding and a basis involved was what I wanted to create when going into this
venture. All through a safe space where someone can dive into the pages was
what I wanted to create. I feel like I carved out a debut piece through this
book. I hope that readers gain a foundation of me as an author and will
continue to follow my path as I continue to write.
Did anything stick out as particularly challenging when
writing A Collection of Poetry on Being Human?
Hmm, as I reflect during this interview among the others, I
want to say that the challenge with initially writing it was continuing with
the process. Some days I couldn’t even carry on with my day to day business. To
create was a dread and it wouldn’t be completed if I had the support that I did
back then. Sending it out was the easy part. Teaching myself design,
formatting, book cover art, and publishing was the easy part. Being here in
this moment is the easy part. It took this long to get here and I’m continuing
the journey. I do have to say that if it wasn’t for those challenges, this book
would still have been on only my shelf and no one else.
What do you like to do when not writing?
I’m a big fan of solitude. A friend once told me they live
the life of a monk. I want to emulate their powerful voice. A person who is
passionate in remaining an activist, I tend to carry that responsibility.
Outside of writing, I’m an educator, counselor, musician, visual artists, and
gamer. Among many of the other roles I carry in the family, my life is far from
dull. However, I do enjoy time to myself to understand all of what this world
has to offer. So, one may also find me behind a book or a bar stool with a
beauty.
Where can readers find out more about your work?
Readers can find out more info and interviews in the
following links below:
Social Media
Graphicsbyandrew.com
IG
-graphicsbyandrew
Facebook –
Graphicsbyandrew
Book site-
store.bookbaby.com/book/xi
Interviews
Press Release