Always a Good Time to Be A Poet: Juan Felipe Herrera Interviewed at Washington Post

The son of immigrant farmworkers, Juan Felipe Herrera has served as U.S. poet laureate since 2015. He's witnessed the transition from an Obama presidency to the current administration. From his home in California and the office of the U.S. poet laureate, in Washington D.C., Herrera addresses the present, tumultuous moment in American history in conversation with the Washington Post; "At this particular moment the world is going through major shifts. Major political shifts, social shifts, cultural shifts. And it's good to observe the world, to respond to it. So this is a great time, not necessarily for us as poets to fill our books with 'great' observations. It’s more like responding and providing, in many ways, consolation." More solace here:

How do you see your role as U.S. poet laureate?

It's kind of a multi-role. I have a great time at the Library of Congress with the team there that assists me. Without them I'd just be a washing machine walking down the street and falling apart. So I want people to connect with the Library of Congress. It's for you, it's all for you. My other role is to remind the American people that they have the most worthy, significant, beautiful, brilliant voice. And without it what would our lives be? We need it. Silence erodes our lives. It erases our lives. I want them to ask questions. To speak up. To ask what you feel is most important to you right now.

Is there a time when you feel least like a poet?

Oh, a poet is all of us in a way, so it's hard to say there's a time when you're not a poet. A poet means you're human. It really means you're looking around and responding to reflections. Reflections of things that stop you cold, of things that pull you in.

You wrote a poem called "Don't Worry, Baby" that includes the line, "I worry about people who say, 'Don’t worry, Baby.'" Are you worried?

Yeah, I get worried. I have a degree in worrying. I work on it as much as I can, and writing keeps me away from all that stuff. All the itchy social ills. When I'm writing, I kind of get calmer. When I write, all is well. That's what I find very positive. I find a lot of peace. But yeah, I'm a worrywart.

Continue reading at Washington Post.