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 Herrera grew up traveling from field to field with
his parents, who were migrant farm workers in California. His poems
reflects that childhood. He writes in both Spanish and English,
sometimes in the same poem. He includes imagery from the landscapes
his family traveled, and addresses the struggles of immigrants, the
poor, the overlooked.
Herrera will sign copies of his books at 6 p.m. in the presidential
museum’s plaza and perform some of his many poems at 6:30 in the
Union Theater.
The event is free, but reservations are required. Visit
www.presidentlincoln.illinois.gov and click on “special
event reservations.”
Herrera’s appearance at the Lincoln Presidential Museum is
co-sponsored by the Poetry Foundation.
“We are honored to work with the Poetry Foundation to bring Juan
Felipe Herrera to the ALPLM. He is a powerful force that captivates
all – his poetry grasps every human emotion, making all of us poetry
lovers forever,” said Eileen Mackevich, executive director of the
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.
The nation’s poet laureate is chosen by the Library of Congress for
a one-year term.
The New York Times has praised Herrera for creating “a new hybrid
art, part oral, part written, part English, part something else.”
And the Washington Post calls him “a singular voice and an agile
mind that shifts easily from one topic and style to another.”
Herrera is the author of thirty books, including poetry, prose,
short stories, young adult novels and picture books for children.
His most recent poetry collection is “Notes of the Assemblage.”
Other collections include “Half of the World in Light: New and
Selected Poems,” a recipient of the PEN/Beyond Margins Award and the
National Book Critics Circle Award; “187 Reasons Mexicanos Can’t
Cross The Border: Undocuments 1971-2007”; and “Crashboomlove: A
Novel in Verse,” which received the Americas Award.
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 In 2014, he released the nonfiction work “Portraits of Hispanic American
Heroes,” which showcases 20 Hispanic people who have made outstanding
contributions to the arts, politics, science, humanitarianism and athletics.
Visit Herrera’s website at
www.juanfelipe poet.com.
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum – now celebrating its 10th
anniversary – is home to an unparalleled collection of Lincoln documents,
photographs, artifacts and art. The museum combines scholarship with showmanship
to immerse visitors in Lincoln’s life and times. For details, visit
www.presidentlincoln.illinois.gov.
About the Poetry Foundation
The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine, is an independent literary
organization committed to a vigorous presence for poetry in our culture. It
exists to discover and celebrate the best poetry and to place it before the
largest possible audience. The Poetry Foundation seeks to be a leader in shaping
a receptive climate for poetry by developing new audiences, creating new avenues
for delivery and encouraging new kinds of poetry through innovative literary
prizes and programs. For more information, please visit
www.poetryfoundation.org.
[Chris Wills, Abraham Lincoln
Presidential Library and Museum]
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