Juan Felipe Herrera was born in 1948 in Fowler,
California. »I was born in the tiny town of Fowler / ›the raisin
capital of the world.‹ / My mother and father were farmworkers, / and I
grew up travelling with them / through the mountains and valleys of
California.« So begins Herrera’s autobiographical children’s book,
»Calling the Doves« (1995), which received the Ezra Jack Keats Book
Award. After years of wandering, the Herrera family settled in San
Diego. The author studied Social Anthropology at the University of
California, Los Angeles and Stanford University, followed by Creative
Writing at the University of Iowa. During his studies he initiated the
performance group »Teatro Tolteca«, which combined movement theatre
with jazz and spoken word poetry. After further performance ensembles
Herrera founded the »Teatro Ambulante de Salud/The Traveling Health
Theater«, which performed, above all, for immigrant families. Herrera
himself took part in many performances in the United States and Central
America, often with his life partner Margarita Luna Robles, to whom
several of his books are dedicated.
In »Love After the Riots« (1996), the character of Marga functions
as a guide through a Los Angeles shaken by violence. Like Dante, who
crosses the circles of hell protected by Beatrice, so too moves the
narrator through the Californian metropolis after the upheavals
triggered in 1992 by the mishandling of a black man by white policemen,
who then went unpenalised. His surrealistic poems describe the collapse
of civilization. The volume of poetry »Giraffe on Fire« (2001)
represents, according to the author, »a poetic collage of voices,
genres, and time-spaces. A display of power over language and rhythm. A
postmodern performance of naked figures hanging in the nebulae of a
militarized universe. A new millennium cubist manifesto against
decrepit political machines. A mystic song in search of birth and love.«
In his bilingual children’s books Herrera depicts outsiders who live
up to their full capacities through courage and creativity. »The Upside
Down Boy« (2000) was adapted into a musical and also performed. His
most recent books for young people, »Cinnamon Girl« and »Downtown Boy«,
appeared in autumn 2005.
Herrera is a well-known and highly respected figure in Chicano
Literature and has been honored with myriad grants and prizes. He has
written over 20 books and is also the author of articles, essays, and
reviews. He was the co-founder of the first Chicano Art Exhibition of
California and has given writing courses, lectures, and seminars
nationwide. Herrera is Professor of Creative Writing at the University
of California, Riverside.
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