Author Daniel A. Olivas interviews Luis J. Rodriguez about his memoir Always Running, the July CBC selection.

By Daniel A. Olivas
FROM: Alta Journal

I first read Luis J. Rodriguez’s memoir Always Running in 1998, five years after its initial publication. And I remember encountering evocative descriptions of the Los Angeles neighborhoods of his life, including this:

The Hills blistered below a haze of sun and smog. Mothers with wet strands of hair across their foreheads flung wash up to dry on weathered lines. Sweat-drenched men lay on their backs in the gravel of alleys, beneath broken-down cars propped up on cinder blocks. Charrangas and corridos splashed out of open windows.

With such passages, I knew I was reading the words of a poet, who chronicled one man’s story of redemption through literature and the love of certain people in his life. Each chapter reminded me of the lives of some of the young men and women from my neighborhood who were also redeemed or—tragically—never escaped the snares of poverty, abuse, or addiction.

During the past 24 years, I have not only read more of Rodriguez’s books, but have worked with him on events and projects related to Tía Chucha’s Centro Cultural & Bookstore, which he and his wife, Trini, cofounded with their brother-in-law Enrique Sanchez over 20 years ago. I am forever astonished at his skill as a writer and his capacity to support and embrace all people who come to him for advice and guidance. I’ve watched him listen intensely to questions from those who attend his book readings or visit Tía Chucha’s and ask him everything from how he finds time to write to how to make a positive impact on those around them. Rodriguez’s responses are thoughtful, kind, practical, and forged from personal battles with poverty, addiction, and a society that often turned its back on him and his community. He frequently begins his responses with a soft, “I hear you.” And I have no doubt he means it.

This interview was conducted by email and has been lightly edited. Read Rest of Interview Here