By Matt Sedillo
FROM: The Pomonan

Recently, I had the honor of sitting down with Ceasar Avelar, who became Pomona’s newest Poet Laureate at the beginning of the year for the city of Pomona.

Tell us about your commitment to what you call blue collar poetry?

When it comes to writing poetry, I write exclusively through the sociological lens of  a blue-collar worker. Writing from this perspective creates a singular form of writing, but this singular form creates a picture of how beautifully complex and juxtaposed proletariat life is. The way I practice this commitment is by invisoning poems using the factory and my identity as a  worker as my stage. A stage that extends itself when I leave and reappears whenever a poem presents itself; so I can bring  my blue-collar social status to the front of my expression. As the majority of the world knows, being a blue collar worker is complex. Not only do we make consumer products but also consume them. This relationship we have with society is extreme, yet normalized to the point where no one talks openly of what they do for a living unless it is to brag or compete. As workers I feel like our reality is based on our value in society, and if we are good enough to work our lives away, then we are more than good enough to contribute to a creative culture that continuously keeps pushing us out.

Who have been some of your mentors in the past?

My parents are my greatest mentors. My parents are Central American. My Mom is from Honduras and My Dad is from El Salvador. They both came during different times in their lives, but for the most part the push factor that brought them both here was poverty. When The United Fruit Company left Honduras, my Mother had to find work, and her best option was to come to the United States for a better opportunity. During this process she had to leave my older Sister and older Brother behind. My Father came two years before the Civil War began in his country, already experiencing the violence and political turmoil that comes from a divided country. Other mentors that have helped me in my writing are Luis J. Rodriguez, Matt Sedillo, William A. Gonzalez, and Jason “Raize” Gamble. Knowing them and speaking to them, has given me the confidence to walk through uncertain territory when writing. They have taught me to allow myself the freedom to try new things and never stop being a student to  the craft of writing. Read Rest of Interview Here