Michael Luis Medrano's Fresno includes Highway 99 hitchhikers, cheap taquerias on Belmont Avenue and Bulldogs who terrorize neighborhoods.
In his first book of poetry, "Born in the Cavity of Sunsets," Medrano writes about the city where he grew up, tells stories of the life he's encountered here and dedicates poems to people he's met here.Medrano, 34, left Fresno for a while to get a master's degree in Fine Arts for creative writing from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, but he has now returned home.His 70-page book, published by Bilingual Review Press (asu.edu/brp) was released this week. It can be purchased through Bilingual Review Press or Amazon.com. It also will be available at his book release event 7 p.m. Saturday at Palomino's, 805 E. Olive Ave. The event is free.We figured it's better to let a poet pen his own answers -- so we traded e-mails with Medrano to find out more about his book, his travels and how Fresno has influenced his work.Question: Coming from a place like Fresno that has a pretty good history of poets, how has that influenced you?Answer: I was lucky to have taken Chicano Literature at Fresno City College with the late poet, Andres Montoya. There, I also met Estela Molina, who in turn invited me to a poetry reading at Borders Bookstores (back when River Park was just an empty piece of land) where Tim Hernandez performed with his troupe, The Wizards of Aztlan, and Juan Felipe Herrera rocked small bongo drums to his own jazz beat.These were serious influences but they all made it seem so easy. I guess that is what the spirit of the Fresno School of poetry is all about; Philip Levine, Gary Soto, Connie Hales, Peter Everwine, Juan Felipe Herrera laying down the difficult parts with the grace of eagle wings. Describe your style of poetry.A poet from Wyoming once said my work was "melodically surreal." I like that. It means there is music in unexpected places. But there is also a strong, urban sense in my writing. How is Fresno, the city, represented in your poetry?I'd say my version of Fresno is not a very pretty one.For example, the family poems seem to all be rooted in funerals and loved ones locked up in jail. I am sure I will get criticism from relatives and readers in general, but the Fresno I grew up in was not a very kind place. Now, I'm not saying it was always about the bad times, in fact, most of my upbringing was under ideal circumstances. My parents raised me well. However, as an artist, the harsh imagery in my poems are my immediate reminders of this place. Is there a particular place in Fresno that inspires you the most?Not necessarily a particular place, rather the particular rhythms of the city. It's immediately apparent as you fly into Fresno Yosemite International airport and notice the thick blanket of smog that covers the metropolis or the folks shivering in the 40-degree night where just hours earlier you left a balmy 10-degree Minneapolis.What should people expect from the event on Saturday?People should expect to hear some of the best poetry in the nation, right here, in our own backyard, from Fresno State professor and one of my first poetry mentors Connie Hales, longtime friend and Fresno City College professor and poet Marisol Baca. Music provided by Lance Canales (one of the few local musicians, who, in my opinion, truly has that X factor) and the whole torta hosted by good friend and brother in poetry Tim Z Hernandez.