“I think about all the versions of myself [when I write] and why it is important for me to say this and most importantly in what form does it want to come out–prose or poetry.” —Saúl Hérnandez
On Wednesday, December 10, Saúl Hérnandez will teach “Writing Towards the Unsayable in Poetry.” In this class, students will learn how to write poetry authentically by exploring theory, analyzing aesthetics and techniques of poetry, and looking at poems which risk everything.
Saúl Hernández is a queer writer, who was raised by former undocumented parents. He has an MFA in Creative Writing from The University of Texas at El Paso. Saúl is a 2025 National Endowment for the Arts Fellow. His debut poetry collection, How to Kill a Goat & Other Monsters, was longlisted for a PEN Open Book Award and received the Institute of Letters’ honor-winner for First Book of Poetry. He’s the winner of both the 2022 Pleiades Prufer Poetry Prize (judged by Joy Priest) & the 2021 Two Sylvias Press Chapbook Prize (judged by Victoria Chang). His poems have been nominated for a Pushcart Prize & Best of The Net. Saúl’s work is featured in American Poetry Review, Poetry Daily, The Slowdown, Literary Hub, Columbia Journal, Pleiades, Split This Rock & elsewhere. He’s a Macondista, a 2021 Tin House Alum, & a 2024 Lambda Literary Fellow.
Here’s what Saúl had to share with us:
Who are your earliest influences? What people and books made you a writer?
Saúl Hernández: I was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness, which meant I was unable to participate in holiday parties or events throughout my school years. In elementary school, I was sent to the library during these festivities where magic couldn’t find me. Little did anyone know I found books with worlds, enchantment tells, and mythical creatures. In those early days, I devoured the Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne. Then, in high school I encountered the first book where I saw people like me–brown, low economic background, and the inclusion of Spanish language–in The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. In undergrad, I took a Mexican-American Literature course where I read Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Laurie Ann Guerrero, Andrés Montoya, among so many others. It was in this class where I realized I could find a path in writing.
What writing challenges have you faced? What have these challenges taught you about your process?
SH: Early on in my writing journey, it was difficult to trust my voice and what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say what I was trying to communicate through my poems/writing. It really was until a year or two after graduating from my MFA program that I trusted my voice. The trust was built from continuing my own learning on craft, whether it was watching interviews, attending readings, or listening to podcasts. It also came from reading as much as I could. I wanted to know what poets were creating, how they were creating it, and why. My workshop group also gave me the confidence to continue writing towards what I was reaching. The process is a long one and a continuous learning journey–it taught me to have patience.
From your perspective, what’s the most rewarding part about being a writer?
SH: For me, the most rewarding part has been being able to teach these kinds of classes because we get to do what I love doing–talking about poetry and why it’s magical.
Who do you write for?
SH: I write for myself. I always do. I don’t think about the audience when I write. I think about all the versions of myself and why it is important for me to say this and most importantly in what form does it want to come out–prose or poetry.
What do you hope writers will learn from your course?
SH: I hope my students leave knowing that they have the power to craft and manipulate language, but also can apply those skills to the white space on the page. How both (language and white space) work in tandem to bring a rise in tension.
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Thanks, Saúl!
Click here to learn more about Saúl’s upcoming class.
