will discuss his new book in Tulsa
Alan Steinle interviewed Tim Z. Hernandez, and the following is a summary of the interview. The entire interview can be found on our website: LaSemanaDelSur.com.
Hernandez has received a number of awards for his poetry and fiction. His latest book, released on January 28, 2017, is titled “All They Will Call You.” This “documentary novel” was inspired by Woody Guthrie’s song “Plane Wreck at Los Gatos” (also called “Deportee”), which is based on a plane crash in Los Gatos Canyon in 1948 that killed everyone on board, including the 28 Mexican workers that were being taken back to Mexico.
Hernandez discussed his background and his previous books, “I was born and raised in California’s San Joaquin Valley, aka the breadbasket of the world. A third generation born U.S. citizen, I come from migrant farmworkers. All of my books thus far have focused on this specific region, and the people who call this place home.”
When asked about the treatment of immigrants in the 1940s, as compared to the present day, he said, “Sadly, there isn’t much difference. Anti-immigrant sentiment still looms, even though we seemed to have forgotten that we are a nation of immigrants, with the exception of our indigenous brothers and sisters.”
When asked to discuss the importance of memories, Hernandez emphasized, “We are made up of memory. Our own immediate experiences are comprised of various forms of memory—familial memory, cultural memory, muscle memory, trauma, joy, etc. Memory is how we navigate the world, and our place in it.”
Hernandez spoke about the influence of such cultural products as books and music: “Since the beginning of time, art is what has shaped our perception of the world. Sometimes used for good and sometimes for bad. In the case of my book, “All They Will Call You,” art has its own gravity. A song kept the memory of these individuals alive. And now it’s a book. And so on.” The song that he was referring to is “Plane Wreck at Los Gatos” by Woody Guthrie, but he stressed that he was also inspired by many other singersongwriters while he was working on his book.
Hernandez will discuss “All They Will Call You” on Monday, April 24, at 6 p.m. in the Woody Guthrie Center Theater in downtown Tulsa. In addition, on Tuesday, April 25, at 7 p.m., he will give a presentation, answer questions, and sign books at the Martin Regional Library in east Tulsa. Hernandez will be joined by special guests Ramón Paredes González and Guadalupe Ramírez Lara, who are Tulsa residents and descendants of two of the plane crash victims. This is the website of Tim Z. Hernandez: TimZHernandez.com. (La Semana)