Juan Felipe Herrera, author of "Notes on the Assemblage" is an American poet of Latino descent who has expressed, through his poetry, the significance of Latin-American culture. His parents were Mexican, and he demonstrates important aspects of Chicano culture throughout his works, including "Notes on the Assemblage". For example, the poem, "Borderbus" , describes the struggle many Hispanics (in this particular case, Hondurans) endure while making the journey across the border into the United States, to create a better life for their children. Half of the poem is written in Spanish, but is translated into English. It repeats the phrase "Speak in English or the guard is going to come" to express the discrimination that Latinos face in their everyday lives.
All in all, the anthology reflects themes of hardship within the Latino-American community, and the importance of our culture in American society.
Herrera, Juan Felipe. Notes on the Assemblage. City Lights, 2015. Print.
Isabelle--I'd love it if you'd share "Borderbus" with us. I'd love to read it! Herrera mentions it in this interview: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/fields-library-congress-juan-felipe-herrera-took-winding-path-poetry/ He seems like a lovely, lyrical man!
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