Luis J. Rodriguez

Luis Rodriguez in 2009

Luis Javier Rodriguez (born 1954) is an American poet, novelist, journalist, critic, and columnist.

Quotes

• I do more non-fiction writing. I have two memoirs, another nonfiction book, and I do lots of essays, journalism, poetry, and reporting. But I love the fiction. As you know I have a novel, a short story collection, and two children’s books. It’s more challenging to write fiction, but I’d like to do more of these. I don’t really prefer one over the other.
  • On his writing preferences in “An Interview with Luis J. Rodriguez” (Evanston Public Library; 2011)

• Gangs have always existed—they are primarily a community a young men trying to find intensity, meaning, a path to the outer world (outside of home) that most tribal groupings addressed with rituals, rites of passage, initiation ceremonies. We’ve lost this knowledge as a culture. Gangs also exist when there are lots of empties in a person, in family, in community. It points out how we need to do more to bring real art, passions, teachings, caring, and resources into the emptiness of young peoples’ lives…
  • On how gangs might be viewed in “An Interview with Luis J. Rodriguez” (Evanston Public Library; 2011)

• …The root cause of poverty and crime is capitalism itself. We need a society based on cooperation, caring and creativity – not profits, war and social control. For troubled men and women, we need to give people a “chance to live,” as Clarence Darrow once said. To start, we need a government that works for us – not the 1%.
  • On what he pinpoints on the reasons for poverty and other social issues in California in “Redefining Democracy in California: An Interview With Luis Rodriguez” in Truthout (2014 May 28)