E-ViewPoints
Interview With Carlos Evaristo Flores
bill berry, jr.
Carlos Evaristo Flores is the
father of two children, a gorgeous and emotionally intelligent ten-year old daughter (who happens to be an aspiring artist) and a brilliant and precocious
4-year old son. A chocolate lab holds
the honor of being the only pet. Carlos
enjoys reading books that are inspirational and challenges him to be better and
the last book he read was Gerry Spence’s How to Argue & Win Every Time.
You may have surmised that Mr. Flores is a lawyer. Like his choice in reading, Carlos favors any
genre of music that moves his spirit.
Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris
was the last movie he saw and in reference to that film, Carlos states, “I
suffer from the same type of nostalgia.”
While he is a person with varied interests, his principal objective in
life remains grounded and focused. His
goal is to “raise my kids to be healthy and happy adults.”
bill:
I am anxious to get started;
however, my manners prompt me to thank you for taking the time to chat with
me. So Carlos, there is so much ground
to cover. Let’s get started. Your full name, Carlos Evaristo Flores has a
ring of boldness, distinction and authority.
Who were you named after; how were you raised, and what is the
background of your parents?
Carlos:
I was named after my grandfather
(Carlos Flores) and my great-grandfather (Evaristo Flores). My grandfather was kind of a tragic figure in
the sense that he was a brilliant, hard working man, but he was never comfortable
in his own skin. Although I never met my
great-grandfather, it appears he lived the same tragedy. They were both Puerto Rican, which is funny
because I identify more with my Texas-Mexican roots. My mother’s ancestors, along with many other
families, have been a part of South Texas from
the 1700s. I’m proud of both
traditions.
In a way, my journey is one of
overcoming that legacy. My parents
(Carlos Nicolas Flores and Dora Maria Vegara) are both writers and the two most
brilliant people I have ever met. Although
my father is more accomplished writer, my mother is my favorite poet, and I
always encourage her to keep writing. My
sister, Florinda Brown, is an up and coming playwright. I never saw myself as a writer and opted for
a simpler career, so I decided to study law.
However, I think I write more than all of them because the career of a
lawyer involves writing on a daily basis.
In fact, it was because of my
familiarity with writing and the use of language in my law career that I felt
that I too could write. I’m very drawn
to poetry because it requires a command of language and words. I love that treacherous but rewarding
experience of looking for the right word or phrase that captures a feeling that
cannot be captured otherwise.
I had a great life in El Paso, Texas, but due
to family reasons, I had to return to my hometown of Laredo, Texas. My poetry began during that same time
period. I felt compelled to write as a
way of dealing with the violence that I read about in Mexico. But, I also think it was an outlet for me to
understand my journey home to Laredo. Don’t get me wrong, I love Laredo
and South Texas, and much of my poetry is
about this place I call home, but I think that coming home really involved a
journey within myself. The poetry is how
I gave expression to that journey.
bill:
It is interesting that you have a
bi-cultural background within the larger dynamic of being Latino. I think too many people still define
biculturalism as across racial parameters but do not grasp that there is a
multiplicity and complexities within these pre-determined categories of race
and culture for all people, especially people of color. More importantly, you come from a creative
and literary family. Your dad in his
coming of age book, Our House on Hueco,
writes about the world from the eyes of ten-year old Junior. How was your childhood similar or different
from this character and how old were you when you read your dad’s book? How does the themes of your poetry compare to
the writings of your mother?
Carlos:
I agree with your insight that
many people do not grasp the multiplicity and complexity that exists within the
Latin American culture. Even among
Mexican-Americans, there are cultural, regional and political differences. When I was in law school, I met Chicanos from
California, and their history and political
views are very different from the people I grew up with in Laredo, Texas. This often leads to misunderstandings because
there is a tendency to say my history is authentic and the other’s history is
not. I think that some Mexican-Americans
struggle to define their story as more authentic than other Mexican-Americans,
and I think the focus should be on understanding the other.
As for your question regarding
Junior, I identify with the character in some ways, but I don’t in others
precisely because of this issue of multiplicity within a racial group.
Junior’s history and experiences
are different from mine. He lived in a
different world when institutional racism and prejudice were palpable and
normal, even acceptable.
Junior grows up in the 1950s in El Paso, Texas. From what I am told, Mexican-Americans fought
for political and economic equality against an Anglo-American elite. This is evidenced by the fact that for many
years Mexican-Americans in El Paso fought to
serve in elected office despite being a majority in El Paso.
The character of Junior grew up
during that period of history and his relationship with the Anglo-American
family that lives in his parents’ home is one that was not common at that
time. This is no longer the case in El Paso.
Today El Paso is a very progressive and politically
enlightened community. One example is
the recent efforts undertaken by city council to extend health benefits for
same-sex couples who work for the city.
This is the new civil rights movement, and El Paso is in the forefront of that
battle. Not to mention the fact that
UTEP won the 1966 national championship in basketball because it was the first
college athletic program to start all African-American basketball players.
I grew up in Laredo and by the 1980s Mexican-Americans
here were not fighting against an Anglo-American elite. We fought other types of moral and political
corruption, but it’s not the same as the world in which Junior grew up.
This not to say that Laredo was not a victim of institutional racism such as
the great inequities in public school funding that existed in the 1980s and
that became the basis of the Edgewood
lawsuits that transformed public school funding in Texas.
The differences are significant
enough to state that Junior and I grew up in different places and in different
times, so we are going to have different points of view.
However, I do identify with
Junior to the extent that like him I became aware of my ethnicity. It is real.
And I embraced it at a young age and decided that I would not see it as
a handicap or a negative. In Laredo, Mexican-American
is the norm. We are all
Mexican-American. There is other
prejudice that exists in a place like Laredo,
but that would require a book.
So, I identify with Junior
because he becomes aware of his ethnicity and tries to make sense of his place
in the world. I went through a similar
experience.
As for my mother’s poetry, her
poetic voice is sincere and insightful.
Her use of language and metaphor is dramatic and creative but also
humble. She does not have to show off
that she is gifted. I don’t know if that
makes sense.
Her themes and characters are
very personal to her and our family. So,
I love her poetry because of how it reads and the feelings the words evoke, but
also because I understand the struggle the words capture.
I would love to send you some of
her work. I wish she wrote more
often. There is a need for Dora
Vergara’s poetic voice.
bill:
And as you continue to make sense
of your place in the world, what do you want to achieve with your poetry? What is the impact and affect you want from
your readership?
Carlos:
I hope to capture authentic images of life on the Texas-Mexico border. This is a fascinating place. I want someone from Laredo
to read one of my poems and recognize the images and emotions and be moved by
them. If the work is real and sincere,
and I’m able to effectively use the poetic devices in my poetry, then I will
feel successful as a poet.
I’m at the beginning of my
writing career, and I’m learning the different tools that are available to a
poet. I know that I have a love of
language, and I enjoy the process of finding the right word and using it in a
new or insightful manner. But, I need
more experience as a writer, and I’m excited by that challenge of growth as a
poet.
I am researching a new series of
poems that are meant to teach me how to write poetry and sharpen my
imagery. This series of poems will be
focused on place in South Texas that are
significant for one reason or the other.
I plan to take my time with these poems because I see them as a real
chance to grow as a poet, and ultimately as a person.
bill:
First of all, please encourage
your Mom to submit her work or it would be great if she elected to share a few
pieces for me to read on a personal level.
Moving on…while I have not been to Laredo,
I have experienced El Paso. Reflecting on that experience, there is a
vibrancy and richness in that part of Texas
that would provide a wealth of topics and themes for you to express poetically. So, as you start your pathway to grow as a
poet, what other life directions are you planning?
Carlos:
At 36, I have learned that life
will lead me in directions that I cannot even imagine. Many of my experiences in the last 10 years
were unimaginable to me and that taught me to be humble and open-minded. With that said, I plan to write poetry and
develop as an attorney. I plan to remain
close to my kids and help them develop their own creative voices. I also hope to play a role in helping Laredo meet its full
potential. I’m blessed to have amazing
friends and to be doing challenging work, and after some turbulent years, I’m
very grateful for my blessings.
It has been a great honor that
aaduna published two of my poems, and I’m grateful to you for taking an
interest in my work and life. I hope
that my writing will continue to evolve and that I will be able to do meaningful
work. Thank you.
bill:
You are most welcome. And in closure, are there any words of wisdom
that you want to share with Rockford Kingsley’s leadership?
Carlos:
Only advice I can give: take life
a day at a time.