Danny Romero reads poetry at Leland R. Weaver Library in South Gate on December 29, 6:30 p.m.

Danny Romero’s poetry and short fiction have been published in literary journals throughout the country, such as Bilingual Review, Colorado Review, Drumvoices Revue, Paterson Literary Review, Pembroke Magazine, Permafrost and Solo. His work can also be found in a number of anthologies, including West of the West: Imagining California (1989), Pieces of the Heart: New Chicano Fiction (1993), Under the Fifth Sun: Latino Literature from California (2003), Latinos in Lotusland: An Anthology of Contemporary Southern California Literature (2008), and Pow Wow: Charting the Faultlines in the American Experience – Short Fiction from Then to Now (2009). He is also the author of the novel, Calle 10 (1996), and two chapbooks of poetry.

On December 29, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., Romero will be reading from his poetry collection, Traces (Bilingual Review/Press), at the Leland R. Weaver Library, 4035 Tweedy Blvd., South Gate, CA 90280. This is a free event for teens and adults. For more information, call 323-567-8853 or visit this link.

In honor of the reading, La Bloga posed a few questions to the poet.

Danny Romero

How would you describe your poetry collection Traces?

ROMERO: The publisher (Bilingual Review/Press) describes the book best: "These accessible and straightforward poems explore topics that are decidedly not. The poet points to the uncertainty of life, facing the daunting and the delightful with equal honesty, and he touches on a depth of emotion we desperately want to understand. Romero expertly yet lightly reveals that the richest parts of life are often small and fleeting, challenging us to appreciate them."

Do you have a favorite poem in the collection?

ROMERO: No, I don't have a favorite poem. The collection includes poems written over a fifteen year period. At one point each one of them was my favorite. I do have favorite poems about Los Angeles, including "P/V," "The Natural World," "This Life," "for Elizabeth," "Smoke and Fire" and "This Day."

What do you hope readers get from your collection? 

ROMERO: Ultimately, I hope that readers can find something familiar to them, some truth about their own lives and experiences in the poems.