Andrés Rodríguez grew up in a working class family in Kansas City. For about two decades, his father’s job was at the Swift meatpacking plant – and one visit, as a young child, made a lasting impression. But Rodríguez says in writing poetry, there’s a fine line between memory and imagination.
"The paradox is that the more you imagine, the closer you come to the truth," says Rodríguez. "But I know that the experience that it's trying to get it is the letter and spirit of what happened."
Rodríguez is a graduate writing specialist at the University of Kansas Medical Center — and the author of three books, including a collection of poetry Night Song.
All of our WORD readings, including bonus tracks by some poets, are archived on SoundCloud.
