Juan Felipe Herrera

Juan Felipe Herrera was born in Fowler, California, on December 27, 1948. He moved around a lot as a kid, but graduated high school in San Diego. From there, he was one of the first wave of Chicanos to receive an Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) scholarship to attend UCLA, where he became emersed in the local civil rights movement. His continuing education lead him to follow his interest in indigenous cultures. His time in Mexican Indian villages from Chiapas to Nayarit lead Herrera to become a leading voice on the Mexican American and indigenous experience. His work, which includes video, photography, theater, poetry, prose, and performance, got him national recognition, fellowships and grants from the Breadloaf Writers’ Conference, the California Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Stanford Chicano Fellows Program, and the University of California at Berkeley. He currently lives in California with his partner Margarita Robles.

Movement: Imagism

Prevalent Literary Themes: family life, american life, mexican heritage

Prevalent Literary Devices: anaphora, paradox, imagery, simile

When matched to Juan Felipe Herrera, it means that similarities have been found between your poetic style and the themes and literary techniques typically seen in works by this famous poet. For example, you might use simile or imagery in the same way that Herrera does. Recognizing these similarities is important because it gives you information about the history of your poetic style, which poets might inspire you, and what writing techniques you should try next.

Which Writing Techniques Should You Try Next?

Try using paradox and anaphora more often. You might also like experimenting with writing poetry with heavy exposure to jazz and blues.

Make sure to check out poets.org for more information!