FRANCISCO
SERRANO

Name, pronoun, and where you are?

My name is Oscar Diaz,  my pronouns are they/them, and I'm currently quarantining in Mexico City.

Aside from a poet what else are you?

Mhhhm I think besides a  poet, I’m kind of all over the place ‘cause that’s the Virgo in me. I would say first and foremost I’m a Virgo, and I have my hands in many cookie jars, pero, I do photography. My photography focuses on documenting communities of resistance and joy, I also do a little bit of curation. I run this platform called Nu Latinx which focuses on expanding, the limited definition of what “latinidad” is, and just how deprived that definnition is in the way it extracs afrolatinx folx, queer and trans folx, fat and disabled folx. 

When did you write your first poem?

I think I wrote my first poem after dating my first poet, and so I feel like the poetry I write now, some of the format I picked up learning from his technique and just the things passed on to me which I’m grateful for.

Do you have any favorite poets?

I will always love and cherish the poetry of my good sister Jazzelle Dodd . She has an incredible book out tittled, The Black Condition ft. Narcissus. I always look up to her, I think she's an incredible poet, writer, and person overall.

Do you think we can make poetry go as mainstream as visual mediums?

Poetry for me is very intimate, but I wish the practice of poetry was something that folks could utilize as a medium to heal and express. I think it’ll be helpful for more folks to find these language and find their own way of leaving traces and gestures behind for themselves.