Louis Reyes Rivera

“Always there is need for song… And every human has a poem to write..." - From the esteemed essay “Inside the River of Poetry,” by Louis Reyes Rivera.

Louis Reyes Rivera (1945–2012) was a fellow Puerto Rican born in Brooklyn, New York, and already a legend when I reached out to him and asked him to speak at my organization's first writer's conference.  In 1969, it was Mr. Reyes Rivera that fueled the CCNY student movement that led to the creation of the Ethnic Studies Department, he also cofounded "The Paper," the first newspaper run by Puerto Rican and African American students at the school.

Louis Reyes Rivera’s well-known devotion and work in matters of social justice led to his extremely active role as a union organizer.  He was also instrumental in helping to establish the Freedom Party, and was also involved in the Writers for Mumia initiative.

Affectionately referred to as the "Janitor of History", Rivera’s many honors, and awards included a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, a Special Congressional Recognition Award, and the CCNY 125th Anniversary Medal. Committed to the progressive and political power of jazz as well as poetry, Rivera appeared at dozens of jazz clubs and festivals and was inducted into the Brooklyn Jazz Hall of Fame.

One of his best known works is a 150-page epic poem "Jazz in Jail" that he was able to finish just before his passing in 2012. In a Spring 2009 interview with Eric Serrano, Rivera explained its purpose: “This project began roughly seven years ago. What happens if Jazz (personified) gets busted and put in jail? For what? For trying to stand against the exploitation of music by the music industry… For trying to bring together all of the music that comes out of the Diaspora—Reggae, Samba, Mambo, Calypso, Merengue, Hard bop, Cool bop, Be bop, the Blues, Mother Blues (the mother of Jazz), Grandpa Dirge, Grandma Praise Song, Work Song, Birth Song, the Chant—into one huge convention of the music, a family reunion – Let’s discuss our condition… So I had an opportunity to pay homage to poetry and music, to show you the conditions inside a prison and inside the court room, and I could even trace the history of it.”

So it was that this talented, accomplished poet, writer, essayist, historian and activist came to my writer's conference and blew everyone away with his eloquence,  and his mastery over words. I will always be grateful to Mr. Reyes Rivera for his presence at the conference, and many of us should be grateful for his many positive and creative contributions to the people of New York City, and for the community of persons of color in general. Wepa!

The 5-senses of Writing

Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader - not the fact that it's raining, but the feel of being rained upon. (E. L. Doctorow).

It has often been told to a writer:  "Don't tell me, SHOW me!"  As a writer, it's often simple enough to get totally involved in your writing and thus get lost in the storytelling.  In doing so we forget that we're not simply telling a story, we're asking our readers to believe in it; to immerse themselves in the world that we have created and to invest their five senses in it.  Unfortunately too many writers approach their stories as if their characters, and their readers, are devoid of one or more of these senses: Seeing, Hearing, Touch, Taste, and Smell.  This makes their writing, despite how good the story is, hard to fully invest in. 

When I was a kid, I took a book out of the school library titled, The Antmen.  It was a great story! When the summer ended, I made a beeline to the library and took the book out again.  But I was disappointed when I found that all of the wonderful illustrations had been removed!  When I reported this vandalism to the librarians, I was shocked when they told me that the book had no illustrations inside, except maybe one at the beginning of each chapter!  Apparently, the story had been so vivid that my mind conjured up a bevy of non-existent artwork to go with the story!  That's what you want from your readers.

The characters in your book must not only go through their paces in moving the story forward, but must also allow you to see, taste, feel, smell, and hear what they are experiencing as they live out their lives in your novel. Is that lemon meringue pie tart? Does it melt on the tongue?  Just how crusty is that crust?  Just what does the rain feel like on your protagonist's face? Hands?  Is it just sunny out? Or does your heroine find it uncomfortably warm?  Is it making her sweat?  Does it evoke memories of other times she was hot?  Or uncomfortable? 

Don't be afraid of experiencing the world that you created.  Let your characters walk you through old neighborhoods awash in the scents of fresh baked bread and a recent rain.  Let them invite you to run your fingers through the rough stubble on their chin. 

So go ahead, live a little.  And use all of your senses.