William Archila
Posted in Past Guests | Tagged A–F
A native of El Salvador, William Archila is the author of The Art of Exile, 1st Place winner at the International Latino Book Awards in 2010. He has published his poems in AGNI, Crab Orchard Review, and The Georgia Review, among other publications. He holds an M.F.A from University of Oregon and currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife, the poet Lory Bedikian.
Two o’clock in the morning
They groan about Christ, his foot slapped
on their skulls, his memory clear
like their dead lost in the pake grass,
their graves are many and unmarked.
They stay for days, too many weeks,
eating beans and fried chicken necks,
drinking frosted beers topped with foam.
They come from countries far and small.
They learn to mop from sun to sun,
breed fowl and nurse the boss’ child,
remember the green coast back home,
something sharp rusting on their tongues.
They knock with busted knuckles, step
inside with tattered coats, shoes torn,
come from graves far and small,
unmarked. They wait for the bus stop.
Links
- Review: “William Archila: The Art of Exile.” Recently Banned Literature. 15 May 2009.
- Writing Tip by William Archila. Writers at Work. 2 November 2009.
- Story/Stereo 6: William Archila.” The Writer’s Center.Youtube 20 May 2010.
- Poem Sampler. Moonday Poetry Reading Series. 2010.
Media
Seminar | March 20, 2012
Reading with Ruth Irupé Sanabria | March 20, 2012