“There are overcast days - few and far between, thankfully - when poetry seems a futile pursuit. While the world strains & cracks, the belief that poetry cannot effect change hovers in my peripheries. This is, of course, the antithesis of our mission, and in the future, when I begin to doubt, I’ll be happy to have this feature bookmarked. Lydia Flores’ writing is a swift kick in the pants - a compelling reminder of the personal and political power of poetry. It’s Required Reading for any poet who has ever felt disillusionment trickling in!”

“ I taught Lydia in Photography 2 in 2011. During this class, I developed a strong respect for Lydia as an artist and a person. My first assignment in Photo. 2 is a written and visual interior exploration of the students’ relationship to shadow and light. Her words were, at times, miraculous. From that point onward, I encouraged Lydia to write. Her words have depth and teeth.

. . .Lydia is willing to experiment, push conceptual boundaries and is always challenging herself to try new techniques and directions. She is always looking for and willing to branch out into new approaches to words and images. Her work ethic is excellent. This woman is born to hone words into a distillation of human truth.

She approaches art, and other people, with honesty, patience and openness. I feel certain that Lydia will be an asset to any program. She brings inspired tangible results and a myriad of intangible qualities that will make her an exceptional student and peer.”

“Lydia’s own writing has a depth rarely found— attentive, present, cutting. She expresses herself with clarity and openness; yet the mystery and tenderness of her writing treads between the unexpected realms of nuance and observation, leading the reader to a sense of awe of the secret depths of human character, suffering and spiritual quest. Her poems do not shy away from political circumstances, and often confront the ongoing issues of class, injustice, and prejudice while rooting themselves in the personal and explorative realms of language and its relationship to the world. In the classroom she created stunning critical observations on the nature of language and learning. These revealed to me the gifts she has to offer to future students in need of educators who reach out, who take their young work and lives seriously, and who pours her entire intention into helping others learn and grow.

Lydia’s voice strips to the core of whatever subject she is addressing and opens the readers’ and students’ eyes to the complexities of language’s relationship to expression and learning in the classroom. It is her honesty and daring that I admire most. She writes with her nerve but with an awareness of tradition. The connection between tradition and experimentation in her work is intimate and explorative[. . .]
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