By Anthony Maese-Castillo
Staff Writer
Students are full of creative potential, capable of grand scale creativity. It’s a massive accomplishment to create, but to publish is a giant leap.
Cal State Dominguez Hills student Manuel Flores accomplished this when he self-published his own book of poetry, “Part Dreams and Feathers of a Heart.”
“I had this gut feeling of publishing my own poetry book,” Flores said. “I told myself, ‘why not?’”
Every day, students and faculty alike write works of fiction, poetry, plays and manuscripts galore, but hesitate to act on the vast amount of publishing potential in a world where everything said and written is beautiful in the eyes of the beholder.
Flores is one of those individuals who took that leap forward.
“I give myself my own motivation to publish,” he said. “My friends and my brother also pushed me to write a poetry book.”
Many authors today have an inspiration, a voice who encouraged them to create, mold and construct their own sense of voice in the world of creativity.
“I’m a huge fan of free verse,” said Flores. “I was mainly inspired by the Romantics and Walt Whitman.”
Flores took his time to create his book of poetry, using his time to incorporate ideas, find the perfect words, and speak from his heart to make his ideas reality.
“One needs passion and practice, time is important,” Flores said. “I was wanting to become a poet. It took me two years. I was on and off with my poetry book. I would edit my poems countless times. I needed them to sound gentle and romantic.”
The Bulletin asked Flores to name his favoritr poem in the book.
“I think each of my poems carries a specific meaning,” Flores said. “The poem, `Blue Moon,’ has a soft spot for me. ‘Blue Moon’ represents the unknown. As a human, we don’t have all the answers. We are always wondering and exploring. Things can go wrong or worse. It’s about small moments and how nature plays part of it. Life is a mystery and we cannot predict every step.”
“Part Dreams and Feathers of a Heart” is available online at Amazon.com.
