LatinosUSA

JR Crivello: Do you think poetry is back in fashion?

Tina: I really don’t know!  Prior to the internet, I am sure that artists in all media were part of the poet’s world and vice versa. The American Abstract Impressionist in NY were actively involved with writers and poets and this was in the 1960s if not earlier. Now, both poetry and art  are more easily accessible to those living “outside the arts.”

JR Crivello: Do you write poetry daily, or do you write as ideas come to you?

Tina : Both, really. I keep a handwritten notebook where I respond to other poems. Other times, it is really inspirational. Someone can speak a phrase, and I immediately write it down as a self-prompt!

JR Crivello: What is your next publishing project? Could you tell us how it came about?

Tina : My sons asked me decades ago to transform my WordPress blog, Zia Clara In Italy, into a book. I plan to do this in 2025-2026. It is personal and part of our family history.

JR Crivello:  The city you live in, and a description of your favorite bar or café.

Tina : I live in a small town, Takoma Park, Maryland, six miles from the Capitol. It used to be the headquarters for Seventh Day Adventist, then in the 1960s a lot of hippies moved into this working-class town which still was one when we moved here in 1981. Now, it is heavily gentrified, yet extremely liberal with Jamie Raskin as our representative in Congress. There are several cafes/bars, but my favorite is The Girl and the Vine. Low key. Homey. Excellent wine. Not too “yuppish” either!

Author Bio

A biography of no more than 5 lines
Trained as a calligrapher in the late 1970s; then came, hand papermaking, book arts, drawing and printmaking. My love of children’s books illustration inspired me to pursue art despite my academic background. I began to write my own words early on as I was aware of copyright. During these early retirement years, writing has become central to my art & life.

Interlude III

How does one measure the distances
from one heart to its countless points
of love?
How does one find the detours avoiding
these roads? Ways to circumvent the
potholes of loss? Please. Tell me.

It is not with prayers on bended knees,
ws I was taught. It is not with the written
Words or poetry. However spiritual or
erudite one is, know that grief clings
to its chambers with ferocity. It lodges
deeply.

So, draw a map for me. Either roughly
sketched in pencil or with fine pointed
pen. Note the road closures in red. My
fear has not aversion to the alternate
route, however out of the way. I am
too tired to bother about details.
A rough outline will do.

Yes, draw me a map away from heartbreak,
and I will follow.

• A link to purchase my most recently published poetry book
http://bit.ly/44CbqlE

• A link to my most recent interview
https://tinahudak.wordpress.com/2025/04/13/sunshine-blogger-award/