Editorial Intern Brenda Lema had some questions for Louis Febres.

What inspired you to write “Something Lost”?

Languages have always fascinated me: their origins, evolution, and especially the idea of a language and culture being supplanted due to conquest.  That to me is one of the most tragic things that can occur to a culture.

What was your writing process like for this piece?

I wanted to write a micro-story for a class assignment and thought it would be a good challenge to write one about the demise of a language/culture. In keeping it compact, and establishing a kind of rhythm it turned into a prose poem. I’m not sure I had a process aside from trying to keep it as short as possible and trying to tell the story from the point of view of the people whose culture is being lost, but telling it in a direct, objective manner without any sentimentality.  Sort of like a news report.

How has COVID impacted your creative work?

Working from home since March of last year and not having to commute due to COVID has certainly freed up a little more of my time for creative endeavors, though not as much as I would have liked (or would have imagined).  The general shock of the pandemic earlier on and the dread and fear that followed, plus the political climate last year with the election, certainly killed my desire to do anything but watch the news with my free time.  But I guess we’re now approaching the end of this long dark tunnel and there’s some light coming through, so I hope to be more creative/productive in the months to come 🙂

Read Louis Febres’s prose poem “Something Lost.”