Lannan Literary Awards
3 appearances
-
Edition 10 (1992) Winner
Luis J. Rodriguez
ルイス・J・ロドリゲス
Luis J. Rodriguez
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1954-01-01 （El Paso, Texas, United States）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English, Spanish
- Residence History
- El Paso (birth) → Ciudad Juárez (family origin/roots) → East Los Angeles (youth) → Chicago (mid-1980s) → Los Angeles (San Fernando Valley, Sylmar)
Career
- Occupations
- poet, novelist, nonfiction writer, journalist, critic, columnist, activist, small-press publisher
- Active Years
- 1970-
- Affiliations
- Tía Chucha's Centro Cultural (co-founder), Youth Struggling for Survival (co-founder), Network for Revolutionary Change (co-founder)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Keppel High School | — | — | — | 1970s | United States |
| California State University, Los Angeles (brief attendance) | — | — | — | 1972–1973（在籍） | United States |
| East Los Angeles College (night classes) | — | — | — | 1980年代（夜間） | United States |
Mark Keppel High School
Period:
1970s
Year of Graduation:
1972
Country:
United States
Dropped out initially, later returned and graduated
California State University, Los Angeles (brief attendance)
Period:
1972–1973（在籍）
Country:
United States
Attended 1972–1973 but did not graduate
East Los Angeles College (night classes)
Period:
1980年代（夜間）
Country:
United States
Attended night classes while beginning writing career
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Carl Sandburg Literary Award | Always Running (associated) | — | — | 受賞 |
| — | Chicago Sun-Times Book Award | — | — | Chicago Sun-Times | 受賞 |
| 1989 | San Francisco State University Poetry Center Award | — | — | San Francisco State University | 受賞 |
| 1993 | Lange-Taylor Prize | Photojournalism collaboration | — | Duke University (Lange–Taylor Prize) | 受賞 |
| 1996 | Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Writer's Award | — | — | Wallace Foundation | 受賞 |
| 1999 | Hispanic Heritage Award (Literature) | — | — | Hispanic Heritage Foundation | 受賞 |
| 1992 | PEN Josephine Miles Literary Award | — | — | PEN Oakland | 受賞 |
| 2003 | PEN Josephine Miles Literary Award | — | — | PEN Oakland | 受賞 |
| 2013 | PEN Josephine Miles Literary Award | — | — | PEN Oakland | 受賞 |
| 2005 | Paterson Poetry Prize | — | — | — | 受賞 |
| 2022 | Robert Kirsch Award (lifetime achievement) | — | — | Los Angeles Times | 受賞 |
Carl Sandburg Literary Award
Work:
Always Running (associated)
Result:
受賞
Chicago Sun-Times Book Award
Organization:
Chicago Sun-Times
Result:
受賞
San Francisco State University Poetry Center Award
1989
Organization:
San Francisco State University
Result:
受賞
Lange-Taylor Prize
1993
Work:
Photojournalism collaboration
Organization:
Duke University (Lange–Taylor Prize)
Result:
受賞
Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Writer's Award
1996
Organization:
Wallace Foundation
Result:
受賞
Hispanic Heritage Award (Literature)
1999
Organization:
Hispanic Heritage Foundation
Result:
受賞
PEN Josephine Miles Literary Award
1992
Organization:
PEN Oakland
Result:
受賞
PEN Josephine Miles Literary Award
2003
Organization:
PEN Oakland
Result:
受賞
PEN Josephine Miles Literary Award
2013
Organization:
PEN Oakland
Result:
受賞
Paterson Poetry Prize
2005
Result:
受賞
Robert Kirsch Award (lifetime achievement)
2022
Organization:
Los Angeles Times
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award
3 appearances
-
Edition 2 (1992) Winner
-
Edition 13 (2003) Winner
-
Edition 23 (2013) Winner
Los Angeles Times Book Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 42 (2021) Winner
Works
Major Works
Always Running: La Vida Loca, Gang Days in L.A.
1993 memoir / nonfictionA memoir recounting gang life, addiction, redemption and family. Written partly as a cautionary tale for his son, the book has been influential and controversial in school reading lists.
gang cultureaddiction and recoverysocial inequalityfamily
Adaptations
- [theatre] Always Running (stage adaptation) / 共著・共同上演（Luis J. Rodriguez、Hector Rodriguez と共作） (2019)
Poems Across the Pavement
1989 poetryEarly collection of poems reflecting barrio life, urban experience and political consciousness.
Chicano experienceurban realityresistance
Borrowed Bones: New Poems from the Poet Laureate of Los Angeles
2016 poetryA collection of new poems reflecting his tenure as Los Angeles Poet Laureate, dealing with community and urban life.
citycommunitymemory
It Calls You Back: An Odyssey Through Love, Addiction, Revolutions, and Healing
2011 memoir / essaysA long memoir/essay work that explores love, addiction, political movements and healing through personal experience and community engagement.
healingpolitical activismfamily
Bibliography
- Poems Across the Pavement (1989)
- The Concrete River: Poems (1991)
- Always Running: La Vida Loca, Gang Days in L.A. (1993)
- América is Her Name (1996)
- Trochemoche: Poems (1998)
- Hearts and Hands: Creating Community in Violent Times (2001)
- It Calls You Back (2011)
- Borrowed Bones (2016)
- From Our Land to Our Land (2019)
Adaptations
- Stage adaptation of Always Running (Casa 0101 Theater, 2019)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Chicano realistautobiographical narrativespoken word / slam-influenced
- Recurring Motifs
- gang and barrio lifeaddiction and recoveryimmigration and border experiencecommunity and resistancefamily bonds and redemption
Legacy
Luis J. Rodriguez is a significant figure in Chicano literature whose work drawn from personal experience has influenced communities and young people. Beyond writing, he has connected literature and social activism through cultural centers and civic engagement.
Academic Societies
- PEN Oakland (award-related)
In Popular Culture
- Always Running has been the subject of controversy on school reading lists
- Public role as Los Angeles Poet Laureate (2014–2015)
Quotes
-
“There have always been two states – one ripe for developers, corporations, financial institutions, and robber barons. The other state consists of the working class and poor…”
Source: “A New Vision for California” (campaign document) (2014)
Trivia
- Served as Los Angeles Poet Laureate (2014–2015).
- Co-founder of Tía Chucha's Centro Cultural.
- Was the Justice Party vice-presidential nominee (2012) with Rocky Anderson.
- Ran for Governor of California in 2014 and 2022 as a third-party candidate.
- Always Running has been controversial on school reading lists.