Social Distancing

Contemporary poet Juan Felipe Herrera has made a name for himself as a prolific writer engaged in numerous literary investigations over the course of his career; “Social Distancing” (2020) is one of his newest works and carries some of the philosophical threads from previous poetic works. Much of Herrera’s poetry is specifically engaged in the Chicano experience—including his most recent published book of poems, Every Day We Get More Illegal (2020). Though it addresses social themes, “Social Distancing” stands out as more intentionally universal in theme; the audience and speaker of the poem are not distinctly named in terms of identity markers. That said, “Social Distancing” relates to much of Herrera’s oeuvre, as it is a piece that directly addresses larger sociopolitical issues and engrosses the reader in thinking about these in new ways.