Q&A with Poet Rodrigo Toscano
November 5, 2025
Rodrigo Toscano is the author of twelve books of poetry. His latest books are The Cut Point (Counterpath, 2023), The Charm & The Dread (Fence, 2022). Forthcoming is WHITMAN. CANNONBALL. PUEBLA (Omnidawn, 2025), a National Poetry Series finalist. His other books include, In Range, Explosion Rocks Springfield, Deck of Deeds, Collapsible Poetics Theater, To Leveling Swerve, Platform, Partisans, and The Disparities. His poetry has appeared in over 20 anthologies, including, Best American Poetry (2023, 2004), and Best American Experimental Poetry (BAX) His Collapsible Poetics Theater was a National Poetry Series selection. Toscano lives in New Orleans.
Our autumn issue features two sonnets by RT. “Routines” and “Novella 14” which are part of a new collection of 100 sonnets that deal with the epic tension between conceptions of Cosmos and Mundus.
Tell us about yourself.
I was born in a place and time not of my choosing; I am living under historical conditions in flux; I shall die in an era before another era.
What unique or surprising detail can you tell us about the origin, revision process, and/or final version of the poems appearing in this issue?
All my sonnets – hundreds of them, are made up of 10 syllables lines (or units). No exceptions. No cheating on line breaks, like just hitting the return key. Meaning units are integral to each other. The flow flows from a constructivist impulse.
What did you learn (about yourself or craft or life in general) through writing and revising it?
Proportion, extension of proportion, violation of proportion, return to proportion.
What do you hope readers take from the piece?
A piece of their life, like a 1’000th puzzle piece—into to place.
What fuels your desire to write (or engage in other creative outlets)?
A desire to enjoin in the playfulness of the earth’s productive and destructive power.
What has drawn you to writing poetry and/or what other genres do you write?
I like doing dialogues with other poets. Written volleys back and forth until we reach a limit.
What have been the biggest influences in your writing?
Marxist Dialectical thinking and expression.
How do you make expression a part of your daily life or how do you find a balance between your writing and other responsibilities?
I engage in continuous theft, ganking from one for the other.
What do you think of when you hear, “the good life?”
Eudemonia. “Human flourishing”. Living a life that is deeply fulfilling, and true to your highest potential.
Thank you, RT, for your continued support of our growing literary community, and for spending extra time with us on this Q&A. We’re grateful for you and hope to read more of the sonnets in “Stumbles and Surges” soon. Cheers!