Gary Lucero is an author, poet, and software engineer who has published poems and short stories, as well as a book of photography dedicated to his best friend and constant companion Geordi. Gary’s newest poetry collection is The Unknown Race, released in April 2025. Look for him on his website GaryLuceroWriter.com, Facebook, Instagram, and his Amazon author page.
At its heart, what is The Unknown Race about?
About humanity and our passions, our mistakes, and about how we are often controlled by that one percent of the world, the richest of the rich.
What unique challenges did this work pose for you?
I always struggle with structure. How to put a book together so it makes some sort of sense. What poems to include, in what order. I had those same concerns with The Unknown Race. It’s a delicate process that requires concentration and constant revision and review.
What inspired you to put this collection together? How many poems did you write just for this project and how many were already written?
The books I’ve created so far are all collections, so it’s a matter of writing, revising, and finding enough content of a similar type to create a book. About a third of the poems are from late last year, and the rest were written specifically for The Unknown Race.
How are the poems organized and why did you arrange the collection that way?
I created three chapters based on the poems I completed. Ramblings is a collection of poems about humanity, and many of these are older poems from Fall/Winter 2024. Ravings are rants about big money and the government that enables it. Regrets are about my life, its disappointments, etc. The title poem, which ends the Regrets chapter and the book, is my big rant, which looks at my life and how insignificant it is when compared to the grand scheme of things.
How did you choose the title of the book?
I came up with the title in the late 1990s. At the time I was thinking about how we’ve treated the Native American people, and how that kind of process where you take a race and sterilize and destroy it causes them to lose themselves, and how they might forget who they are. Of course, this kind of process isn’t specific to Native Americans as it’s been going on for as long as man has lived. More recently, I started thinking how the concept of The Unknown Race applies to anyone who forgets who they are, where they came from, or why they exist. It could be from an external source like slavery or ethnic cleansing, or sometimes we do it to ourselves by running away from our culture and the pressures it places on us. However it happens, we might become an unknown race.
The Unknown Race is your fourth collection of poetry. How does it differ from the other three, In Life There Is No Escape (February 2025), In Letting Go (October 2024), and When I Flew (March 2024)?
In Life Is No Escape is a collection of extremely negative poems that I quickly threw together. I came up with this idea of a person who has lost everything and has tried to end their life, but God refuses to let them die. It came together at a very low point in my life, and I felt very strongly about it at the time. Unfortunately, I don’t think I quite achieved what I was aiming for. In Letting Go has mostly older poems, some from as far back as the 1990s. It’s my “catch-up” collection. When I Flew is now unpublished and its poems overlap with In Letting Go.
What was your favorite part of putting this project together?
I believe the cover turned out nicely, despite its somewhat unusual appearance. And the book was fun to create and came together quickly. I felt less nervous and more self-assured about The Unknown Race than my previous books, and I think the content overall is of better quality.
Of all the books you’ve written, which one was the most challenging to write?
In Letting Go was difficult because I had to figure out the order, and which poems to include, and I was hesitant to include the final chapter, “And So It Is With Heroes.” I struggled with that book, and while I’m generally pleased with it, it could be better.
You write poetry and short stories. How has your experience with one affected or benefited the other?
Sometimes when I’m having a difficult time developing new poems, or good poems, I create small prose fragments, and they help me work through my feelings and try different things in a manner that’s easier than trying to pen a poem. So, I think they are complementary forms of writing, and I will continue to pursue prose, but I don’t know if I’ll attempt to release more short stories or not.
Do you have a preference for poetry structure or form when you write or read?
Truth is, I didn’t read poetry before the end of last year! I learned about poetry in high school but never realized it has its own set of rules, and that there are scholars of poetry, and people who look at it with such a critical eye. My poetry was always based on lyrics in music, mostly rock and progressive rock. I’m learning about poetry now, which is difficult, to say the least. It’s been challenging. But to answer your question, I mostly write in free verse but I’m still trying to get a handle on it, so my poetry structure changes from day to day.
How important is accessibility of meaning? Should a reader have to work to understand a poem?
I think accessibility is extremely important, and my personal style is pretty basic. Personally, I prefer reading poetry that isn’t a puzzle, and much of the poetry I read turns me off because it’s too esoteric or rambling or self-absorbed.
When did poetry become important to you?
In 11th grade, I took a creative writing class and as soon as I learned about poetry, I started writing and never stopped. I don’t remember if our teacher, Mrs. Barnes, read to us from any of the great poets or not, but she was always supportive of the terrible poetry I wrote, so I just kept writing. Over the decades since, I’ve continued to write, but it’s become much more important in the last couple of years.
How does a poem begin for you, with an idea, a form, an image?
Usually, it’s a line or two from something I think, or see, or hear. Then I keep working on it, revising and expanding until I think it’s complete, or I abandon it. For me, poetry is something I try to work on daily, mostly on my phone. I’m constantly shuffling poems around from one folder to another, deciding if they belong in the book I’m currently working on, or maybe a future book, or if they are left unfinished or aren’t good enough to consider for any book.
What writing projects are you working on now?
I’ve been told by a couple of professional poets that my poetry is not poetic enough. That it’s often more prose than poetry, and it lacks proper use of metaphor, simile, rhythm, etc. So I’ve started a new book where I take my poems and turn them into stories and musings. I turn them into prose, which is an interesting process, and one I’m excited to see how it turns out.
Is there anything else you’d like readers to know?
I’ve never been part of the poetry scene, and I’m still not. I feel like an un-poet in many ways, estranged from what is considered proper or good poetry. I don’t know if I’ll ever appreciate real poetry or find my way past my amateur status. I might not. But if I can entertain or challenge a group of readers, then I’ll have had some level of success.
KL Wagoner loves creating worlds of fantasy and science fiction. Her current work in progress is The Last Bonekeeper fantasy trilogy and short stories in the same universe. A member of SouthWest Writers since 2006, Kat has worked as the organization’s secretary, newsletter editor, website manager, and author interview coordinator. Kat is also a veteran, a martial art student, and a grandmother. Visit her at klwagoner.com.
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