“The Excellent” Gregg Barrios interviews Junot Díaz

October 8, 2012

Gregg Barrios and Junot Diaz — Gregg Barrios and Junot Díaz

Our author Gregg Barrios interviewed Junot Díaz for a Los Angeles Book Review piece that appeared on October 7, 2012. Gregg Barrios’ interview with Junot Díaz is entitled “‘He is a writer of fiction. He puts on masks for a living.’: An Interview with Junot Diaz.” Being a New Jersey publisher and resident, I have a special affection for Junot Díaz since he spent his teenage years in central New Jersey and graduated from Rutgers University with a B.A.

Junot Díaz on his Facebook page stated this about the interview with Gregg Barrios:

A superb interview with the excellent Gregg Barrios: it’s nice to have a brilliant interlocutor.

Gregg Barrios has previously interviewed Junot Díaz three times over the past ten years. This fourth interview Gregg Barrios conducted via email. True to his journalistic roots, Barrios asked some poignant and probing questions of Junot Díaz. Surprisingly, Junot Díaz answered candidly about his craft, his personal life and his work. I was so impressed with the interview that I texted the link to my son who is an aspiring short story writer and a senior at Rutgers University. He responded, “Cool. I’ll check it out.” I think everyone should check it out.

Gregg Barrios is author of the play RANCHO PANCHO and a collection of poems entitled LA CAUSA. Both are published by Hansen Publishing Group. He also has two forthcoming books with Hansen Publishing Group: PURO ROLLO (fall 2012) and THE MEN WHO MADE TENNESSEE WILLIAMS: Pancho Rodriguez and Frank Merlo (fall 2013).