3 Questions

with Daniel Glick

Santa Fe this weekend celebrates one of its native sons with the world-premiere of A Place To Stand, a documentary inspired by the life of poet Jimmy Santiago Baca and his 2001 memoir of the same name. The book recounts Baca's dramatic transformation from a convict to the well-known poet he is today. Film director Daniel Glick quit his job and moved from New York City to Albuquerque to make the movie that premieres at 7 pm, Saturday, Sept. 26 at the James A Little Theater. 

What motivated you to do this film?

I had visited a friend's friend who was in prison in upstate New York and that experience, the first time I'd ever been in a prison, max security, really changed my life. I had never been aware of the reality of prison, how much it really does break down the people inside, whether it be guards or inmates or visitors, it's a pretty negative space, and it just shocked me and outraged me that this existed and that people didn't know the depth of its impact on society and on the people who go through it.

What did you learn about the way New Mexicans view Jimmy Santiago Baca?

It seems like by and large they love him—not universally, but almost universally. I encountered so many people who just love Jimmy for the person he is and for his generosity and for his gregariousness and for his writing. It seem like 90 to 95 percent of New Mexicans know Blood In, Blood Out; that's the movie that Jimmy wrote. He's very warmly received wherever he goes in New Mexico, and he is really generous with his time, going to schools and working with organizations and supporting New Mexicans. And New Mexicans really seem to appreciate Jimmy and love him for that.

As a writer, what do you see in Jimmy's writing that really makes it special?

At one level, it's that he has magic in his relationship with words. He breathes poetry. I'll have phone calls with him or just hang out with him, and the stuff he says is just poetry as it is. That's one part of it, the way he can turn a phrase, but I think probably what makes his writing most profound, most impactful is the honesty in it. It's raw and honest. It's not of the mind. He's not writing poetry to get approval or to get published in some academic journal. He's writing poetry because he has to.

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