SOURCE: Ríos, Alberto, and Leslie A. Wootten. “The Edge in the Middle: An Interview with Alberto Ríos.” World Literature Today 77, no. 2 (July-September 2003): 57-60.

In the following interview, Ríos discusses the major themes of The Smallest Muscle in the Human Body, the role of science and animals in his work, and his use of magical realism.

[Wootten]: How did you decide on The Smallest Muscle in the Human Body as a title for your new book of poems?

[Ríos]: The title is excerpted from “Some Extensions on the Sovereignty of Science,” a poem I wrote shortly after my father's death. The human body's smallest muscle is called the stapedius, and it's located in the ear. Two of its purposes are to keep us from hearing ourselves chew and from hearing our heart beat. The muscle does important work, I think, but at the same time...