SOURCE: An interview in Chicano Authors: Inquiry by Interview, by Bruce-Novoa, University of Texas Press, 1980, pp. 203-18.

In the following interview, which was originally conducted via correspondence in September 1978, Zamora discusses various aspects of her life and work as well as the current state of Chicano literature.

A prolific poet, Bernice Zamora had published widely in journals before the publication of Restless Serpents (1976), yet, as José Montoya indicates in his interview [also in Chicano Authors: Inquiry by Interview], it is a sad commentary on the male bias which predominates in the Chicano literary establishment—a mere reflection of the society—that she had not received more recognition. Restless Serpents now demands it.

Zamora, in many respects, can be compared to Tino Villanueva. Both are careful craftspersons who know the fundamental tools of the trade and are willing to explore the influences of other poets; their sensibilities lie more...