Coming Clean: 5 questions with Cincinnati poet Manuel Iris

Manuel Iris takes silence and turns it into poetry. A Mexican-born American poet now living in Cincinnati, Iris’ gift for language recently earned him the Ambroggio Prize, an award that highlights outstanding contributions to Latinx poetry in the United States.

Iris moved to the Queen City in 2008 to pursue a doctorate degree at the University of Cincinnati after completing an M.A. at New Mexico State University. Since then, he has made his mark in the region writing poetry in both Spanish and English and is the author of five poetry collections. He also teaches literature.

Iris’ winning manuscript is bilingual: The Whole Earth Is a Garden of Monsters / Toda la tierra es un jardín de monstruos explores the life of migrants from Latin America and the paintings of renaissance Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch. It will be published in 2026. Iris co-translated the book into English alongside the Irish-American poet Kevin McHugh, who also resides in Cincinnati.

We recently caught up with Iris, who feels the Ambroggio Prize recognizes that Spanish is a poetic language, and that poetry transcends all languages. Says Iris, “I accept this award not only for myself, but for all Hispanic communities in the U.S., and for everyone who cares about the human condition, about art, and about beauty.”

Here’s what else he had to say:

1) Do you have a guiding principle for your approach to poetry?

I believe poetry is a translation of silence. It is a way to say, with words, what is beyond words—beyond language. I believe—and this is a guiding principle—that a good poem is a form of prayer, and maybe a kind of confession. A poem can be made out of anything, except lies. At its center, a poem must hold a truth beating like a heart. Telling an inner truth is a very important part of my approach to poetry.

2) What has been your biggest challenge?

I’m always worried that I won’t be able to do justice, with my words, to the silence that precedes them. I worry that my sound, my melody, won’t be the sound the poem needs. I worry I won’t find the exact shape, the right words, for silence to become a poem.

3) What has been your luckiest break?

Meeting my wife when I did. She’s the reason I stayed in Cincinnati after completing my PhD. That’s when I began my life as a Cincinnati poet. Meeting her is the single event that has, directly or indirectly, shaped both my current life and my poetic writing.

Angie LibpscombIris recently earned the Ambroggio Prize, an award that highlights outstanding contributions to Latinx poetry in the United States.
4) Why Cincinnati?

I came to Cincinnati in 2008 to pursue a PhD in Romance Languages at the University of Cincinnati. But many other reasons led me to stay and become a Cincinnatian—my wife and daughter, my friends, and many people I love. This is a wonderful city, full of art and opportunity. It is a city that has returned my love. That’s why I stayed, and I’ll continue to do my best to give back to Cincinnati all the love it has given me.

5) If you were tossing a coin into the Tyler Davidson Fountain regarding the poetry scene in Greater Cincinnati, what would your wish be?

I would wish for Cincinnati poets to be even more central to the city’s cultural life. I’d wish for poetry to be more mainstream, more accessible, more widely known. Cincinnati is a poetry city, and most people don’t know it. But we are—without hesitation—one of the best poetry cities in the U.S.


You can learn more, in both English and Spanish, about Manuel Iris and his poetry at https://manueliris.com.