Hugo dos Santos is a Luso-American writer and
translator. He is the author of Reduction in Force (Bauhan Publishing,
forthcoming 2026), winner of the May Sarton New Hampshire Poetry Award, and Then, there (Spuyten Duyvil, 2019), a collection of Newark stories. He is the
translator of Homecoming (Arquipélago Press, 2024) and A Child in Ruins (Writ Large Press, 2016), a staff pick by The Paris Review Daily.
Born
in Lisboa, Portugal, and raised in Newark, New Jersey, Hugo writes toward
questions of diaspora, belonging, and memory. His poetry and fiction illuminate
the beauty, complexity, and struggles of the immigrant experience and urban
life, while his translations bring contemporary Portuguese literature to
English-speaking audiences.
Hugo
received a 2026 Fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. He
has also been awarded fellowships from The Edward F. Albee Foundation,
MacDowell, and the Disquiet International Literary Program. His work has been
nominated for a Pushcart Prize and appeared in Barrelhouse, Cultural
Daily, Electric Literature, Hobart, The Common, The
Fanzine, and elsewhere.
Hugo
lives in New Jersey.
1 -
How did your first book change your life? How does your most recent work
compare to your previous? How does it feel different?
My
first book was a collection of short stories titled Then, there, about
my hometown of Newark, NJ. I felt so much responsibility with that book, to
capture the essence of that place. It took me about four years to write that
book.
My
new book, Reduction in Force, is a poetry collection that deals with
very different subject matter. On the surface, it’s far from Then, there,
but both books are really concerned with identity, belonging, and the systems
that shape our lives.
I
had an early idea for the structure of Reduction in Force, and the poems
kept coming. I wrote them in almost the exact order in which they appear in the
book, which is still hard to believe.
2 -
How did you come to poetry first, as opposed to, say, fiction or non-fiction?
Poetry
was my first literary language. Before I knew how to tell stories, I was trying
to make meaning through images, rhythm, and compression.
In
some ways, I think all my projects start out as poems. I think in verse and
have some methods I have developed for capturing those early ideas when they
emerge. As I keep working on them, sometimes they stay as poems. Other times,
they evolve into something else.
3 -
How long does it take to start any particular writing project? Does your
writing initially come quickly, or is it a slow process? Do first drafts appear
looking close to their final shape, or does your work come out of copious
notes?
At
first, I don’t really know that I’m working on something that will become a
book. It’s just writing. When I find myself coming back to the same idea, I’ll
make a note of that though I don’t rush in to define it right away. Longer
projects kind of reveal themselves as they begin to take shape.
I am
an avid note taker and those are very helpful. My first drafts tend to be
explorations. They contain the DNA of the finished piece, but I revise heavily
and repeatedly.
4 -
Where does a poem or work of prose usually begin for you? Are you an author of
short pieces that end up combining into a larger project, or are you working on
a "book" from the very beginning?
Early
in a project, I am usually just writing without any kind of pretense about what
it will turn into. Those first steps are an opportunity to play and investigate
during which I try to find the voice and the story that is inspiring me to
write. As I keep working, the play transforms into something more serious.
That’s when I start to think about the shape of the project, its structure and
form.
Very
early on, I realized this new book wanted the architecture of a Greek tragedy.
In some ways, that made the writing process easier because I knew what the book
was building to. I had a clear vision for where it was going and how it would
end. That allowed me to focus on the execution, which was a real treat.
5 -
Are public readings part of or counter to your creative process? Are you the
sort of writer who enjoys doing readings?
I
really enjoy readings and public events because they are an opportunity to
build or be in community. I particularly enjoy a number of the local reading
and open mic series. I like being able to share my work with a supportive
audience, and I love to hear my friends’ work.
For Reduction
in Force, I definitely used the open mic series in my town, at the
Flemington DIY, to read the poems in a big space. I learned about the poems
that way; both about what was and wasn’t working. That was invaluable and I am
so indebted to all the good people who are part of that series. I named them in
the Acknowledgments section of the book.
6 -
Do you have any theoretical concerns behind your writing? What kinds of
questions are you trying to answer with your work? What do you even think the
current questions are?
Each
of my books has been an attempt to take on a big question or idea. In Reduction
in Force, I ended up writing about the systems we create and the degree to
which those systems fail to function in the interest of the individuals within
them.
The
book started because I wanted to investigate our relationship with work,
specifically with corporate work. I was interested in the degree to which those
kinds of jobs inform the identity of those individuals who make their living
that way.
I
have seen a number of those reductions, and I was struck by how they affect
both those who are laid off as well as those who keep their jobs and continue
in their roles after the fact. One of the ideas at the center of the book is
the lie embedded in the phrase It’s just business. Work shapes identity,
family life, self-worth, and community. When that relationship is severed, the
consequences are deeply personal.
7 –
What do you see the current role of the writer being in larger culture? Do they
even have one? What do you think the role of the writer should be?
The
writer’s first responsibility is to the craft. Beyond that, literature helps us
see one another more clearly. I don’t think art needs to be didactic, but I do
think it can challenge the stories a culture tells about itself.
8 -
Do you find the process of working with an outside editor difficult or
essential (or both)?
I
absolutely love working with a good editor. My work is always better for it.
Writing can be a solitary act, while publishing is collaborative. A good editor
sees both the book you wrote and the book you’re trying to write, then helps
close the gap between them.
9 -
What is the best piece of advice you've heard (not necessarily given to you
directly)?
To
not take any advice. To keep going and find my own way of doing it.
10 -
How easy has it been for you to move between genres (poetry to short stories to
translation)? What do you see as the appeal?
I
love the freedom to move between genres. It allows me to work in accordance
with what the project needs. I also learn valuable lessons in one genre that I
can apply in others.
11 -
What kind of writing routine do you tend to keep, or do you even have one? How
does a typical day (for you) begin?
My
routine changes from project to project. When I’m deep in a manuscript, I
become very goal-oriented and build systems around word counts, deadlines, and
milestones. Outside of that, I am constantly taking notes, collecting ideas,
and paying attention.
12 -
When your writing gets stalled, where do you turn or return for (for lack of a
better word) inspiration?
When
I get stuck, I have sometimes taken a break and moved to a different project.
Usually, though, and if at all possible, I will try to work on a different
aspect of the same project. That allows me to subconsciously work on the
problem. Later, when I return to what had me stuck, I am better able to find a
solution.
13 -
What fragrance reminds you of home?
A
big pot on the stove. Garlic and onions sizzling in olive oil. Family gathered
around a table.
There’s
a line in my book that goes, “I still love meals that stop everything.” And
it’s so true.
14 -
David W. McFadden once said that books come from books, but are there any other
forms that influence your work, whether nature, music, science or visual art?
Yes,
in addition to books, I am inspired by film and music. In Reduction in Force,
I have an epigraph from Frank Ocean: “If it brings me to my knees, it’s a bad
religion.” That line was an anchor for me while I was writing the book.
15 -
What other writers or writings are important for your work, or simply your life
outside of your work?
There
are so many: Fernando Pessoa is the writer I return to most often and his work
has been a companion through different stages of my life; Katherine Vaz is a
writer and person I greatly admire; I love the work of Percival Everett; I
adore the poetry of Jane Hirshfield and Aracelis Girmay; poets like Marwa Helal, Vincent Toro, Grisel Y. Acosta, Chiwan Choi, and Peter Murphy; and I am
endlessly inspired by the work of colleagues like Marina Carreira, Dimitri Reyes, PaulA Neves, Ysabel Y. Gonzalez, and Toma Zbrizher.
16 -
What would you like to do that you haven't yet done?
I
would love to publish a novel.
17 -
If you could pick any other occupation to attempt, what would it be? Or,
alternately, what do you think you would have ended up doing had you not been a
writer?
I
have a career in educational publishing. I care deeply about literacy and
helping young people become readers. Had writing not found me, I suspect I
would have gravitated toward work involving books, language, and learning.
18 -
What made you write, as opposed to doing something else?
I
never really had a choice. Writing is how I make sense of the world. I was
writing long before I ever thought of publication. It helped me understand
experiences, questions, and contradictions that wouldn’t leave me alone.
19 -
What was the last great book you read? What was the last great film?
I
just finished reading all of Claire Keegan’s books. She is an incredible
writer. I was particularly moved by Small Things Like These and Foster,
which is a gorgeous poem of a novel.
I recently watched The Secret Agent and was blown away by its depth and
subtlety.
20 -
What are you currently working on?
I
have a novel in progress that I’m very excited about. Hopefully you’ll read it
one day.
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