Pajarillo, Pajarillo by Lolita Hernandez, drawing by Sherry Hendrick
April 1, 2024
Pajarillo, Pajarillo is an incredible short story about a little bird (pajarillo) that is trapped in a Detroit industrial factory. The story is set on a woman working in the factory that listens to the bird singing as she works. This work is extremely detailed with a descriptive narrative that enthralls you into this work. The bird mimics the factory worker in several ways and sets a somber tone of the story. The art on the cover of this poem reflects the sorrowful mood and is simplistic yet evoking in terms of emotion. The disconsolate faces of people on the cover gather around flowers leaving the cover feeling soft and quiet as the story unfolds.
Parajarillo, Parajarillo is one work in a sequence of works called The Alternative Press. The Alternative Press is rooted in Detroit history and Cass Corridor art. This artistic process was created by two well-known Detroit artists, Ken and Ann Mikolowski. For many years, the press focused on the amplification of Detroit artists and encouraged the participation of many people in the Detroit metro area. The press advertised a wide variety of works; postcards, original works of art, poetry, correspondence, and much more. The anticipation of waiting for an Alternative Press envelope filled with a lottery of works was enticing.
Lolita Hernandez is an author of short stories initially based out of Detroit, Michigan but has now retired in Las Vegas, Nevada. Hernandez grew up with a unique perspective with her parents hailing from Trinidad and Tobango. Hernandez worked as a UAW member of General Motors for thirty-three years and was faculty of the University of Michigan Creative Writing Department for twelve years. Sherry Hendrick founded the gallery Alley Culture in Detroit. It was once a hub for like-minded artists to swap ideas and exchange information. The sense of community that the Cass Corridor artists had was like no other.
Written by Colleen Sikorski
https://www.lolitahernandez.com/
https://findingaids.lib.umich.edu/catalog/umich-scl-altpress
https://www.metrotimes.com/news/drawings-in-old-places-2176043