By Mia Herz

This January, Upper School English Teacher and 11th Grade Dean, Mr. Cerpa published his newest book The Palace. It follows the journey of a family from Puerto Rico to America and then as they move north through the United States. The book exists in both a real and mythological landscape. He explains there is a literal Puerto Rico and a New York, but “there’s also a mythology that surrounds that” and “it becomes much more a spiritual journey.”

While writing his third book, Mr. Cerpa wanted to contemplate untouched aspects of his life, his family’s life, and his thinking. Reflecting on his earlier books, he explains he was finally able to fill the gaps and answer the question, “Are there some stories that are not told or ideas that haven’t fully been fleshed out that I could bring to the surface?” The Palace reflects on people Mr. Cerpa had never written about before but who had a huge influence on his life. He explains, “they’re kind of missing” from his writing, and he wanted to explore “uncharted territory,” allowing him to create something new and outside of the landscape of New York City.

Becoming a father about two years ago, when his daughter Eden was born, has had a profound impact on his writing, especially in how he thinks about family and next generations. He explains, “My grandmothers wanted things for their children. My parents wanted things for me. And those thoughts have begun to enter and have allowed me to begin to reflect on the relationship between generations.” Why do people move? Is a central question for him. He shares that “people take an incredible risk and move to a new place for a sense of opportunity and for opportunity and in that sacrifice quite a bit.” Although Mr. Cerpa grew up in Staten Island, his father was born in Puerto Rico, and his mother lived most of her childhood in Puerto Rico. In his family there is a lot of free movement between Puerto Rico and the US.

The process of writing The Palace was similar to his previous books. To him, building a poetry collection is interesting because “you want poems to function on their own.” He shares that, if you opened a magazine or read a poem by itself, “You’d read it, have an experience, feel like you understand what it’s getting at or exploring.” Building a book is different. It also needs to have a through line or a story. Over the course of four years, Mr. Cerpa had many shifting feelings and thoughts and often had to return to and edit his poems to make his work a cohesive whole.

Teaching 10th Grade English and various English Honors Seminars, Mr. Cerpa feels for his students because “writing is pretty hard.” Remembering how difficult it can be to articulate one’s thoughts gives him a strong sense of empathy in the classroom. His students also inspire him. By listening to these brilliant people analyze literature every day, he learns a lot about the different connections people can make and what compels them to keep reading and engage on a deeper level. From his students, he’s learned “tactics on how to do that. And it always deepened my thinking.”

For young writers, Mr. Cerpa advises them to “read a lot and read widely so that you can interact with a variety of different styles and mimic those styles and then through almost like a collage-esque practice find who you are as a writer.” He encourages writers to combine the elements they admire with their own lives and unique ideas to stylistically create something new.

Besides writing, Mr. Cerpa loves running. Along with his sister and high school friend, he signed up for his second half marathon, NYCRUNS Brooklyn Experience Half Marathon on Sunday, April 26.