When a river swirls around the stones in its bed, there are patterns and currents in the water that meet and part and rush away again, whispering of tales to tell.

Dr. Leonel Alvarado is unsurprisingly fascinated by these ebbs and flows – as his life is a swirling mix of cultures that has led him to explore the deeper human associations between peoples.

Leonel was born in Honduras, speaks Spanish and has chosen to make his home in Palmerston North where he is senior lecturer in Spanish in Massey University’s school of humanities.

“I am lucky and fortunate at Massey to be able to do what I do and talk about the things I love and am passionate about.”

His mother always wanted him to be a doctor, but she hoped for an MD rather than a Doctor of Literature.

He arrived in New Zealand in 2002, knowing little about the country other than Anchor Milk, Kiwi Shoe Polish and the music of Crowded House. Forget culture shock – one of his biggest surprises was the coldness of the houses.

However, this was more than compensated for by the warmness of the people he met and the way they embraced his literary loves.

“The support here has been fabulous, “he said. “I have met some wonderful people at Massey and in this town, some of whom have become dear friends. It has made my life happy and meaningful to meet people who share the things I love.”

These shared loves include poetry in general, but broaden into a deep fascination with Latin American literature and culture.

When he’s not examining them to identify the political messages and their influence on identity formation, he researches and writes poetry based on his findings.

Since arriving in Palmerston North he has also started the annual Latin American Film Festival at the City Library which has become his home away from home.

“It really is the Living Room of the City”, he said.

Back in Honduras he established an early connection with the sacred Mayan river that flows through Copan and a reverence toward the river became part of his childhood experience.

One of the first things he did when he arrived in Palmerston North, was to be taken by a Massey colleague, Dr. Colin Anderson, to “meet” the Manawatu River. The experience made its way into his poem What Stones Know.

“I believe a stone from the Manawatu River shares its mana with the stone used by the Maya to build their temples and the rock thrown at a military tank in Palestine.”

“I wasn’t planning on writing poetry in English as my work has always been in Spanish. However, I came to realise that the topic chooses the language. The river and the stones made their way into my pages and I had no choice, but to let them speak.”

In 2014, the “speaking” will see three books of poetry published – one here, one in Cuba and another in Panama.

The New Zealand book, Driving With Neruda to the Fish ‘n’ Chips, will be launched at the Palmerston North City Library on August 22.

Since arriving in Palmerston North he has won second prize in one of Latin America's most prestigious poetry competitions.

His book Retratos mal hablados was runner-up and received a special mention in the Casa de las Americas Poetry Award, which has been run from Cuba since 1960.

The work, which examines the experiences of Latinos seeking new lives in the United States, was selected from 328 manuscripts by a panel of five judges who came from Cuba, Ecuador, Argentina, Puerto Rico and Uruguay.

He is still writing vigorously and being published consistently both here and in the Americas.