Hey everyone, this has been one wild ride! We are almost at the last day of the festival! This Saturday at Galería de la Raza! 7:30pm! 10 to 20 sliding scale! The show may sell out, so I would buy your tickets now if you want to make sure you get a spot in the show.

Click here to buy tickets!

Been really busy and working hard to spread the word. I spent the last week walking around passing out fliers and putting up posters, which is something I’ve been doing for about 5 years now. I love taking to the streets and talking to people in person about what I’m doing, about writing and the spoken word. I like asking people when was the last time they heard something that moved them, outloud?

I say to them, you know that meme, or image, or inspirational quote you read last at work, to yourself that made you all teary eyed? Imagine that for about 5 minutes, set in a poem, recited outloud to your ears, that is spoken word! A lot, a LOT of people look at me like I’m crazy, but I remind them, that there is a beauty in that exchange, there is something about poetry out loud that wakes people up, breathes new life into them. The folks that listen, hear stories of when I go to a show and feel new, reborn, or just get to feel again. Now, these moments are rare, most of the time folks give me dirty looks or say “I’m just going to throw this away.” or “Dude, I’m going to Tahoe that weekend.” or walk away from me. Most of the time it is me, by myself putting posters on poles, walls, cafes, video stores, or holding the poster while my cohost the most amazing Blythe Baldwin tapes them up or push pins them to a cork board, and on we go!

Last night I put them up around the Castro again, two ladies walked by that seemed cool, so I said that to them “You two seem cool, cool people go to this show.” and handed them the flier, they looked at me and looked at the flier and said “Oh! We love spoken word.” I asked “Really?!” they said “Yeah, we watch it on youtube all the time.” I said, “Well, this is like that, but LIVE.” they blinked. I said “Like a youtube video but, the person is infront of you.” they laughed at me, and said they’ll try to make it. It felt good to be out and about, talking to folks, even the ones that thought that they would never go to a poetry show, or the ones that laughed at the thought of it, it was nice to get to talk to people. On my way to the Castro the 24 I was on Jerked going up hill and my back got violently jammed into my hard plastic seat. It was very painful and throughout the night the pain got worse and worse and worse. I passed out fliers at SmackDab the open mic at Magnet and walked back to the Mission passing out fliers and putting up posters.

By the time was at Mission and 24th, the pain was excruciating, I wanted to lay down on the sidewalk and just let the earth take me, hahaha, but instead I distracted myself by taking pictures of signs that I liked. Then I took  SELFIES! Yay! Selfies next to signs that I like. Like the Lucky Pork Store. I like pork, pork likes me. What does this have to do with ¿Donde Esta Mi Gente? NOTHING! HAHAHA! ok.

I I’m really looking forward to the show on Saturday. A talented writer named Sarah C. Jimenez is going to be reading a poem or two, a good friend that is a playwright but has a masters in poetry is going to read as well, Marisela Treviño Orta, I’ve known her for a long time. Two folks I highly admire who run the Berkeley literary series Lyrics and Dirges, Tomas Moniz and MK Chavez will also be performing. The very talented and famous Gabriel Cortez and Kay Nilsson will be performing as well. Christina Perez a top notch slam poet, performer, writer organizer is going to do a set, and the legendary Guillermo Gómez Peña is going to be there as well, opening for him, will be Denise Benavides. This is a line up that was very fun to put together, each poet is Latino, Latina, but each one is so unique, dynamic, diverse, electrifying, in different parts of their careers, I am going to be one happy Mexican when we all share the stage together.

BE THERE THIS SATURDAY THE 19TH at Galería de la Raza!! 7:30pm! 2857 24th Street

Here is a sneak peek at two of them Tomas Moniz and Kay Nilsson. Hope to see you all there!