5 Questions: Professor of English - Donato Martinez

Donato Martinez was born in in small pueblo, Garcia de la Cadena, Zacatecas, Mexico and immigrated into the USA at six years old. He teaches English Composition, Literature, and Creative Writing at Santa Ana College. He has also taught classes in Chicano Studies. He has been a co-coordinator of the Puente Program for 25 years. He is a poet and writes about his barrio experience, his community, his Chicano culture, bilingual identities, and other complexities of life.


I have to begin this interview by saying you organize some of the most incredible events in unexpected places. You’re a true man of the people and a poet of barrio. You once threw a poetry reading at an auto shop and a hundred people showed up. You really do bring the poetry to the people and the people do come out.



Tell us about how you arrived at this approach and how do you define it?

I have always felt that poetry is for the people. I love to see murals, street art, and graffiti in public places. So much like this art, poetry should be available to every working-class individual. I would love to pack an audience at a barber shop, a restaurant, a factory, the parking lots at a 7- 11 or Northgate Market. So in this case, an opportunity was presented to me by a former student at Sancho’s Garage in Long Beach. We hosted this event twice. We featured music, poetry, social mixing and mingling. The first time we had about 80 people in the audience. The second time we had about 100 people. I met families with children, tattoo artists, barbers, mechanics, construction workers, professors, and students all gathered under one roof to celebrate poetry – Chicano/a poetry. It validated for me that our people, our community is hungry for art. We do not always need to be entertained by novelas, lucha libre, reruns of El Chavo del Ocho, narco movies, carne asada kickbacks, and quinceañeras (although I love these); we too enjoy the art of poetry.

You are a professor at
Santa Ana College, it is often said that in teaching we learn the most. What have you learned about the art of writing by teaching it? 

These two roles for me are cyclical and they coexist together. I believe teaching informs me of My writing process and writing influences my methods of teaching. They both influence me and I listen intently to what each one says to the other. I experience the anxiety that my students feel in the classroom. I feel a sense of angst and trepidation; I experience the pitfalls and challenges of writing something with substance and creativity. I feel the writer’s block, I feel the frustration, I feel the pressure to finish a piece that I am not ashamed or embarrassed to share. I empathize with my students’ fear when sharing the written word. For example, students conference with each other in writer’s groups in which they read, critique, and discuss each other’s work. One thing I say to them when engaging in the peer editing process – be constructive and show them some “tough love,” but also show some sensitivity and compassion. I am teaching my students to be teachers of the craft of writing by engaging in these exercises. But it is difficult for students to be courageous with their writing.

You are not only a teacher, but a mentor to many of your students. What does it mean for you to pass on this tradition in relation to your practice? Who have been your mentors?


As a mentor/ and teacher, I value and honor this important role. I have a mission and responsibility to my students – I want to teach them how to write and how to gain confidence in their writing skills. I see their nervous eyes and timid faces when paired with other writers in class. I can relate to their lack of confidence. Many of them have fears or anxiety over sharing their essay with a more polished writer. This is the same as me reading a poem in front of strangers – I fear criticism and judgment. This is never easy.

I tell students that it is perfectly fine to write crappy drafts or to have unfinished work, but do do they have something that can be built from there. Is there a possibility of something to develop. Students cannot receive help or grow if they do not attempt something. They have to produce something. So in steps, we conference, discuss ideas, build a skeleton, shape an essay, and then students compose. It is really a beautiful thing to witness the process and see the finished product.

I have also learned that everything I write is not worthy of sharing or even publishing. I have a journal of many unfinished pieces or scribbles of notes that do not go beyond a line or two. I also have many “shitty drafts” tucked somewhere on my computer. These shitty drafts are collecting dust and cobwebs or festering in a pool of murky, green, and unhealthy water. I may never come back to them. But perhaps, there is one magical line, one glimmer of a sentence, one image that feels like a diamond. So perhaps one day it will become part of a gem of a finished piece. I also encourage students to be vulnerable. Writing is a solitary act – one that is very personal, so I emphasize the need to be sensitive to oneself, but to also be courageous and not be afraid. This takes a while, an entire semester at times, but we practice journaling and I discuss the importance of healing through writing.


You are in the process of becoming published by
El Martillo Press with your debut collection Touch the Sky. In preparation for this, you have been in communication with your future press mates. What has your experience been like so far?

That is a good question – and I will tell you why – in only a brief time, the experience has been filled with elation. It is an incredible feeling knowing that my publishers – David Romero and Matt Sedillo – have selected and placed me on a team of like-minded writers to carry on this torch, this tradition of poetry by working class individuals that have strong ties to our urban barrios and communities. It is like I have found my long-lost brothers and sisters and after many years, we are now living in the same house together. I feel that we are a team, El Martillo Press, and that we are going to venture out into the world and spread the spirit of love through poetry. El Martillo Press feels like a place that will celebrate and honor the many contributions of our people, sometimes forgotten and ignored. It is a reminder that we have always been here and that we will always be here, in the future. It feels great to be seen. Many of us from El Martillo Press read our poetry to an audience of 150 people at The Cheech Center for Chicano Art and Culture in May. That evening, I shared many new poems from my forthcoming collection of poetry, Touch the Sky, which I have kept this secret under wraps for a long time. It was also an opportunity to share my poetry with my publisher, David Romero and fellow press mates. It was an evening of “coming out” of El Martillo writers and an introduction of us to the Inland Empire. It was a magical and powerful night. In June, we will have some exciting events that will launch the release and introduction of the first five poets of El Martillo Press. We have plans to read at two venues on the same day in July and have plans to read in the bay area this summer. It will be an amazing time. This is only the beginning. I love my publishers and the pressmates that I have shared the stage with. I feel the love when I am surrounded by them.


What advice do you have for aspiring writers?


I do not believe in telling aspiring writers to write every day for a sustained amount of time. Or write like one of your daily chores, at the same time every day. I wish we all had the luxury and ability to do this. But this is not reality. Most writers I know have real jobs, real obligations, families that need their attention, so writing becomes secondary for most people. You do it when the time is right; however, writers should develop a sense of commitment and consistency. I look forward to the silent moments to work on a piece – late into the night, past midnight. There will be random times that I wake up and think of a piece, and I force myself up out of bed to write a few notes, and then I will return to it at 6 am, write for an hour or two, and then remind myself, “oh shit, I have to get ready for work” or “damn, I need to grade these essays.
”I tell students to write/journal as often as they can, every day, even for 15-30 minutes. It does not matter what they write. But to do it for a sustained amount of time. Then I encourage them to practice this art, like practicing how to dribble a basketball with your left hand or like learning how to play guitar. All of these endeavors take practice. So, I tell them to produce work, even if they appear like “shitty first drafts.” Then I tell them to engage in the process of “work” - edit, revise, cut things down, comb through it, throw away the rubbish, add more details, etc. I encourage them to think of their readers and what do they want them to feel when they read their piece. I discuss empathy quite a bit in class. All of us writers or creatives must listen and pay attention to inspiration. It strikes us at bizarre and random moments, and we better capture this moment before it escapes us. Write it down before you forget. Lastly, I tell students and aspiring writers – If you do not write it, no one will read it!


Matt Sedillo has been described as the "best political poet in America" as well as "the poet laureate of the struggle" by academics, poets, and journalists alike. He has appeared on CSPAN and has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, among other publications.

5 Question with Margaret Elysia Garcia

Margaret Elysia Garcia is the author of the short story collection Graft published by Tolsun Books in 2022, and the author of the poetry memoir chapbook Burn Scars chronicling living through the Dixie Fire in 2021 in the northeastern Sierras.  She's the co-editor of the forthcoming Red Flag Warning: Northern Californians Living with Fire to be published by HeyDay Books in spring 2024, and the forthcoming poetry collection the daughterland poems to be published by El Martillo Press. Her work has been featured in the Akashic Noir Series Santa Cruz Noir, PM Press’ All of Me: Stories of Love, Anger, and the Female Body, on Upworthy, and Juked, Catamaran Literary Reader, among others. She teaches poetry with the Community Literature Initiative of Los Angeles and continues to report on rural communities recovering from wildfire for Feather Publishing. She’s the co-founder of Las Pachuca’s—a Latina theater troupe in northeastern California.

By Matt Sedillo

Photography Courtesy of Ryan Upton

Published 4/24/2023 7:30 AM PST

You are the author of several books now. Some poetry,  some short stories, you have been a journalist as well. Tell us what it is about your skills as a writer that allows you to move so comfortably into different fields and disciplines?

I'm the author of one published short story collection. Another I'm currently editing so I can submit it for publication. All my short stories are set in southern California with rare exceptions. I've had four plays I've written, produced and also wrote two documentary shorts. And like everyone from California, I have a couple of screenplays. I think each time you go to tell a story it might need a different medium.  Sometimes I do the same story in a poem first then move it to a short story--one time I move it to a play; sometimes  I start in a novel and write poems in the voices of the characters. I have a poem in daughterland poems that is actually the culmination of some research I did for the novel I'm writing. You feel for where it's going to find a home and you go with it. Poetry is my home-base and when I'm working on something really personal I tend to head to poetry. When I'm trying to make a statement I tend to head to plays. If it feels expansive, a novel. Etc. Journalism is probably my least favorite but it's how I pay the bills. Also in the last few years I've been able to use journalism to advocate for rural Californians living with the consequences of legislation brought on by non rural Californians. So journalism for me also helps alert readers to small/large causes that I champion.

Everywhere you go you seem to build community. Tell us about some of the local and national communities of writers you are a part of? 

Ha. I was born in Montebello and raised for the first few years and then high school in Whittier but I grew up an army brat living in Maryland, DC, Georgia, and then West Germany so I'm able because of that I think to run in different communities and find common ground. I'm as progressive as they come yet I'm attached to several people in the military and that's kind of unusual for a leftist. I've also lived in Northern California for 25 years (both rural and San Francisco where I went to graduate school) so I have many ties there and Japan (I lived in Kumamoto prefecture with the JET Programme (Japanese Exchange Teaching Program). I also belong to an online writing group of sorts. We're loosely based around writer Ariel Gore's literary kitchen network of wayward writers but there's a core of us that see each other in person these days. Our kids grew up knowing each other as well. We used to meet in the summers in the northern Sierras where I lived before the Dixie Fire.   I grew up an environmental activist in the Green Party of California so I know people from there. I was raised by a Mexican lesbian mother and had a gay military stepdad for awhile before my mom finally came all the way out and took off with my stepmom for 35 years (who was a nun when they met). My dad was a biologist turned medical doctor. So my background in general is all over the map. Not a lot phases me. In the last decade or so I worked with people in theater in the northern Sierras and with the Listen to Your Mother franchise directing shows and had my own theater troupe I created with one of my theater friends. I'm always glad now that my mom made me so independent and that I was able to travel so much. I have people everywhere that I consider close friends

You are multi-talented can you tell us about the other Margaret Garcia.

The other Margaret Garcia is a badass painter and I absolutely never want to do anything to end up on her bad side. I love her work. I love her attitude.  She's somehow old school and on the edge of what's next at the same time. I'm so glad we're friends now. It's an evolving friendship based on wonder and mutual respect. When we finally met at the end of 2022 I felt like we'd known each other forever. We met with big hugs. I've always been curious about the other Margaret Garcia for three decades and I am so happy that my friend Matthew and her husband Rhett were able to conspire to get us to meet. We're talking about doing a project together around climate change and wildfire survival. Her paintings of fire are true to the emotional experience. She likes my poetry. It's a mutual admiration society right now and I love that.

With your collection daughterland you are joining up with El Martillo Press. El Martillo Press is really committed to team building and poetry trouping what has your experience like been thus far with your press-mates? 

I love El Martillo Press and my press siblings! My work always fits uneasily between not being academic enough for the university press/east coast crowd but also not really street poetry or slam worthy either ( I don't memorize well). I took an instant liking to El Martillo for being willing to be out there and not sitting back and publishing without promoting. I've always tried to get my voice out there and I appreciate El Martillo Press' fervor. I think the publishers have put together a solid group of poets to work together for the benefit of all. When I met those guys I felt like I'd already known them forever.

What advice can you give aspiring writers? 

Yeah, my advice to aspiring writers is to not get caught up in trends or identities that aren't you.  Too many of us struggle with that. We're working on something we believe in and whoops, it's not trendy anymore. Or we try and see how we can somehow fit in somehow. As someone of multiple communities I say just do your own thing and eventually people will come around to you if it's good. And don't write things you aren't into because it'll show.  But I tend to work on multiple projects at once (no two in the same medium) which is to say I'm editing short stories, dusting off a play, and working on the next book of poems, while researching a novel. I want to work every day but I have to work on what comes to me that day. It's not always the same medium every day. And aspiring writers shouldn't be afraid to try shit and go way out there. I love music and visual art and I try to approach writing like musical composition and painting. I'm always interested in experimenting with language and trying to create something new in that respect. Also don't think you can write a memoir in your 20s. Live a little first.


Matt Sedillo has been described as the "best political poet in America" as well as "the poet laureate of the struggle" by academics, poets, and journalists alike. He has appeared on CSPAN and has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, among other publications.

5 Questions with David A. Romero Spoken Word Artist

David A. Romero is a Mexican-American spoken word artist from Diamond Bar, CA. Romero is the author of My Name Is Romero (FlowerSong Press), a book reviewed by Gustavo Arellano (¡Ask a Mexican!), Curtis Marez (University Babylon), and founding member of Ozomatli, Ulises Bella. 

By Matt Sedillo
Photography Damon Casarez

Photography Damon Casarez

April 13, 2023, 10:00 AM PST

Romero has received honorariums from nearly a hundred colleges and universities in thirty-four different states in the USA and has performed live in Mexico, Italy, and France. Romero's work has been published in literary magazines in the United States, Mexico, England, Scotland, and Canada. Romero has opened for Latin Grammy winning bands Ozomatli and La Santa Cecilia. Romero's work has been published in anthologies alongside poets laureate Joy Harjo, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Luis J. Rodriguez, Jack Hirschman, and Tongo Eisen-Martin. Romero has won the Uptown Slam at the historic Green Mill in Chicago; the birthplace of slam poetry. Romero offers a scholarship for high school seniors interested in spoken word and social justice, "The Romero Scholarship for Excellence in Spoken Word."


You have been making noise in the poetry scene now for some 17 years. You seen waves of poets come and go. What is the secret of your longevity? 


Obsession, I guess. A lot of poets get involved at one venue, or maybe a handful of venues, or maybe they're chasing fame, or chasing a publishing deal, or success in the world of competitive poetry, and kind of burn out after a while. So many, reasonably, find something in the larger world: a new career, a partner, kids, that pulls them in a different direction. Poetry isn't very lucrative; only for those at the very top. You have to be obsessed to keep it going.


I've had enough success to bolster my obsession. I became a successful nationally-touring poet over the last decade. More importantly, I did it without a manager or an agent. I built my website, made my promotional materials, wrote my sample contract, developed the workshops and presentations, sent the booking emails, got on the phone, and had the in-person meetings to secure bookings and build connections. My first two books were self-published, self-edited, and self-formatted. I've spent so much time performing and developing my career as a poet, It's tied into almost every facet of who I am. I've learned new skills over the years to make me a more effective venue host, touring poet, and now, publisher, with El Martillo Press. It would be very difficult for me to do anything else but to be a poet, or work in a related field. 

I've gotten to travel to places I never thought I would, see amazing things, meet amazing people, get some standing ovations, see my name and face on posters and jumbotrons on college campuses, and have people tell me I changed their lives. It's been enough to keep me invested.
 


You have spoken now at almost 100 universities in over 30 states. These were on campuses in big cities, little cities, cities that have no business calling themselves cities. Tell us what campus or city surprised you the most?


"Cities that have no business calling themselves cities?" Wow. That's just cruel. 

I'm thankful to all of the people who brought me out, even to the most remote of locations. I've met students motivated to become poets, teachers, lawyers, doctors, political leaders, and much more, as well as campus administrators and professors who worked hard for their students, sometimes, with very limited resources. Some of them have gone on to do many great things since. 

I think going to Memphis was one of the more eye-opening experiences for me. The Hispanic Student Association and the Office of Multicultural Affairs at the University of Memphis have twice brought me to the campus to perform at their Awards Banquet. During my time in Memphis, by talking with both students and administrators, I learned about how large numbers of Latinx migrant workers, specifically immigrants from Mexico, are moving into Tennessee and the American South as a whole. This is an area that has historically been populated by primarily African-Americans and Caucasians. We're changing the demographics there, rapidly. We're changing the economics, the politics, the culture. 

On the day after my performance at the university, I saw Maria Hinojosa of Latino USA give a speech in the ballroom of the hotel I was staying at. Some of the most powerful political and economic leaders in Memphis were in attendance. Everywhere, there was a recognition of the change. I knew I was watching something historic.


You're carried at dozens of bookstores. Tell us about that?


I searched online for bookstores, both indies and big box retailers like Barnes & Noble, planned out routes from one to the next, north to south, east to west, and hit the road. It took months. In the process, I discovered amazing bookstores I had never heard of before, and learned many valuable insights about bookstores, and bookstore distribution. I canvassed an area of more than 100 miles. Even on road trips to San Francisco for performances, I would take detours to ask if I could get carried at different bookstores. I spent a lot of gas money and put a lot of miles on my car to do this. But to me, it was important. I don't know if I've met anyone who has managed to secure as wide of distribution without a major publisher behind them.
 

You can read about this in more detail in an article I wrote that was published by the good people at LA TACO, "How This Chicano Poet From Diamond Bar Got Into 50 Bookstores Without a Major Deal."

Your book My Name Is Romero has now been translated into Spanish. You have had reviews in Scotland, England, and Canada. You have participated in international festivals in Italy and read in Paris and Mexico City. How is your work received internationally? 

Literary journals, professors, poets, and audiences have loved my work abroad. Most of the feedback I have received has been very positive. For the anglophiles in non-English-speaking countries, they love how my poetry addresses issues of language, of understanding, of communication, of solidarity and belonging, and appreciate the references I give to various cultures. They love that I have poems that weave in words and phrases in Spanish and French. They also appreciate the insight my work gives to the contemporary Chicano experience in the US. 

As a performer, even those who don't comprehend my words will appreciate my movement, and the dynamism of my recitation. This has been really wonderful to experience in Mexico and Italy. The great Sandro Sardella of Varese, Italy, described my style in a blog he curates as "the lava that dances." That's a great compliment. Often, the audiences abroad will be very quiet, but their faces will move along in confusion, contemplation, and admiration of the readings and performances of us foreign poets. There is great respect for spoken word artists, and poetry in general, outside of the US.


Tell us about El Martillo Press and what the world can expect from David A. Romero publisher at large?


El Martillo Press is the press that you [the interviewer, Matt Sedillo] and I are launching this June. We created El Martillo to build bridges and tear down walls. We've seen that while some university and independent presses posture that they are the arbiters of quality, they often don't actually pay much attention to the craft of their authors or to the importance of what they're saying. What they focus on most is how many degrees their authors have, where they teach, who they've paid to take seminars under, and how many big name fellowships they can claim among the roster. There's not much out there for those who don't teach at the prestigious universities, who never got an advanced degree, who might be working blue-collar nine-to-fives or part-time in the service industry.

You [Matt Sedillo] and I don't have advanced degrees. We're not of the literati. We don't come from that world. We come from the slam-DIY-touring-poet world. We are fortunate to have friends and fans who are celebrated historians, sociologists, etc. who work in the hallowed halls of some prestigious universities, but the respect we've earned, came from the contents of our poetry and our drive to get our work out there. That came in gas and miles, boos and in cheering audiences, door fees, rivalries with other poets, performances with sore throats, headaches, injuries, etc.

For El Martillo Press, we want the hustlers. We want the grinders. We want people who will drive to bookstores, ask to meet with the managers, and ask to be carried. People who have travelled to multiple venues. People who have organized their own tours. We want those who were refused by other presses. We also want those who have been published by a major or a university press, who were discouraged from promoting themselves, became dissatisfied with that kind of arrangement and now want to try something new.

For now, my part in most of this is the backend. I've copy-edited and formatted the books for the five authors who will be part of our launch: Paul S. Flores, Flaminia Cruciani, Ceasar K. Avelar, Margaret Elysia Garcia, and Donato Martinez. I've also been hard at work creating our socials, promotional graphics, and our website. I'll be doing everything that needs to be done to ensure the books are printed and the first orders go out. I'll continue to play a role in the subsequent waves of books and authors, hopefully, eventually, build a team of interns and/or employees and delegate some of this work out.

I hope to play a role in publishing some titles that will change the world.
 


Matt Sedillo has been described as the "best political poet in America" as well as "the poet laureate of the struggle" by academics, poets, and journalists alike. He has appeared on CSPAN and has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, among other publications.

Damon Casarez is a commercial photographer living and working in Los Angeles. Damon’s focus is portrait and documentary photographer working on human interest and social issue stories.

5 Questions With Briana Muñoz Writer & Dancer

By Matt Sedillo
Photography Courtesy of Briana Muñoz
Published 3/21/2023 8:50 Am PST

Briana Muñoz is a writer from Southern California. Born and raised in San Diego, Briana attended her mother's Mexican folklore dance classes and on ranches, where her father trained horses. She is the author of the poetry collection Loose Lips, which was published by Prickly Pear Publishing.

Courtesy of Briana Muñoz

You have achieved quite a bit in the world of letters in a short time. At what point did you begin to write seriously? What was that process like for you?

I've been writing since I was a child, probably 10 years old. In junior high, I remember telling my English teacher that I wanted to be an author and then in high school, I even had a teacher help me submit poetry for publication. However, it wasn't until I was attending a community college later that I took my first creative writing class. That is when I started taking writing seriously because it reignited a literary fire inside of me. I was submitting poems for publication, getting those accepted for publication, and even winning awards. This is also the time when I started performing poetry. So, in turn, shout-out to all of the English teachers and professors for guiding a young poet. 

In 2022 you traveled to San Francisco, San Diego and New York with pressmates from FlowerSong Press. You also read at Book Soup, Tia Chuchas and a number of other prominent LA bookstores. In many ways it was the return of the poetry troupe. What was your experience with this like? 

Yes, it was a busy year! Well I want to highlight that this poetry troupe was made up of Chicanx/ Latinx poets. When I was younger, I'd romanticize groups like the beat poets. Not necessarily their work but their experience and impact. And so, touring and working in collaboration with my Flowersong pressmates, felt like we were doing something really important. Not only were we sharing poetry but we were sharing our culture and hopefully spreading a bigger message with that.

You have performed in Mexico and Cuba how has your work been received internationally?

Mexico, Cuba, Ecuador, yes. Throughout my writing career, I have felt that it's important to translate my poetry into Spanish. That has come in handy when performing poetry in Latin America. It's been received very well. In 2017 when I was in Havana, Cuba as an invited poet for their International Poetry Festival, people would come up to me after our panels and ask if I had any books for sale. At that time, I hadn't published any books yet. Not only was my poetry received very well but those experiences also just really pushed me to really dedicate myself. I got back home and immediately started on my first book. The manuscript was accepted by a publisher the year following.

Courtesy of Briana Muñoz

What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

Write without any shame. When I first started writing, sometimes I'd want to censor myself thinking my ideas would be too extreme. Free yourself. When you do, you'll find that people will value your work because you dared to go there or said something no one has said before. Network. Attend open mics and poetry readings. Support other poet's events. In doing this, not only are you building community but the next time someone has an opportunity (like a feature spot for a monthly reading or some project), they'll think of you and invite you on. 

What can we look forward to from Briana Muñoz in the near future?

I've been slowly working on manuscript number 3 so you can look forward to a new poetry book soon. But, I've also just recently moved to Albuquerque, NM after living in Southern California my entire life so recently I've really just been trying to explore and meet the poetry community here. I facilitate a monthly writing circle (in-person and online) called the Poetry as Harm Reduction Writing Circle and all writers are welcome. Lastly, my partner Johnnie and I are expecting!

So, prep yourselves for all the motherhood-as-a-revolutionary-act poems. Ha!


Matt Sedillo has been described as the "best political poet in America" as well as "the poet laureate of the struggle" by academics, poets, and journalists alike. He has appeared on CSPAN and has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, among other publications.

5 Questions With Pomona's New Poet Laureate Ceasar Avelar

Photography Julian Lucas ©2023

By Matt Sedillo
Photography Julian Lucas
Published 3/14/2023 12:03 Am PST

Recently, I had the honor of sitting down with Ceasar Avelar, who became Pomona’s newest Poet Laureate at the beginning of the year for the city of Pomona.

Tell us about your commitment to what you call blue collar poetry?

When it comes to writing poetry, I write exclusively through the sociological lens of  a blue-collar worker. Writing from this perspective creates a singular form of writing, but this singular form creates a picture of how beautifully complex and juxtaposed proletariat life is. The way I practice this commitment is by invisoning poems using the factory and my identity as a  worker as my stage. A stage that extends itself when I leave and reappears whenever a poem presents itself; so I can bring  my blue-collar social status to the front of my expression. As the majority of the world knows, being a blue collar worker is complex. Not only do we make consumer products but also consume them. This relationship we have with society is extreme, yet normalized to the point where no one talks openly of what they do for a living unless it is to brag or compete. As workers I feel like our reality is based on our value in society, and if we are good enough to work our lives away, then we are more than good enough to contribute to a creative culture that continuously keeps pushing us out.


Who have been some of your mentors in the past?

My parents are my greatest mentors. My parents are Central American. My Mom is from Honduras and My Dad is from El Salvador. They both came during different times in their lives, but for the most part the push factor that brought them both here was poverty. When The United Fruit Company left Honduras, my Mother had to find work, and her best option was to come to the United States for a better opportunity. During this process she had to leave my older Sister and older Brother behind. My Father came two years before the Civil War began in his country, already experiencing the violence and political turmoil that comes from a divided country. Other mentors that have helped me in my writing are Luis J. Rodriguez, Matt Sedillo, William A. Gonzalez, and Jason “Raize” Gamble. Knowing them and speaking to them, has given me the confidence to walk through uncertain territory when writing. They have taught me to allow myself the freedom to try new things and never stop being a student to  the craft of writing.


Tell us about Obsidian Tongues?

Obsidian Tongues Open Mic was founded by me in 2017. It goes down every second Saturday of the month at Cafe Con Libros Press in the Arts Colony in Pomona, CA. It goes on the same night as the Pomona Art Walk on Second Street.There's always a strong creative energy at Obsidian Tongues. We will soon reach our 6th year anniversary and  we don't plan on stopping. We just added a workshop to it; it’ll take place before the open mic starts in which a featured poet will lead us into writing. Obsidian Tongues’ purpose is to bring poets out to the community. So many folks in Pomona write poetry, so it is a must that we come together, the way the proletariat should. It's not only poets that come to Obsidian Tongues, we have great musicians that come, we have great storytellers, we have folks that come to interpret songs from Spanish to English, we have folks that come and tell us how they fought through their day. Obsidian Tongues is not only an open mic, it’s a community for the creative souls of the working class.

Photography Julian Lucas ©2023

Tell us more about your upcoming book?

My upcoming book is called God of the Air Hose. This book was mostly written inside the factory. Much of this book is about the interaction of workers inside the factory. The book touches on nationality, the division of labor, and the alienation caused by labor. I feel like most folks that talk about labor talk about the solidarity of workers, but in this book I talk about why solidarity is needed. As workers we are ridiculed, neglected and on a daily basis, disrespected to our faces and expected to be grateful for this treatment. God of the Air Hose is a book that talks about the fragmentation created amongst proletariats competing for space in the workplace, as well as the solidarity and friendships that are made along the way.

What does Pomona have to look forward to you with you as the new laureate?

As Poet Laureate you can expect more voices of working class poets to be heard in the City of Pomona. My vision is to collaborate with the library to bring workshops and readings from not only poets of color, but also poets that have the same vision of empowering the community through poetry. It is my goal to have social events that invite other Poet Laureates to share their work and journey in order to create bridges and resources for our hard working community of Pomona. There are so many poets and publishers that need to meet one another. There are so many important voices that must be heard; and as Poet Laureate part of my mission is to bring poets together with the intention of not only promoting poetry, but bringing opportunity to poets as well. Our community not only has talent, but also the heart of the working class people who need resources and opportunity to flourish as writers.


Matt Sedillo has been described as the "best political poet in America" as well as "the poet laureate of the struggle" by academics, poets, and journalists alike. He has appeared on CSPAN and has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, among other publications.