The Sin Fronteras Project in association with The Latino Theater Company presents
The First Annual Los Angeles
Street Poetry Festival:
POESÍA DE RESITENCIA Y AMOR
This event will bring together the best poets in the city to sound off a message of Resistencia y Amor Sin Fronteras.
The festival is free to the public and will include poetry workshops, an open mic, book fair, food and poetry readings.
Saturday, August 24, 2024 - 11:30 A.M to 2:30 P.M
WORKSHOPS: 11:30 a.m to 12:00 p.m
Memoir Workshop, Led by OBED SILVA
Obed Silva is an English Professor at East Los Angeles College. His first memoir The Death of My Father
the Pope (MCD/FSG) was published in 2021. He is currently completing his second memoir, In the Hands of My Mother (MCD/FSG). Obed also writes poetry and short stories. Obed is a gifted artist, and his works have been exhibited at art galleries in and around Los Angeles, including Art Share LA, The dA Center for the Arts in Pomona, Brea Gallery, Able Arts in Long Beach, and La Plaza de Cultura y Artes in Los Angeles.
Collaborative Storytelling, Led by Yazlin Juarez
Obed Silva is an English Professor at East Los Angeles College. His first memoir The Death of My Father
the Pope (MCD/FSG) was published in 2021. He is currently completing his second memoir, In the Hands of My Mother (MCD/FSG). Obed also writes poetry and short stories. Obed is a gifted artist, and his works have been exhibited at art galleries in and around Los Angeles, including Art Share LA, The dA Center for the Arts in Pomona, Brea Gallery, Able Arts in Long Beach, and La Plaza de Cultura y Artes in Los Angeles.
Poems of Struggle, Led by Lynne Thompson
Lynne Thompson was appointed to a two year term as Poet Laureate for the City of Los Angeles in 2021. She is the author of four collections of poetry, mostly recently Blue on A Blue Palette published by BOA Editions Ltd. in April 2024.
Crafting a Poem, Led by Linda Ravenswood
Linda Ravenswood (BFA, MA, MA, PhD abd) is a poet and performance artist from Los Angeles. Founder and Editor in Chief of The Los Angeles Press. @thelosangelespress and @bespokepoets
Lunch Open Mic: 12:00 p.m to 12:45 p.m
Led by Jessica Wilson.
Jessica M. Wilson Cárdenas, an International Chicana Poet, born in East Los Angeles, CA. She is a 3rd generation Beatnik, with a BA and MFA in Writing (UCR and Otis) She is the Founder and Executive Director of the Los Angeles (LA) Poet Society, a literary non-profit organization that makes the literary arts accessible, visible, and accessible to the communities across LA County! She's a California Poets in the Schools Poet Teacher, where she taught Youth US Poet Laureate, Amanda Gorman. Jessica is an Artivist, a social justice Publisher for Los Angeles Poet Society Press, amplifying QTBIPOC voices. She’s a DJ for Radio Ollin, (www.radioollin.org) She is a teacher for UCLA Extension’s Writers Program, where she teaches Storytelling for Social Justice. Her books of poetry include: What Breathes, Raw Kit, Marie Morrison, Serious Longing, published by Swan World Press in Paris, France.
Main Stage Performances: 1:00 p.m to 2:30 p.m
REY RODRIGUEZ
Obed Silva is an English Professor at East Los Angeles College. His first memoir The Death of My Father
the Pope (MCD/FSG) was published in 2021. He is currently completing his second memoir, In the Hands of My Mother (MCD/FSG). Obed also writes poetry and short stories. Obed is a gifted artist, and his works have been exhibited at art galleries in and around Los Angeles, including Art Share LA, The dA Center for the Arts in Pomona, Brea Gallery, Able Arts in Long Beach, and La Plaza de Cultura y Artes in Los Angeles.
KAMAU DAAOOD
Kamau Daaood, poet, educator and community arts activist, is a native of Los Angeles. He is the Artistic Director of the World Stage in LA, which he founded with drum legend Billy Higgins. A former member of the Watts Writers Workshop, he is the subject of an award-winning documentary, and he honed his skills as a "word musician" in the Pan-African People's Arkestra.
ANTONIETA VILLAMIL
Antonieta Villamil is Colombian, AWA Award-winning author and bilingual poet with over 11 published books, known for her dynamic fusion of reading and singing that delivers a strong social message. She focuses on the forgotten ones, honoring them with a persistence that compels us to hear their voices. She was the Director of “Poesía Féstival” at Beyond Baroque, and currently runs CASAMACONDO, a space where she brings poetry to multilingual and Spanish-speaking creative communities in Los Angeles. Villamil's works have received numerous awards and appeared in many anthologies, showcasing her eclectic style and cross-cultural influences.
VIVA PADILLA
Viva Padilla is a first-generation Chicana poet, magazine editor, publisher, translator, writer, and bookstore owner born and raised in Los Angeles. She is the editor-in-chief of sin cesar, a literary magazine established in 2015 amplifying Black and Brown voices from our communities, and has produced the magazine and other titles at her bookstore Re/arte in the heart of Boyle Heights. She has been published in numerous publications including Alta, PANK, SAND (Berlin), and Carrajue de Pajaros (Chiapas). She has a chapbook out titled INSUMISA and lives in a former morgue with her son on the Eastside.
TRACI KATO-KIRIYAMA
Traci Kato-Kiriyama (they/she), based in the South Bay of Los Angeles, is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist and author of "Navigating With(out) Instruments." Recognized for their work as a writer, performer, theatre deviser, cultural producer, community organizer, and audiobook narrator, they are grounded in collaborative processes and art+community as means for connection and healing. As a performer and principal writer of PULLproject Ensemble, and recipient of multiple prestigious awards, tkk has presented their work in hundreds of venues over 25 years. They are also a core artist with Vigilant Love, founding member of the Okaeri Nikkei LGBTQ+ Network, and co-founder of Tuesday Night Project, which hosts the longest-running Asian American public arts series in the U.S.
LATINO THEATER CO. SUMMER YOUTH CONSERVATORY STUDENTS
The Summer Conservatory is designed to create an opportunity for high school students (9th to 12th Grade) to experience and train in a professional setting. Up to 30 students are selected each year. With the Latino Theater Co., students experience and train in a university-style program to obtain the necessary tools for theater production. They attend courses in acting, playwriting, dance, voice/speech, theater analysis, and movement. The students also read college-level plays and texts to spark their imagination, enabling them to explore the expanse of their own creativity.
