Remembering Brandon Lacy Campos: Puerto Rican Obituary Interview

A year ago in November i lost a brother.

Brandon Lacy Campos left this earth without notice. No more sassy texts, no more contagious laughter.  No more poetry. No more nerdy discussions about star wars, haduken's and comics.

About 2 years ago i started this project with Palabristas, a collective of poets, writers, organizer that both Brandon and I were part of. The project was to record the famous poem by the Puerto Rican poet Pedro Pietri. Puerto Rican Obituary is a timeless classic in my eyes. There is so much truth in it that is relevant to this day.

Brandon loved this poem, so when i approached him about participating in this project he was really excited. It has taken me this long, almost a year from his passing to finish this part of the project.

In this interview, Brandon Lacy Campos discusses the importance of this poem, his favorite lines and addresses why Palabristas should embark in this project.

August 31st is Brandon's birthday. We would usually celebrated in some sort of communal BBQ in Minneapolis, MN. All kinds of people from different entities, ideologies would come to see him. Brandon had this energy and this power to bring people together. He still does, even after he left us.

I promised Brandon that i would finish this. Well, here is part 1 of the project.

Happy Birthday Brandon!

We all miss you dearly....

-rsc

Puerto Rican Obituary: Brandon Lacy Campos from rscspokenword on Vimeo.

Ladybug by Rodrigo Sanchez-Chavarria

Ladybug is the first single off my upcoming EP titled "Don’t Let Them Erase You". Ladybug is an attempt to highlight the wonders of being a father and at the same time challenge the preconceived notions society has of a Latino father. I hope you enjoy it as much as i have enjoyed creating it.
as always, thank you all for your support!
-rsc


Watch Rodrigo explain the story behind his new song here: 

For your convenience, Ladybug is available for download below:

http://RSCSpokenWord.bandcamp.com

http://soundcloud.com/RSCSpokenWord

http://reverbnation.com/RSCSpokenWord

For those of you who prefer streaming, we have also posted Ladybug on the most popular and user friendly sites on the web:

http://youtube.com/RSCSpokenWord

http://vimeo.com/RSCSpokenWord

About Rodrigo:
 
Rodrigo Sanchez-Chavarria is a writer and spoken word poet of Peruvian heritage, heavily involved with Palabristas, a local Latin@ poets collective. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and is an involved activist in the Latin@ community.  He writes about fatherhood, the duality of two cultures in English, Spanglish and Spanish, and issues pertaining to his community and life experiences. In 2006, he was a member of the poetry collective, “Found In Translation,” which was commissioned for the Minneapolis Mosaic Festival and one of the recipients of the 2005 SASE VERVE Spoken Word Grant. He has performed with Yellow Rage, Los Nativos, Chicano Messengers of the Spoken Word and Big Quarters. Sanchez-Chavarria hosted El Café Open Mic, located at El Burrito Mercado in the heart of the Westside of St. Paul. He also takes the power of his work to local high schools, colleges, and universities, both in the Metro Area and in Greater Minnesota, in which he engages in conversation with students in regards to the art of spoken word and how they can use it as tool of liberation. He manufactured and independently released a Spoken Word CD in 2006 titled “Desconocidos” with the collaboration of other local poets, and is featured in the Palabristas Chapbook titled “Outside the Lines.”

Artist Management by Larry Lucio, Jr. for AmplifiedLife.com

Introducing Ladybug

A video introducing the soon to be released single Ladybug from my upcoming EP titled DON'T LET THEM ERASE YOU. Ladybug will be available 11.24.11

International Women's Day- These Hands-Red Queens of the World

Photo by Andrew MacDonald

When i wrote this poem back in 2005 my intention was to pay tribute to all the hard work that the women in my life have done in order to make me as a person, but to also speak on the lack of recognition that women get, specially in Latin America.

this has become one of my favorite pieces to perform and with today being International Women's Day (we should celebrate this on a daily basis is my opinion) and the fact that today it was reported that 25% of the households in Peru are being held by single mothers.

it seems write (like my pun?) to post this, To all the Red Queens of the world!


These Hands

These hands are an extension of me like the pen is an extension of the writer
Like the mic is the extension of the MC.

These hands have crossed borders time zones, ideologies trying to break free
as they caress the paper through the ink in found in my words.

These hands have been the focus of ridicule because of their size and texture.
Too smooth to be hands of labor.
Too small to be able to provide.
Too feminine.

Like that is suppose to be an insult,
When in fact that’s the best compliment these hands can receive.
Because to me women are the center of the world.
They make the household run and run the household
And let men think that they are in charge.

They will do anything to feed their families while men sit drinking disgust mixed with depression.
Some work after street lights come on
Others balance corporate worlds and families.
Others study, work and are mothers and husbands.
Many have the innate urge to survive that
I am glad that the women in my life have passed it down to me.

Because I never craved the taste of disgust always craved the feeling of action
And my hands are that action.
When I write
When I raise the fist
When I stop the ignorance blinding my people
Who think we are treated equal.
Who think that the white picket fences is the epicenter of acceptance.
Who think that the white picket fences is the epicenter of acceptance.

And honestly these hands have never been accepted.
And I am glad because without the rejections, the stares, the putdowns
That fueled my perseverance like it has fueled the women in my life to survive
I would not have the power and will to do this (raise the fist).

So if you want to offend my machismo
Get in line because it left me.
When I held my daughters in my hands
And realize that women are healers
They are precious, they are the center
Givers of life, whether through the womb or through indigenous myths.
Red Queens programmed to survive
To keep their seeds alive
Because a woman’s job does not end with the 9 to 5.
And if these hands still look feminine to you
All I have to say is two words
Thank you.

The Nature of Avatar by Paul Udstrand

So, whomever says there isn't intelligent conversation going on facebook is truly mistaken. Most of you have probably seen AVATAR by now either by 3D or IMAX. well i for personal reasons (if you can't figure it out, you don't know me very well! but if you have no clue here #BAGUA) won't be paying to see it.

My wife Nubia, went to go see it and i quote, "you would of walked out 20 min into the movie" (thats why i love her!) Everyone else tells me not to criticize it without seen it, but i am, not because i hate James Cameron, my issue lies on the portrayal of the blue people and the white messiah savior complex that oozes out of the movie.
Trust me, i am writing a poem about this with Guante. But in regards to the movie Well my fellow wordslinger Carter Meland posted this as a note on his facebook page. its a response to seeing the movie and it brings great questions. Now taking a page out of MIKE MYERS in "Coffee Talk" read and discuss!

Thanks to Paul for letting me repost this. you can reach him at paugle@gmail.com



" One of the many really big ideas that Avatar bombs us with is the interconnectedness of nature. We’re all connected and our planet is a living thing. Of course this is too difficult to imagine here on earth so we have to go Pandora, and with the help of the Indians we find there we can learn our lesson. But what does Avatar really tell us about nature and this whole interconnectedness thing?

To begin with, despite their proximity to this nature we’re going to connect to, apparently the natives are helpless until a white guy comes along. They are incapable of recognizing the danger they face until the white guy warns them, but why? Well, they can’t comprehend the danger because they can’t comprehend the white man’s technology, that much is obvious. But how is it that the natives of this amazing neurally networked planet can be so helpless in the face of the white mans technology until a white guy shows up? Turns out it’s not just the white mans technology the native don’t comprehend… they don’t comprehend their own technology either, and that’s where nature comes in.

Here’s what Carlota said to me this morning: “We were talking about Avatar in the car pool, and I was talking about the history of Cameron waiting his whole life since he was a teenager for the technology to catch up to him, so he could make the movie. The problem is you can tell this story is the product of a teenage boys mind. Once they got the technology he should have found an adult to write a movie”. First, note, I’m not the only one thinking critically about Avatar. Carlota nails it. What happens when a teenage white boy confronts complex issues like indigenous sovereignty, spirituality, and sustainability? You get Avatar. One characteristic of the teenage boys mind is it tends to be rather concrete, not a lot of room for subtlety. The problem is, how do we connect with nature? Well, the indigenous answer is “we don’t have to, we ARE nature”. But remember this teenager is a white guy, so people stand outside of nature, which makes it necessary to connect with nature. So how do we make this connection? Well obviously we need an interface, like a USB connection. On Pandora we can interface with nature via our hair. So the way to understand nature is realize that it’s a technology like a computer. The reason the natives are so helpless is they don’t understand the technology at their disposal until the white comes along and shows them how to use it.

So is this promoting sensitivity and appreciation for the Indian world view? Is this an opportunity to learn about our connectedness to nature and appreciate natural diversity? On the contrary, it perpetuates the very colonialism it claims to be speaking against by re-stating the European notion that we stand outside nature, and that natives who live in nature just don’t get it. We come as liberators but some of us are assholes. The real treasure of Pandora isn’t “unobtainium”, it’s the power of nature, the technology at our feet, if the natives understood that they’d be invincible. Does treating nature like a technology enhance our appreciation of nature or does it reduce it to an underutilized tool? Does such a world view promote sustainability or confirm that natural resources are an untapped potential. Is the future of Pandora now to become a laboratory for white guys to understand the nature of neural nets? Is Pandora destined to be the big computer that will finally answer the big question of life, the universe and everything? Will the white man ever grow up? We can only hope these questions will be answered in the sequel".

written by Paul Udstrand

New Verse for the Swine Flu Poem.

SO me and Brandon Lacy Campos have been working on this SWINE FLU POEM, i honestly have had writer's block for the last 6 months..but last night i broke through. i thought i share. Of course, its raw, but damn it. its great to feel this excited about writing again!

"Its been decided I am having my tia give this whole country a cleansing
Let her pass the egg over this nation
Get rid of the illness we call racism
And if that’s not enough i am bringing the shaman
That took me in that day in Cuzco
So he can show me the truth with coca leaves
And if that don’t work i'm calling for an insurrection so it does leave.
Cuz this illness has caused famine
Brought back manifest destiny
Now we killing Mexicans cuz we feel like it
Shoot fathers in the back and broadcast it worldwide
Kill Hmong youth and plant the evidence
Shoot up houses and always ask questions later
Question, do you all still wanna call me a hater?
Walk a block in my frontera and quarter of a mile in my shoes
And you will find it the longest trail of tears
And the heaviest shoes filled with lies and broken promises
Perhaps then you might begin to see why we write
And if I could transform our words into a vaccine
i make sure to call Obama and over a beer convince him and the FDA
to bypass congress and make this mandatory
so we can be infected with the truth
take a page out of Hans Carlson a la carte
and call this a POEMdemic and the virus Contagious Poesis
yes I am diagnosing this nation and tell them we hold the vaccine.
COME FIND US!"

and here is a video..forgive my eye movement i was reading it.

My Favorite Things of the year 2009

Yes, i know. i am late. but if you have had a not so great 2009 you would understand what i am feeling.

i have compiled the things that have great impact on me in 2009. Some are performances and others are events in my life. thought i share, minutes before we bring 2010. btw Nubia makes the best cookies! (besides my mom).

*This list is very bias, so there. start hating*

BIG QUARTERS-FROM THE HOME OF BROWN BABIES AND WHITE MOTHERS CD RELEASE

I've know Brandonallday about 10 years or so. Ever since i saw them perform back in the days of EPL i knew that he and his brother mediumzach would do great things in the music aspect. Well i loved their first Album The Cost of living and could not wait till there second release. Nubia and I went to the Triple Rock (one of my fave spots) and enjoyed all the tracks with nubia, specially, ladies know, barter system and wipe the dust.

Must say, if you have not gotten their album. do so now here.




UP IN ARMS EVENT (FONG LEE FUNDRAISER)

This has to be one of the most fulfilling events that i have taken part in quite some years. Fong Lee was a Hmong youth that was gundown by MPLS police. (Read Article)and done so unjustly, framed as a gang member and other malicious accusations, i could see myself in him and honestly it could of been me. The line up of performers were amazing. i gave out free cd's but the highlight for me was watching my girls reaction when they saw a lot people i respect hit the stage. here is some videos taken by Justin Schell. i also debuted my poem For the Homeland (A Poem for Bagua)






BENZILLA & BK-ONE-RADIO DO CANIBAL

Benzilla is one the best producers in my opinion, and the release of this Album is proof enough. Proud of the homie Benzilla even though he likes Taco Taxi.

If this beat and collab does not make you move to the music, you all need some insulin. buy album here.




TOKI WRIGHT-DEVIL'S ADVOCATE VIDEO

I am always proud of homies who keep their nose to grind. well in 2009, Toki became part of Rhymesayers, Released his album "A Different Mirror" and released a video for "Devil's Advocate" (produced by Benzilla) that got airplay in mtv and national attention. he also gave me one of the best statements "they are from over there"- Toki Wright.



URBAN GRIOTS AWARD SHOW

So MNSWA put together a great event to recognize past and present spoken word artists in the Twin Cties, not only was it an honor being nominated but also it was great when PALABRISTAS got recognized and won 2 awards! but for me the highlight was watching fellow friend, poet Ed Bok Lee Kill it with this Performance.

Ed Bok Lee - "Thrown" from Justin Schell | 612 to 651 on Vimeo.

MN STATE ARTS BOARD GRANT

I got a grant. writing a chapbook with the help of Andrew MacDonald. It started this. Releasing sometime in 2010. big things!


BAGUA

So in synopsis, the events that happened in Bagua, Peru pushed me to write this. it got a great response and it started the project title "The Homeland EP"




ADAMS SPANISH IMMERSSION SCHOOL

My oldest started kindergarten at Adams Spanish Immersion School. Being Bilingual is a gift we will passed down to our children because as Franz Fanon said "Language is culture".

must say, this was one of my proudest moments. She is rocking Kindergarten, speaking more and more. =)


EQUILIBRIUM SPOKEN WORD SERIES AT THE LOFT

I got my start as a spoken word poet in this wonderful place. So its dear to my heart and its curated by one of the best spoken word artists i know, Bao Phi so i was glad i got to attend 2 out of 3 events.






EL CAFE OPEN MIC

i host(ed) an open mic at El Burrito Mercado Called El Cafe Open Mic. i was blessed this year to have been part of it. right now, i am taking a break to focus on projects, we hope to bring it back soon. enjoy some pics.







GUANTE & BIG CATS "AN UNWELCOME GUEST" CD RELEASE SHOW

So Guante is not only an amazing poet but a damn good rapper. he released a damn good CD. read what i had to say here


FUNKMASS

so 2 of my fave dj's Dj Ren and Dj Miguel Vargas put out some great mixtapes. download them here. http://www.funkmass.com/


and last but not least, i am a geek for electronics and a voltron fan. so when my brother informed me about this game on iphone i was like dammnnnnnn!



there you have it. enjoy. i know i did writing it.

May 1st Reflection

No poem for right now, but if me and Brandon Lacy Campos get our gears cranking we can have a "swine flu poem" ready to counter attack all the bad press the brown people are getting so far.

but today is May 1st. 1ero de Mayo and if some of you remember in 2006, there was a national call out for action to show support for immigrants, i am happy to say that on that day 40,000 plus showed up to the steps of the cathedral in St. Paul and marched as one to the steps of the capitol. i have never seen so many people in one place, it was beautiful and as i was listening to piolin and calling my mom to pick her up all i could think was that this memory is a special one, cuz i got to share it with my madre. she always told me that she thought i shoulda been born in the 60's , but hey las cosas se repiten.




Its been 3 years now and people have asked me what the purpose of the marches were, since no legislation was passed and i tell them that in my opinion it was a show of force, a stand against injustice and a call to action. a resistance. sure, extreme right wing people used it as a tool for their propaganda but WE used it to show the world, que no somos invicibles, and we can unite across cultural and geographical differences. Man, it was beautiful to see all types of brown faces that day.



but its also important to understand that the fight is not over. Just cause we have a POC presidente does not mean that things will be easier. Como se dice LA LUCHA SIGUE!

so today, if you don't get a chance to go out to a march, or protest, at least printout this flyer! and post it in your office,car, home, apt donde sea. show some solidarity.



you can print it out off the CIMARRONES website May Day Flyer

Urban Griots Award Show! 4/3/09

NEWS!NEWS!NEWS!

I and Palabristas got nominated for a couple of spoken word awards! yay! so come show us some support!

don't forget the Open Mic this Saturday! Here is the flyer for the Urban Griots Award Show!




The MN Spoken Word Association Presents




The URBAN GRIOTS Spoken Word Awards Celebration
An 8 Year Retrospective Honoring One of the Nations Most Vibrant Communities
The Official National Poetry Month Kick-Off!
Friday, April 3, 2009


WHAT: An evening of historic recognition, noted nominees, awards, music and dance highlighting the magnitude of the celebrated Spoken Word community in the Twin Cities and beyond. Not to be missed performances by Twin Cities finest spoken word artists, bands, and DJs. The official 2009 National Poetry Month kick off, this evening is one of the most culturally diverse artistic gatherings held this year. A night to Celebrate and Remember!!

“What you all have here is special…don’t ever forget that.” Amiri Baraka (2008)

“I’ve been saying for years, the Twin Cities Spoken Word Community is one of the most advanced, and innovative, in the country, and a number of artists here can stand toe to toe with many of the top artists nationwide. It just usually doesn't get the attention it deserves.” …e.g.bailey (MN Spoken Word Association/Tru Ruts)

WHEN/WHERE:
Friday, April 3, 2009. Doors at 8pm. Event at 9pm. The Varsity Theater.
1308 Fourth St. S.E., Minneapolis.

COST:
$3 Before 9:30pm, $5 After 9:30pm
Advance Tickets Available at www.varsitytheater.org | 612-604-0222


RESERVATIONS:
Group Reservations are being taken now for reserved seating via email at mnswa.mail@gmail.com

ABOUT THE EVENING AND ARTISTS:

Master of Ceremony: Tiyo Siyolo

Music By: DJ Mixwell
Awards: Over 20 categories of awards, ranging from New Artist of the Year to launching MN’s 1st Spoken Word Hall of Fame.

Performances By: J. Otis Powell, Truthmaze, Bao Phi, Edupoetic Enterbrainment (Frank Sentwali, Tiyo, Queen Drea), Hyder Ali, Ibe Kaba, Palabristas, Ed Bok Lee, Poetic Assassins, MPLS and St. Paul Slam Teams, Marie Chante, Guante, Chantz, Tish Jones, Lady Lit, October, Karma, Niyah Bengai, Chantz, and other surprise guests.

SPONSORS: KFAI Fresh Air Community Radio and KMOJ Radio

INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES:
Interview opportunities, digital photos and video are available upon request.

PRESS CONTACT:
Sha Cage, MN Spoken Word Association
(612) 288-9491 or sha.mnswa@gmail.com


MN Spoken Word Association (MNSWA) is one of the premier Spoken Word organizations in the nation with programming solely dedicated to spoken word and urban arts. It strives to empower youth and community through leadership, literacy, and spoken word! Programming includes: workshops and residencies in schools and community centers, regional/national travel, social justice work, area slams, radio shows, consulting and producing projects, youth leadership groups, and sustainable partnerships.

Things to do Week of 3/16-3/20

Spring is in the air!

which means outside, outside outside and poetry.

I like to report that things are going good in the project i have embarked in. I will be posting poems for your feed back on a weekly basis. so check http://www.mnworldslinger.com every monday evening and i will have poems for you all to read.

i also got a twitter account for all you twitter heads. you can follow me at http://twitter.com/rscspokenword

This thursday is the last installment of Last of The Record Buyers a producer showcase featuring the amazing Medium Zach ( 1/2 of the dynamic rap duo Big Quarters, 2 chicano brothers making great rap music)

below is a video for the show, check it out...i got friday off work for this reason..well not really, but you get the drift. Minnesota come show support







Also don't forget that on saturday March 28th it will Open Mic time @ El Burrito Mercado from 7-9pm. I will send reminders soon. NO SPECIAL GUESTS. so bring all the people to come hear you. spread the word.

Also Mark Down This Date!

URBAN GRIOTS'
Spoken Word Awards Show

An evening of historic recognition, noted nominees, awards, music and dance highlighting the magnitude of the celebrated Spoken Word community in the Twin Cities and beyond. Not to be missed performances by Twin Cities finest spoken word artists, groups and DJs. A night to Celebrate and Remember!!

Dress to Impress!!!

Friday April 3rd
The Varsity Theater - Dinkytown
Doors at 8pm. Music 9pm.
$3 before 9:30pm • $5 after
18+

Presented by the MN Spoken Word Association and community allies. For more information email mnswa.mail@gmail.com
www.myspace.com/mnspokenwordassociation
call 612-288-9491.

YO AND OTHER PALABRISTAS WILL BE PERFORMING. SO...IF YOU LOVE BROWN POETS..YOU BETTER BE THERE!!!

Big Quarters Sophmore Album will be released on Cinco De Mayo






here is an interview with Brandon All Day provided by Funk Mass

Funk Mass Interview with Brandon AllDay

also here is a review i wrote of their album debut Cost of Living

Review of Cost of Living

Finally, much love and respect goes out to my hermano of the palabra, Paul Flores for spending time with me and helping create some inspiring words that will be released sooner then later...much love PFLO!

Stay Tuned, Big News Coming soon...

Day 2: Mission District School and MACLA Performance

On our second day, brandon, myself and David decided to get a brief tour of the uppity oakland area that mr. lacy campos found himself. as we walked around getting mean mugged by residents, we walked around the neighborhood and saw the flora and fauna and let the time get the best of us.

we ended up running a bit late to our workshop at a mission district high school. Milta (Marc's Fiance) has a writer's workshop with some 9th graders, all of them poc. We came in to talk about what we do, and share our work then get to writing. It was a wonderful experience! the kids loved us and mostly we loved them, for their willing to write and listen to us. they wished we could come every friday. We also wish the same thing.

after putting feelings with words on paper we went home and got ready for our show at MACLA, in San Jose.

At MACLA, we had 2 shows. met someone from ANOKA! we Minnesotans are everywhere. Met some new people, ate some pupusas ( pics will be provided by lorena) and went on our merry way back to oakland.

enjoy the pics.


visit to the school









MACLA, San Jose






more pictures

One Year Later: El Cafe Open Mic Anniversary

"Its been more than a year and it started as a simple of discussion about exchanging work with an emerging writer.One event made it possible and now it has developed into a place in the heart of the Westside of St. Paul where voices young and old can express themselves"



This past Saturday January, 31st was a the anniversary of something that has become permanent event in my calendar but also in my life.

Open Mics gave birth to what i guess i can call my artistic career and i always wanted to be able to give that opportunity to someone else and over this past year, young kids, older poets, established poets, people like me and you have been able to express themselves through a microphone and shear determination.

I can say that it has been a journey filled with ups and down, but one worth fighting for. Call me old school, but for me the Westside has always been a special place. Whether its the history or the artists coming outta the green stairs (westsiders know what i mean) it has always had its grasp on the ever expanding Latin@ community of the Twin Cities.

that is the main reason for the creation of the open mic.to expand the possibilities of self expression through the power of the word.

i am fortunate to have a good support system ( thats you Tomas!) and determination to see this through.

The second year, shall be oh so much sweeter.

keep the last saturday of every month open and you will find out.

Thank you Tomas, El Guante and Katie Ka Vang for making this a memorable night.


rsc


Pictures from Anniversary





Katie Ka Vang




El Guante


People standing in the back


Tomas Silva


Jesse Ramirez


Hugo Wong Cardona


Toki Wright

for more pictures click on link
El Cafe Open Mic Anniversary Photos

Quilombolas Cd Release and Open Mic Anniversary

This friday! i will be performing with quilombolas!



then this saturday is the return of El Cafe Open Mic! Come celebrate the our Year Anniversary with Special Guest: Katie Ka Vang and El Guante!




And from Feb. 5th to feb. 8th Myself and Lorena Duarte from Palabristas will be in San Francisco. So spread the word!

Culture Bully: Interview with Rodrigo Sanchez-Chavarria

Kyle aka El Guante, is a spoken word/ rap artist that not too recently relocated himself from Madison, Wisconsin. Not only is he an amazing poet full with energy other poets envy, he also raps and teaches poetry at school as well writes for blogs, is on the MN slam team etc etc. The man is talented and he interviewed me, here is a little excerpt:


"I get the feeling that a lot of people still don’t realize that the Twin Cities spoken-word scene is one of the strongest in the country—from our arts programs to our organizations to our slam teams to our youth—Minneapolis and St. Paul are doing some amazing work (Full disclosure: I’m the 2008 Minneapolis poetry slam champ and work with some of these great organizations… but you can trust me!). Highlighting this scene is quite a challenge—so many talented artists are doing so many different things all the time.

For me, however, a good place to start is Rodrigo Sanchez-Chavarria. One of the scene’s most respected writers and performers, Rodrigo has released an album, Desconocidos, and, along with his collective Palabristas, a book, Outside the Lines. He also runs a monthly open mic at El Burrito Mercado in St. Paul, and can be found performing all over the Twin Cities".

To read the rest of interesting interview (must read!) follow the link Culture Bully Interview.

Check it out, check him out and spread the word! Thanks Kyle! Your Words are Much Appreciated!

P.S. you all have a good time off, i am about to splurge on some pavo, potato salad, lomo saltado y asado. Pepto Bismol here i come!

Remember Open Mic This Saturday!

11/22/08 ¿Nation of Immigrants? Minnesota spoken word artists and poets question the world

I AM SAD THAT I CANNOT ATTEND THIS EVENT. THE ARTISTS FEATURE ON THIS AMAZING COMPILATION ARE NOT ONLY GOOD FRIENDS OF MINE BUT AMAZING ARTISTS I ADMIRE AND LOOK FOR WHEN INSPIRATION IS NEEDED. PLEASE ATTEND AND SPREAD THE WORD!

¿Nation of Immigrants? Minnesota spoken word artists and poets question the world

A CD featuring spoken word artists and poets Robert Karimi, Marcie Rendon, Juliana Hu Pegues, Tatiana Ormaza, Ibe Kaba, Khalid Adam, Preeti Kaur, Bobby Wilson, Lorena Duarte, Ka Vang, Ed Bok Lee, Tish Jones, Diego Vazquez, Christy Namee Eriksen, and Charlotte Albrecht.

Produced by the Loft Literary Center
Curated by Bao Phi, Associate Program Director, Equilibrum: Spoken Word at the Loft
Recorded, Engineered, Mixed and Mastered by Antonio Del Rosario
Original CD Cover Art by Ricardo Levins Morales
Graphic Design by Douglas Kearney

CD Release Party
Saturday, November 22, 8 p.m.
Featuring short performances by featured artists
At the Loft, 1011 Washington Avenue South
Free.
Food and beverage provided at reception following performances

www.loft.org

New Poem: Feverish Waters

It was a short question.
That took me to a moment
Where I had been before
I felt Like Denzel in déjà vu
But this time, I wanted to bite my tongue
Show the other cheek
Be the better person
But who really is nowadays?
It was a winter day
Not too cold or hot
But feverish
In the sense that my essence
Had been sick with who knows what
Been lethargic like the babies with soiled diapers on TV after Katrina hit
I had been fighting that urge, that insanity that my mother had passed down to me
The neurotic feeling
obligation to take my kid to the doctor every time they sneezed
I thought I could bypass that genetic or social trait
But after spending two whole nights putting cold compresses on her head
Watching the fever rise like the water levels at the levy’s protecting New Orleans from the obvious
Watching the life of an exuberant child being drained slowly like the hope from the people trapped in houses that cnn could reach but not the authorities
We rushed her to the urgent care
Looking for some answers
Looking for some hope
And after, answering question, filling questionnaires, feeling her fever mix with my warmth and paying to be seen.
We were squeezed in to see a doctor when there was none
I felt gracious
thankful
relieved
rescued
Like when my people were being rescued off rooftops then being broadcasted live on channel 5, another episode of rescue 9/11
Magical realism in its purest form ready to be made into a live tv movie.

And as I carried her in my arms to the dr.’s exam room…the nursed asked me, “ was she born here?”
The question hit me so hard like the cold rushing water must have hit the human flesh when the levees broke and hope was gone.
Overwhelmed by drowning
I was trying to find a reason for her question
Trying to give her the benefit of the doubt
Maybe, Maybe it was a miscommunication
Maybe, maybe it was my misunderstanding
Maybe, maybe she thought she was adopted
Yes! That’s it! Uprooted from her homeland like the communities of color in New Orleans
You know, because her logic states that 2 brown parents should have brown children and not a light skin lil girl
Of course reinforcing
The racial norms that state that 1 brown parent + 1 brown parent= always brown baby.
But all the answers I created brought me back to the same question..
What the fuck did that have to do with her illness?
So I bit my tongue and grunted yes
But then, the complacement, the melting pot, Columbus. Pizarro, Cortez,
The zoot suit riots, bracero program, treaty of Guadalupe hidalgo. La noche triste, Tupac Amaru, Ruben Salazar, Cesar Chavez, Jesus unjust death by the gun, The MPD, SPD and RPD who taught me that brown kid in beanies and ford ltd’s means DWB citation.
Flashed before my dark brown eyes and my thoughts were magnified as they ran through my head
As fast as FEMA said that everything would be under control
And the young boy who was shot by border patrol or a border vigilante cried out for me
And the playback of the newsreel of the study that pawlenty had stated that illegal immigrants were stealing health benefits.Bullshit!

The studies stating that undocumented families were a tax burden for the ER’s everywhere
Made me wonder if the part they gave to john leguizamo was another taste of tokenism
Made me wonder if this was cheech marin’s message in born in east L.A.
The times I was called spic
The times I was used for tokenism
Made me split my tongue and respond in an angry manner a la kanye West…what does that have to do with anything?

As she nervously tried to tell me that it was a question they asked everyone…I had been on the offensive
Being proactive
Broken her comfort level
As the burning from my wife’s eyes told me that this was a battle not worth starting.
I fought within myself
Embracing that borderland culture that is my identity
Trying to answer that curse of a question
That makes question everything that happens to me and forces me to ask
Did I get this because I deserve this or because I fulfill some personal quota?
Did Olmos have right when he said, “we have to be more Americans then the Americans”
And my thoughts left me and landed in NO where people were asking the same question…is it because…I live here…that this is happening to me….gentrification..by natural disaster.

Where the motto to protect and serve is only delivered by hummers
And delivery of forgotten promises are found inside body bags
And the question still remains, still needs answers like the lost souls swept up in the feverish waters.

Rodrigo Sanchez-Chavarria

Palabristas featured on Metro Magazine! (with some editing by me)

Hot Dish+ Hot Sauce

By Stephanie Wilbur Ash

In Bowling Alone, political scientist Robert Putnam’s landmark 2000 book about America’s social breakdown, he writes of “bonding” social capital between homogeneous groups of people and “bridging” social capital between heterogeneous groups.

The group of Latino poets living and working in Minnesota known as Palabristas (literally “wordslingers”) balance both, and that’s exactly what they’re all about. As individuals, the Palabristas—which formed in 2002 for the National Poetry Slam in Minneapolis—are a heterogeneous “who’s who” in the local art scene: Co-founder Larry Lucio is also a co-founder of the Twin Cities Celebration of Hip Hop. Lorena Duarte is a former editor at Spanish-language newspaper La Presna de Minnesota and a board member at The Loft Literary Center. Dessa Darling is an emcee in the critically acclaimed rap family Doomtree. And that’s just to name a few members.

Together they teach poetry and spoken-word workshops to youth in Minnesota, and perform live at local and national poetry slams and local music venues. And they publish chapbooks of their poetry: The recently released Outside the Lines is their second collection, with ¿Under What Bandera?, a 2004 Resource Center of the Americas Book of the Year, their first.

“What binds us is a shared Latino identity,” Duarte says. But, she notes, “It doesn’t mean we write ‘Latino’ poetry. We write love poems, poems about language, our families, our personal struggles. That’s a more true representation of Latinos than just the ‘We Are Brown’ poems.”

Most of the poems in Outside the Lines are definitely working through identity in some way—straddling the divides of language, culture, politics, the economy, education, opportunity, romantic love and love of self. Some are quiet, meant for the interior of the head. Others are loud, for shouting. The language is a mixture of English, Spanish and hybrid dialects from all over.

Palabristas, it seems, collect their divergent work in print and performance as a way to both empower a community and to promote the disparity of it; to show together that their individual selves are beyond the “Latino” tag. “We defy conventions just from graduating from college,” Duarte says. “By getting up and speaking and not being gang bangers. We aren’t defiant in the ‘stick it to the whatever’ sense, but more in the sense that we define ourselves. The comments ‘Oh! You have no kind of accent! Oh, you went to Harvard?’ Those things, they bore us.

“Being Latino doesn’t mean being one thing or the other, especially in Minnesota where you are an amalgamation of hot dish and hot sauce—it’s a psycho-frenetic mix. And that’s very much at the core of what we are.” +


GETCONNECTED

Palabrista Rodrigo Sanchez-Chavarria holds an open mic for Palabristas, and anyone else, the last Saturday of every month at El Burrito Mercado in St. Paul. 175 Cesar Chavez St.; 651.227.2192

Outside the Lines is available wherever Palabristas are, and you can find that out at
palabristas.com.

¿Under What Bandera? is available from Calaca Press, calacapress.com.