SHOW & TELL
Shootin’ the shit with poets we love.
Interviews via Instagram Live
Oombi Solis Flores
(BE)LONGING
(World Stage Press, 2022)
(Be)longing is a coming-of-age journey across borders and binaries. In their debut poetry collection, Flores offers memories and visions of self-discovery and queer intimacy. (Be)longing serves as a self-love handbook that will appeal to the deep longing we all share– to find a place where our hearts and souls can rest.
(BE)LONGING is achingly beautiful and brilliant. Each poem, delicately crafted, appeals to the deep longing we all have—to find a place where our hearts can rest—whether in the arms of a lover or in our own arms. (BE)LONGING is not only a fight to acquire one’s identity but a handbook on how to love oneself through grief and questioning. Oombi Solis Flores leads us on their uphill journey to a mountainous view where we can stand in awe and collectively say “we belong / we are here.”
You can purchase (Be)Longing at https://worldstagepress.org/product/belonging-by-oombi-solis-flores/
& follow Oombi on Instagram @jotitadeamor
DEBORAH ORTIZ
’She’ is the Sweetest Word
(Ortiz Martinez Publishing House, 2021)
’She’ is the Sweetest Word is a book about love and loss and finding beauty all around.
You can purchase the book at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09M9BJJ8K
And follow her on Instagram @deborahnoemiortiz
Cyan Villanueva
The Loversfortune: Vol 1.
(self published,2022)
There were many loves that could not stay, what is left of them; I keep here.
You can purchase the book at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09TV5729L
And follow her on Instagram @poetcjv
Andrea Lopez
You Will Soon Bloom
(self published, 2021)
Andrea is a 20-something-year-old latina author & poet from California! She has been writing as a creative outlet since she was 13, but really found a love for poetry about 4 years ago. Her favorite poets are Reyna Biddy, Yesika Salgado and Nayyirah Waheed. Aside from writing, she enjoys listening to music & tending to her plants.
To purchase her book and learn more about Andrea, visit
https://msha.ke/im.andrea.lopez#links
And follow her on Instagram @im.andrea.lopez
Brenda Vaca
Riot of Roses
(Riot of Roses Publishing House, 2021)
This collection of poems, RIOT OF ROSES, is at once a confrontation, a confession, an embrace. It took me 44 years to love myself with abandon and to trust myself as a writer. I caught glimpses of this deep love throughout my life. I even preached about it on Sundays twice - in English and en Español - for over a decade as a pastor. Still, I was restrained and bound by my gender and by my culture, and literally collared by religiosity. Thankfully, Spirit planted a love for words and stories deep in me that took root and I found that the poet was still there. This book tells an ancient truth of survival, thriving, death, and the power of regeneration.
You can purchase the book directly from her at https://linktr.ee/brendavaca
or you can find it on Amazon at
https://www.amazon.com/Riot-Roses-Brenda-Vaca/dp/0578996782
And follow her on Instagram @iambrendavaca
Diosa Xochiquetzalcoatl
Hechizera: Sus Sultry Spells
written in collaboration with Masiel M. Corona Santos
(Editorial Raíces, 2022)
This poetry collection takes Diosa Xochiquetzalcóatl's first poetry book, A Church of My Own, and puts it on it's head! She has affectionately dubbed Hechizera: Sus Sultry Spells as "The Church's Basement." Although this poetry collection is not part of a series, it does seem to a possess a sequential juxtaposition. But fear not! If you have not read her first book, A Church of My Own, this book still stands on its own!
Hechizera: Sus Sultry Spells, is a multilingual poetry collection that takes a deep dive into the land of the 13 Underworlds, the land of Hades and Persephone, the land of Mictlan. In this poetry collection, we explore our shadow selves, our wounded warrior, that side of humanity that is looked down upon. With the guidance of Xochiquetzal, the Mexica Goddess of beauty, sex, and fertility, Diosa X makes us lick our wounds, embrace our own sexuality and sensuality as well as our feminine power by bringing this darkness to the light, giving birth to the new world, the Aquarian Era, el Sexto Sol.
You can purchase the ebook at
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B9HW2GK9
And follow her on Instagram @diosa_xochiquetzalcoatl
Andrew Joseph Zaragoza Jr.
Second Chances in The Fall
(Simon & Schuster imprint, Archway Publishing)
An account of hope. A testament to the past. Join the author once more as he opens up the world of Los Angeles to readers worldwide. In his sophomore collection of prose and poetry, Second Chances in The Fall, Andrew begins to unravel the story further as he recounts his time as a young adult and what transpired. Stories passed down from one generation and back, each page builds further on the narrative of loss, tenacity, reflection, and faith while facing darkness. The sequel to his acclaimed debut, XI: A Collection of Poetry on Being Human.
Andrew Joseph Zaragoza Jr. has since moved on from his time as an undergraduate student and into the field of community mental health in Los Angeles. Born and raised in the Gateway Cities, he is now pursuing a Master’s degree in Psychology. His passions are tied between education, healing and pursuit of the arts. As a family man of many talents, he can be found online as a podcast host, musician, brand developer, and graphic designer during his spare time.
To purchase his book, visit
https://www.archwaypublishing.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/825582-second-chances-in-the-fall
And follow him on Instagram @andrewascended
Iris De Anda
Roots of Redemption: You have No Right to Remain Silent (Flowersong Press)
“In this collection, Los Angeles poet Iris de Anda serves as witness to the range of travesties and tragedies resulting from the Trump Era and what came before and continues. The poet as testifier, as spy in the hole of society’s conscience, as brave foot soldier who pulls the pin on the hand grenade exploding with poetic truths—Iris de Anda ¡Presente! “ ―Ana Castillo, So Far From God and My Book of the Dead
To purchase the book, visit lawriterunderground.com
And follow her on Instagram @lawriterunderground
JERRY GARCIA
Trumpets in the Sky
(Moontide Press, 2022)
”…a collection of poems that point to the universe while proclaiming the complexities of living on planet earth. These poems are full of astonishment, absurdity, reverence, and social science. Some are surreal, some are staid, all are sincere.”
To purchase Trumpets in the Sky and more of Jerry’s books, visit
https://www.gratefulnotdead.com/buy-trumpets-in-the-sky.html
& follow Jerry on Instagram @gnd54
J. Daniel Cruz
A Path of Roses and Thorns
(self published, 2022)
Mexican LGBTQ writer, artist, and poet J. Daniel Cruz pulls from his experiences as a gay man and recipient of D.A.C.A. in this evocative collection of poetry. Expressing himself through eloquent verse, he takes on several themes: the push and pull between romance and self-preservation. The pain of growing up and living as a person of color in America. The passion of an artist. The frustration with national and global injustice.
Reflecting the author’s roots, original poems written in both English and Spanish are included. Also included are specially dedicated poems to celebrate beloved members of Cruz’s communities.
A Path of Roses and Thorns is a powerful and emotive collection echoing experiences that members of any community can empathize with.
You can purchase the book at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B92LDZ52
And follow him on Instagram @j.daniel.cruz.
Sofía Aguilar
Streaming Service: Seasons 1 & 2
(self published 2021, 2022)
Book 1: STREAMING SERVICE: golden shovels made for tv
STREAMING SERVICE: golden shovels made for tv is an ode to the historic, moving mode of episodic and serial storytelling. Without regard for genre, location, or air date, Sofía Aguilar borrows spoken tv dialogue penned by other writers and makes each word the sternum of her poems through an unusually structured but culturally transformative poetic form. Blurring the lines between fiction and reality, character and person, identity and heartache, Aguilar honors the stories that shaped her, that have been told before—all while bringing forth her own.
Book 2: STREAMING SERVICE: season two
STREAMING SERVICE: season two is the long-awaited sequel to Sofía Aguilar’s debut poetry chapbook, STREAMING SERVICE: golden shovels made for tv (2021). With a growing masterful hand, Aguilar returns to a familiar poetic form to weave together dialogue from more tv shows past and present (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Bridgerton, I Love Lucy) with her own personal experiences of break-ups, new love, kinship, family, and navigating multi-faceted identity while still processing the trauma of history. Roping in fellow contemporary poets for collaboratively-written golden shovels (“crossover episodes”) and lyrics from a few of her favorite artists to create song-inspired golden shovels (“season soundtrack”), she creates an ever-expansive, ambitious, and most of all, tender love letter to television itself—all while writing her own story.
You can purchase the series directly at https://sofiaaguilar.bigcartel.com/product/physical-bundle-streaming-service-seasons-one-and-two
And follow her on Instagram @sofiaxaguilar
Dr. Jennifer Lisa Vest
Ancestor Count
(Metatron's Academy, 2020)
In this volume, poet and philosopher Jennifer Lisa Vest explores history, ancestry, racism, identity, traditonal culture, modernity, sexuality, gender, indigeneity and blackness thought the lens of hybridity and mulitipositionaity. She names and claims, decries and protests the histories of her people in a effort to teach the beauty of oneness through a celebration of difference. By provoking, challenging, and interrupting both modern and traditional narratives, these poems take the reader on an unsettling and eye-opening narrative journey. In the end, the problematics of place and race that mark this collection lead to an insinuated revelation of splintered yet shared humanity.
You can purchase Ancestor Count at https://www.amazon.com/dp/0578644592
And follow her on Instagram @spiritteacher
GINA DURAN
…and so, the Wind Was Born
(FlowerSong Press, 2021)
…and so, the Wind was Born, is a book about love, friendship, community, and the desire to heal. It is about the way we struggle and fall during the healing process and how the power of the love of one person can become the power of community and the desire to lift each other during and after trauma and hardship.
Works from her debut collection of poetry “…and so, the Wind was Born,” published by FlowerSong Press can be found in the Her Story Mixed Tape Collection at the Autry Museum of the American West, in LA and Life in Quarantine project, at Stanford University. When she’s not making art and building community, Duran is a first semester MFA Grad student at Antioch University (in LA) while she works as a Substitute teacher, Yoga Instructor, Massage Therapist, and youth program director. She feels art and community can and will lead to positive change.
You can purchase the book at https://www.flowersongpress.com/store-j9lRp/p/pre-order-and-so-the-wind-was-born-by-gina-duran
And follow her on Instagram @byginaduran
Jesenia Chávez
This Poem Might Save You (Me)
(@alegriapublishing, 2022)
"These poems were born out of a desire to share my stories and the words that keep me up at night. The words that burst out of me, accompany me on walks, and come to me through the voices of my beloved familia. They come as whispers, as shouts, and from the words that were never uttered by my departed loved ones. These words come from all the women’s voices who must stay silent to survive. They come from the little girl who dreams of seeing her name and words on the spine of a book in the library. The beauty is in the process, in the grays, the in-between that children of immigrants feel. The taste of English and Spanish on the tongue. These poems are an offering from my soul to yours, and I thank you for supporting a dream. I hope you are inspired, annoyed, amused, and most of all, I hope that you nurture your dreams. Through my collection, This Poem Might Save You (Me), I invite you to take a journey with me."
You can purchase the book directly through Jesenia by visiting:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf8Dzuxb0uAx9PXmhdCmY172i-JN6ECfCLmZ5bizxnnb8PtUQ/viewform
or you can visit Alegria Publishing at https://alegria-life.myshopify.com
And follow her on Instagram @chabemucho
Lisbeth Coiman
Uprising / Alzamiento
(Finishing Line Press)
“Weaving history, current events, and personal narrative, Lisbeth Coiman takes us on a vivid exploration of what it means to rise up, as a Venezuelan both within the country and from afar, as an immigrant in new lands, and as a woman in patriarchal societies. Longing and loss mix with resolve and resilience as Coiman teaches us that uprisings are never simple or painless, but that they can be beautiful and are almost always necessary on the path towards a more just world. Uprisings / Alzamiento is that “despertador en tu mesa de noche // Una campana en tus oídos” (“clock on your beside table // ringing in your ears”) we all need right now, waking us up to the urgent need to take action in the face of injustice even when — especially when — we are afraid of what might come next.” –Li Yun Alvarado, author of Words or Water”
You can purchase the book at
lisbethcoiman.com/uprising, and make sure to leave a review at Amazon or Goodreads or wherever you leave reviews!
You can, of course, follow her on Instagram @lisbethcoiman