Join us for an IG chat with Oombi Solis Flores on Thursday, 11/17 at 8:00pm PDT

We'll be talking with Oombi about their book, (Be)longing.

(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/

And follow Oombi on Instagram @jotitadeamor

Do you have a book you wanna talk about? Hit us up! #supportpoets

Join us for a Live Chat with L.A. poet, Jerry Garcia, Wednesday 11/16 at 7pm PST.

We’ll be chatting about his writing journey and his latest book, Trumpets in the Sky

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.”

Jerry Garcia is a poet, photographer, and filmmaker from Los Angeles, California. His poetry has been seen in Wide Awake: Poets of Los Angeles and Beyond, The Chiron Review, Coiled Serpent Anthology, and Voices from Leimert Park Redux, among others. He has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and has published three books of poetry: Trumpets in the Sky, On Summer Solstice Road, and the chapbook Hitchhiking With the Guilty. He has been a producer and editor of television commercials, documentaries, and motion picture previews. Jerry lives in Southern California with his wife Becky and their poetic dog, Japhy.

To purchase Trumpets in the Sky and more of Jerry’s books, visit
https://www.gratefulnotdead.com/buy-trumpets-in-the-sky.html
And follow him on Instagram @gnd54

Do you have a book you wanna talk about? Hit us up! #supportpoets

Join us for a Live Chat with Deborah Ortiz, Wednesday 11/9 at 4pm PDT.

We’ll be chatting about her poetry collection, 'She' is the Sweetest Word.

'She' is the Sweetest Word
(2021)
’She’ is the Sweetest Word is a book about love and loss and finding beauty all around.

To purchase her book, visit
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09M9BJJ8K
And follow her on Instagram @ deborahnoemiortiz

Do you have a book you wanna talk about? Hit us up! #supportpoets

Join us for an IG chat with J. Daniel Cruz Tuesday, 10/25 at 1pm PDT

We'll be talking with Jesus-Daniel about A Path of Roses and Thorns.

A Path of Roses and Thorns
(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.

Do you have a book you wanna talk about? Hit us up! #supportpoets

Join us for an IG chat with Cyan Villanueva Tuesday, 10/18 at 3pm PDT

We'll be talking with Cyan about The Loversfortune: Vol 1.

The Loversfortune: Vol 1.
(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

Do you have a book you wanna talk about? Hit us up! #supportpoets

Join us for an IG chat with Sofía Aguilar Friday, 10/14 at 2pm PDT

We'll be talking with Sofía about Streaming Service: Seasons 1 & 2


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

Do you have a book you wanna talk about? Hit us up! #supportpoets

Join us for an IG chat with Andrea Lopez, Sunday, 10/9 at 11am PDT

We'll be talking about Andrea's self-published poetry chapbook, You Will Soon Bloom.

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

Do you have a book you wanna talk about? Hit us up! #supportpoets

Join us for an IG chat with Dr. Jennifer Lisa Vest on Wednesday, 10/5 at 2:00pm PDT

We'll be talking with Dr. Vest about her book, Ancestor Count as well as her new book coming out this month, Ethical Psychic.

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

Do you have a book you wanna talk about? Hit us up! #supportpoets

Join us for an IG chat with Gina Duran Monday, 10/3 at 8pm PDT

We'll be talking with Gina about her book on FlowerSong Press, …and so, the Wind Was Born

…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

Do you have a book you wanna talk about? Hit us up! #supportpoets

Join us for an IG chat with Brenda Vaca Sunday, 10/2 at 10am PDT

We'll be talking about Xicana poet Brenda Vaca's book, Riot of Roses, and maybe a little bit about Riot of Roses Publishing House.

Riot of Roses
by Brenda Vaca
(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

Do you have a book you wanna talk about? Hit us up!

#supportpoets

Join us for an IG chat with Diosa Xochiquetzalcoatl Monday, 9/29 at 9pm PDT

We'll be talking about Diosa's poetry, Hechizera: Sus Sultry Spells, written in collaboration with Masiel M. Corona Santos

Hechizera: Sus Sultry Spells
by Diosa Xochiquetzalcoatl, 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


Do you have a book you wanna talk about? Hit us up!
#supportpoets

Join us for an IG chat with Jesenia Chávez, Wednesday, 9/28 at 7pm PDT

We'll be talking about Jesenia's debut poetry book, This Poem Might Save You (ME) published on Alegria Publishing.

"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

Do you have a book you wanna talk about? Hit us up!

#supportpoets

Join us for a Live Chat on Instagram Live with Lisbeth Coiman on Saturday, 9/17 at 11 am PST

We’ll be discussing her second book, first poetry book, Uprising / Alzamiento

on Finishing Line Press

In Uprising / Alzamiento (2021), a bilingual book of poetry, author Lisbeth Coiman explores the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, opening a window into the Venezuelan crisis today, and at what dissent looks like in a country without a notion of Human Rights.

“I conjure these words hoping to shift consciousness, to stir conversations towards the human suffering and despair, and towards the vehicles through which we can offer support, strategic alliances, and humanitarian help to struggling Venezuelans.” – Lisbeth Coiman

To purchase her book, visit https://lisbethcoiman.com/uprising

You can, of course, follow her on Instagram @parchitapoet

Do you have a book you wanna talk about? Hit us up!

#supportpoets

Join us for a Live Chat with Iris De Anda on Friday, 9/16 at 1 pm, Los Angeles time. on Instagram

We’re gonna talk about her journey to 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

Do you have a book you wanna talk about? Hit us up!

#supportpoets