That time when Yesika Salgado and I read two poems and talked: about how we became writers, who we're in conversation with, and who we wish to become, and what L.A. means to us. Shout out to the 2019 LitLit Conference sponsored by the Los Angeles Review of Books. Thanks again to Kyle Fitzpatrick for … Continue reading Yesika Salgado and I chop it up: video from 2019 LitLit Conference: Latinx/L.A. Poetics
Bell Gardens
Entropy–adding to an epic poem with epic girl drama
"Susi stopped being my best friend once she got bangs and a hickey. Because I’ve heard her say it, I can hear her thinking: Ugh, what a wetter. Are all your outfits from the swap meet?" Today at Entropy, read about drama at the bus stop with a girl's momma. Maybe it was me. You'll … Continue reading Entropy–adding to an epic poem with epic girl drama
How Bell Gardens is Banking on Bicycle Club Casino’s Luxury Hotel
The sign illuminates eight lanes of the neighboring 710 Freeway. In contrast to the new monument to luxury, the gritty Long Beach Freeway leads into the post-industrial heart of Southeast Los Angeles. Thousands of eighteen-wheelers trucking in the majority of exports into the United States from the Pacific Rim make this the busiest highway with … Continue reading How Bell Gardens is Banking on Bicycle Club Casino’s Luxury Hotel
Worth Gold: Feminism and Leadership at the Miss Bell Gardens Pageant
Bell Gardens City Council members with the 2015 Miss Bell Gardens Court. Photo: City of Bell Gardens"All the court members agreed it was a great experience. One princess, Vanessa Perez from UC Irvine said: 'I've lived in this city all my life. I'm proud to be from here and to get more involved.' Mayor Jennifer … Continue reading Worth Gold: Feminism and Leadership at the Miss Bell Gardens Pageant
Latina Leadership in Bell Gardens, a new KCET essay
"In the parking lot of the Food-4-Less supermarket on the corner of Atlantic and Slauson, two high school students stood near the sliding door entrance registering people to vote. The young women wore jeans and T-shirts (Garcia was probably in a Grateful Dead shirt), their hair gathered loosely into ponytails. Their temples beaded with sweat, … Continue reading Latina Leadership in Bell Gardens, a new KCET essay
How Eleven Brothers Made El Pescador a Thriving Set of Family Restaurants
After five presidents and three recessions, El Pescador seafood restaurants are more popular than ever. Read my new essay on immigrant hustle, family lineage, and the multiple dazzling skills of restaurateurs in southeast LA. Gracias!
New Essay on KCET’s Departures
"...now I know what the garden gives." - Jorge Segura, educator and photographer, Downey, CA Read a love letter I wrote to urban gardening in southeast Los Angeles here. "What the garden gives: homegrown food along the Alameda Corridor" Stay tuned for the next essays on the Bell Art Walk and more!
KCET Communities: “Pioneers of Artistic Revolution: Making Art and Space in Southeast L.A.
As part of an ongoing project about the importance of the 710 corridor in Los Angeles, Vickie Vertiz contributed an article about the arts, teachers, and artists in Southeast Los Angeles, where she grew up. She names a few writers who also document the lives of the people in Southeast L.A., such as Steve Gutierrez's … Continue reading KCET Communities: “Pioneers of Artistic Revolution: Making Art and Space in Southeast L.A.
