A Chicago/Bay Area Poet Gathering

Eduardo Arocho, award-winning Boricua poet direct from Chicago, will be promoting his latest chapbook, “Hot Wings”, a collection of English, Spanish and Spanglish poems with themes of gentrification, urban violence, colonialism, and a few love poems.

This event is a first in many ways! It will be Eduardo’s first time to the Bay Area to promote his works, the first father/son reunion in the Bay Area since 1993 for Luis and Ramiro while Luis was promoting the paperback of his bestseller memoir, Always Running, and the first time all four well-know poets will be reading together, along with newcomer, Nubia I. Books by Eduardo Arocho, Michael Warr and Luis J. Rodriguez will be available for sale and signing.

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ARTIST’S BIOS:

EDUARDO AROCHO

Eduardo Arocho was born and raised in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood where he currently resides. He is the author of five chapbooks of poetry including: Highway Island (2008), The 4th Tassel (2006) and Poems Behind The Máscara (2002). His poems have also been published in El Centro Journal, Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College, New York, NY, (2001), Power Lines: Anthologyby Tia Chucha Press, (2000) and Open Fist: Anthology of Young Illinois Poets by Tia Chucha Press, (1993). Since 2007, Arocho has been a regular contributor toLa Voz del Paseo Boricua newspaper, published by the Puerto Rican Cultural Center of Chicago. In 2011, Eduardo Arocho was presented with the Hispanic Heritage Award in Fine Arts from his alma matter, Northeastern Illinois University. He is completing work on his collection of new and selected poems.

MICHAEL WARR

Michael Warr’s books of poetry include The Armageddon of Funk, We Are All The Black Boy, and Power Lines: A Decade of Poetry From Chicago’s Guild Complex, all published by Tia Chucha Press. His literary awards include the 2012 PEN Oakland Josephine Miles Award for Excellence in Literature, 2012 Poetry Honor Award from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association, the Gwendolyn Brooks Significant Illinois Poets Award, a National Endowment of the Arts Creative Writing Fellowship, and others. A frequent collaborator with musicians, visual and performing artists, Michael’s poems have been dramatized on stage, depicted on canvas, and set to original music compositions. Most recently his poetry was reviewed in The Crisis Magazine, which was founded by W.E.B. DuBois. His poems, essays, and links to recordings and videos can be found at Armageddonoffunk.com.

LUIS J. RODRÍGUEZ

Luis J. Rodríguez has emerged as one of the leading chicano writers in the country with nine nationally published books in memoir, fiction, nonfiction, children’s literature, and poetry. Luis’ poetry has won a Poetry Center Book Award, a PEN Josephine Miles Literary Award, and Foreword magazine’s Silver Book Award, among others. His two children’s books have won a Patterson Young Adult Book Award, two “Skipping Stones” Honor Award, and a Parent’s Choice Book Award, among others. His novel, Music of the Mill, was published in the spring of 2005 by Rayo/HarpeCollins, and his latest memoir and sequel toAlways Running and National Book CriticsCircle Award finalist, It CallsYou Back: An Odyssey Through Love, Addiction, Revolutions and Healing was published in 2011 by Simon& Schuster. Rodriguez was named one of LA Weekly’s People of the Year in 2012. Rodriguez is also known for his valuable work as a peacemaker among gangs on a national and international level. In 2012 Rodriguez was the Justice Party Vice Presidential Candidate with Presidential candidate, Rocky Anderson, and has recently announced he will run for California Governor on the Justice Party ticket. Please visit his website at LuisJRodriguez.com.

RAMIRO RODRIGUEZ

Ramiro Rodriguez was born in Bellflower, California and raised in the Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago. He is the son of renowned chicano author and poet Luis Rodriguez. Ramiro was first published in the Journal Star Wall Paper, Chicago (1990), and Open Fist: Anthology of Young Illinois Poets, by Tia Chucha Press (1993). Affected by the gang life, Ramiro served a 13 ½ year prison sentence and was released in July 2010. Ramiro recently self-published his first chapbook of poetry titled, Coming Home(2013). Ramiro currently lives in Chicago where he works as a community organizer.

NUBIA I

NUBIA I is the founder and director of Wombniverse and The Black Berry Beauty, a holistic institute dedicated to the health and wellness of women and the men who love them. She is an internationally known wellness coach, raw and living food chef, womb yoga instructor, dancer, poet and the author of A Raw Life: My Journey From Cooked to Raw Foods. She has helped many women and men find new life through her books, DVD’s, workshops and lectures. Nubia I holds an Associates Degree from Laney College in Arts and Humanities and a Bachelors Degree from California Institute of Integral Studies in Interdisciplinary Global Studies. She is the proud mother of one and resides in Oakland with her daughter and devoted spouse. You can contact Nubia through her website at theblackberrybeauty.com, email at nubiaisutton1@gmail.com or call 510-467-4463.