After a two-year absence due to COVID, the Mission District welcomed back its annual San Francisco International Flor y Canto Literary Festival from June 9-11.
The three-day event drew over 60 poets who gathered for 15 readings at various venues in the Mission. Most were in-person readings, but five were hosted via Zoom.
The modest gathering of literary aficionados seemed touched by the readings. Shouts of appreciation and thunderous applause could be heard at the events.
Although most of the poets were local, the festival featured some from Fresno, Oaxaca and Central America. The readings varied from English to Spanish and in Mayan, as well as an occasional Spanglish.
Under a clear, blue sky, Balmy Alley, with its colorful and culturally-themed murals served as a unique backdrop for the opening ceremony on June 9. The other venues over the three-days included Acción Latina, Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, Precita Eyes, Medicine for Nightmares, Adobe Books, Balmy Alley, Mission Synth, and Evolved SF.
The festival closed with the presentation at the Mission Cultural Center of the Flor y Canto Community Awards honoring Roberto Vargas, Alejandro Murguia and Dr. Naomi Quiñonez. Vargas and Murguia were pivotal figures in the early literary renaissance in the Mission District.
(All photos by Daniel Zarazua.)
