Galeria de la Raza • 2857 24th St. SF
$5 (FREE with book purchase)
Featuring anthology poets: Maya Chinchilla, Alejandra Mojica, Naomi Quiñones, Milta Ortiz, Manny Martinez, Leticia Hernández, Raquel Gutierrez, Somos One, Francisco X. Alarcón, Vickie Vértiz, Melissa Lozano, Norman Zelaya, and DJ Agana among others. Hosted by Marc David Pinate and Sandra Garcia Rivera.
In honor of Galería de la Raza’s 40th anniversary and 10 years of Lunadas in the Bay, series founder and host, Marc David Pinate, has edited an incredible anthology (published by Galería de la Raza) spotlighting 28 of Lunadas’ best featured poets. Join us on May 27 as we celebrate the release of: LA LUNADA, An anthology of spoken-word poetry celebrating sixty full moons & community ritual at Galería de la Raza. Originally running in San José from 1998 to 2003 then relocating to Galería de la Raza for the past six years, the Lunada series has become an important part of the San Francisco-Bay Area literary scene. Still the only regularly occurring bilingual open-mic in the Bay Area, Lunadas hold a special place in the hearts of many.
May’s Lunada also marks a passing of the torch as host, Marc David Pinate, bids a fond farewell to the series and we welcome the irresistible and accomplished, Sandra Garcia Rivera, as the new host of Lunadas. This all-star celebration is the last Lunada until the new fall season. Purchase a copy of the anthology and have it autographed.
There will be surprises. There will be high emotion. There will be cake!
Featured Performer Biographies:
Maya Chinchilla is a Central American/Guatemalan poet, performer, video artist, and community scholar. A two-spirit humble diva, she is a founding member of Las Manas Tres.
Alejandra Mojica was raised in the Mission district of Frisco, has been performing most of her life through dance, theater and spoken word.
Naomi Helena Quiñonez is the author of three collections of poetry Hummingbird Dream: Sueno de Colibri; The Smoking Mirror and The Exiled Moon. She co-edited Invocation L.A: Urban Multicultural Poetry for which she won an American Book Award.
Milta Ortiz: Poet/Writer/Performer and Revolutionary Arts Educator earned a BA in Creative Writing from SFSU. Wrote and peformed Scatter My Red Underwear, member of Las Manas Tres.
Jose Manuel Martinez has been a Bay Area musician for over twenty years. He has played with Psychefunkapus. Los Mocosos, and currently with Mazacote.
Leticia Hernández-Linares is an award-winning writer and educator who has performed her teatro-infused poemsongs throughout the country, as well as in El Salvador, for over ten years.
Raquel Gutierrez is a community based performance writer and cultural activist. She is a co-founding member of the performance art ensemble, Butchlalis de Panochtitlan with whom she has performed nationally.
Julio Magaña–Saludado (aka SOMOS 1) Union made, Buffalo born in Delano, raised in San Diego, UC Berkeley and Oakland. An oft-featured Hip Hop poet, community organizer and high school educator.
Francisco X. Alarcón Chicano poet and educator, is author of eleven volumes of poetry, including, From the Other Side of Night: Selected and New Poems (University of Arizona Press 2002). He has been a finalist nominated for Poet Laureate of California in two occasions.
Vickie Vértiz Her work can be read in: Intersection for the Arts’/Kearny Street Workshop’s 2008 Intergenerational Writers’ Lab Anthology, Mujeres de Maiz, and Namecalling.
Melissa Lozano In 1997 Melissa was a student of Marc Pinate’s Chicano Poetry workshop. The rest is history – she has been blessed. Currently, she attends Mills College.
Sandra Garcia Rivera is the recipient of numerous awards for creative writing. Her verses and vocals have captured audiences internationally. She is a teaching artist, event producer, and administrator, and currently works towards an MFA in Poetry at Antioch, L.A.
Norman Antonio Zelaya is a writer born and raised in San Francisco, CA. His stories chronicle the experiences of being a young boy growing up in the Mission.