Cal State Long Beach celebrates diversity April 15 and 16 through a bilingual poetry slam and writer’s workshop called “Todos Somos Califas.”
Poet and writer Jesus “Tato” Laviera will be the key speaker for the event and will read excerpts from his books at the Karl Anatol Center on campus.
He will read excerpts from “Mixturao,” “AmeRican,” “Mainstream Ethics,” “La Carreta made a U-turn” and “Enclave.”
There will also be a poetry slam where students are invited to perform their poetry and book signings at all the public events.
Laviera will also have workshops for writers where he will give feedback on how to improve their work.
John Attinasi, chair of the department of linguistics, and one of the organizers of the event, said this event has been in the works for about seven months by professors from the Chicano and Latino studies department, the Center for Community Engagement, Gloria Inzunza-Franco from Mi Casa: Mi Universidad, a Hispanic-Serving Institution program, and many other individual departments and people from the Linguistics Student Association and CHiLES.
“As soon as we told the different departments about what we wanted to do, everyone was willing to come forward and help,” Inzunza-Franco said. “It feels like a real community event.”
Inzunza-Franco said that bringing Laviera to campus is a good way of showcasing diverse talent. She said this event will target all students from Cal State Long Beach, inviting all the ethnic classes to hear Laviera and perhaps identify with what he is saying.
Laviera was born in Puerto Rico and raised in New York, and identifies himself as a “Nuyorican.”
He has written poems like “nideaquinideallá” where he writes about the identity of immigrants’ children and not being completely accepted by the people of their parents’ native land and the one they live in. He also wrote other poems touching on identity and diversity in the Puerta Rican community and being Latin American.
“Laviera poems are about the urban life, being a Latino and having African culture being Puerto Rican,” Attinasi said.
Attinasi said this event coincides with the 20th anniversary of a similar poetry slam in Chicago called, “Todos Somos Poetas,” in which he was involved with.
Laviera was a speaker the first time “Todos Somos Poetas” was celebrated in Chicago and it seems fitting to have him again to participate in this event, Attinasi said.
“Todos Somos Poetas” came from the idea that all Latinos and Latinas are poets inside, Attinasi said.
In the same way, the title, “Todos Somos Califas,” refers to the idea that the whole world is in California, Attinasi said.
“Tato believes that the Statue of Liberty should be in L.A. Harbor, or maybe in LAX,” Attinasi said because many people from different countries now come through California.
“His message is that we all belong here and we all have something to offer,” Attinasi said.
Students are welcome to hear Laviera at the Anatol patio where he will have a discussion on diversity in California starting at 11 a.m. on April 15. That same day at 5 p.m. Laviera will perform some of his bilingual poetry at Lecture Hall 151.
The poetry slam will be at the USU Southwest Terrace starting at 12 p.m. where all students are invited to go and recite their poetry. The writers’ workshop will be at the Anatol Center patio from 2 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. Reservations are needed for the workshop. Contact Leticia Collins at [email protected] for reservations.