WORDSLINGER

Remembering Brandon Lacy Campos: Puerto Rican Obituary Interview

2013-08-31T05:00:00.000-05:00

A year ago in November i lost a brother.

Brandon Lacy Campos left this earth without notice. No more sassy texts, no more contagious laughter. No more poetry. No more nerdy discussions about star wars, haduken's and comics.

About 2 years ago i started this project with Palabristas, a collective of poets, writers, organizer that both Brandon and I were part of. The project was to record the famous poem by the Puerto Rican poet Pedro Pietri. Puerto Rican Obituary is a timeless classic in my eyes. There is so much truth in it that is relevant to this day.

Brandon loved this poem, so when i approached him about participating in this project he was really excited. It has taken me this long, almost a year from his passing to finish this part of the project.

In this interview, Brandon Lacy Campos discusses the importance of this poem, his favorite lines and addresses why Palabristas should embark in this project.

August 31st is Brandon's birthday. We would usually celebrated in some sort of communal BBQ in Minneapolis, MN. All kinds of people from different entities, ideologies would come to see him. Brandon had this energy and this power to bring people together. He still does, even after he left us.

I promised Brandon that i would finish this. Well, here is part 1 of the project.

Happy Birthday Brandon!

We all miss you dearly....

-rsc

Puerto Rican Obituary: Brandon Lacy Campos from rscspokenword on Vimeo.

Dispelling The Myth of The Absent Latino Father Through Spoken Word: La Lancha

2013-05-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

I have many blessings in my life, but the most invigorating and beautiful is being father to 3 beautiful children. When most of our fathers, or father role models were growing up, they were taught the role of the provider all swirled up with a big serving of machismo.

I like to think that my father does not have all those qualities, perhaps most, but not all.

My Father lets his actions speak. He taught me about work ethic, about being thankful for what I have, to be humble, and to put family ahead of anything. These are all great things to learn, but in exchange he lacked the power to show and give affection.

This does not mean, que no me queria, I know he does.

But in actuality i have never head him say it. We have awkward moments, when we hug, we don't embrace, we just pat each other's back. We have a silent language. But whenever I have needed help, he has been the first one there.

He may not wear his emotions on his sleeves, but I know they are sown into the seams.

See as a father, I try to be all the things my dad is and be the things he wasn't. I am a passionate father, supportive, loving, proud and stern when I need to. I choose to be this way, to function this way, to deny and reshape the role of what I believe is an obsolete Latino father role model.

Many of these norms have been perpetuated through media, tv shows, comedy skits. But these have been at the expense of our relationships with our children.

I believe my father like many out there wants to be affectionate, wants to praise his children, be involved. But unfortunately, he grew up in a time where none of those things were considered to be part of the role of a Latino father.

I personally have struggle with this dilemma, not because of my selfishness to be shown affection but because I feel my father, and many fathers out there, have been robbed of that wonderful feeling that affection can bring.

Therefore, I have decided to be vocal about my fatherhood experiences with my 3 children, my struggles, my joys, memories and convey them through the art form of Spoken Word. So far I've been able to produce 3 poems that share a glimpse of the wonderful journey of Fatherhood. These poems are Isabella, Ladybug and La Lancha

I've been fortunate to be able to record these and release them, but I still feel the need to do more and be more vocal.

My encounters with other fathers that share the same beliefs via life and social media have reinforced my passion for continuing telling my experiences.

My goal by telling my own stories about fatherhood, is to start creating discussions between Latino fathers about their experiences. I want others to share similar wonderful experiences that fatherhood has brought to me and by doing so start dispelling these imposed stereotypes.

I begin this discussion by talking about a poem based on a lullaby thats very dear to me, La Lancha .

La Lancha is a poem about my daughter Isabella and when she was really sick I sang her that lullaby to make her feel better, just like my mother had done with me. It's about a father’s relationship with his daughter in a time of sickness and how the lullaby helped both of us get through it.

This poem is important to me because of its intergenerational impact. The lullaby being sung in this poem was introduced to my mother by my grandmother and now I sing it to my children. La Lancha is originally a Tango song created in 1928 by Francisco Bartardi and it has been interpreted by many Latin American music groups.

My mother sung me one verse from it,

"Se va, Se va, La Lancha. Se va con el pescador. En esa Lancha que cruza el mar, se va, se va mi amor!".

I've sung this to my eldest, Isabella when she needed comforting and it became part of her bedtime routine. She has heard this verse so many times, that she has memorized it and now sings it to his sister and brother. I felt it was important to have Isabella be a part of this poem in order to show the intergenerational impact of this lullaby and when she agreed to sing it, I knew it was the right thing to do.

Today Isabella turns 9 years old. She is a caring and wonderful young lady and I am blessed not only to call her my friend, but to have the honor of being her father.

Without much ado, I present to you La Lancha.

-rsc

For your convenience, La Lancha is available for download below:

http://RSCSpokenWord.bandcamp.com

http://soundcloud.com/RSCSpokenWord

http://reverbnation.com/RSCSpokenWord

La Lancha by Rodrigo Sanchez-Chavarria

2012-11-30T23:58:00.000-06:00

Lyrics by Rodrigo Sanchez-Chavarria
Vocals by Isabella Sanchez-Esparza
Recorded at Sunday Más
Photo by Andrew MacDonald
Graphic Design by DSGN Champion

When I was little. There was a song that would bring me comfort. My mom would sing it to me when I was afraid. When I was in pain. It calmed me and made me focus on the endearing and nurturing voice of my mother. We all have a song, a lullaby that we remember in our infancy and when we hear we are reminded of those feelings.

That song for me is La Lancha, which is a Tango song created in 1928 written by Franciso Bartardi but it has been interpetred by many Latin American groups.

My mother used to sing me a verse from that song. Now I sing that verse to my children. La Lancha is a poem about my daughter Isabella and how when she was really sick I sang her that lullaby to make her feel better, just like my mother had done with me. It's about a father’s relationship with his daughter in a time of sickness and how the lullaby helped both of us get through it.

La Lancha is the 2nd single from the upcoming EP titled “Don’t Let them Erase You”.

Watch Rodrigo explain the meaning behind La Lancha:

For your convenience, La Lancha is available for download below:

http://RSCSpokenWord.bandcamp.com

http://soundcloud.com/RSCSpokenWord

http://reverbnation.com/RSCSpokenWord

For those of you who prefer streaming, we have also posted La Lancha on the most popular and user friendly sites on the web:

http://youtube.com/RSCSpokenWord

http://vimeo.com/RSCSpokenWord

About Rodrigo:

Rodrigo Sanchez-Chavarria is a writer and spoken word poet of Peruvian heritage, heavily involved with Palabristas, a local Latin@ poets collective. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and is an involved activist in the Latin@ community. He writes about fatherhood, the duality of two cultures in English, Spanglish and Spanish, and issues pertaining to his community and life experiences. In 2006, he was a member of the poetry collective, “Found In Translation,” which was commissioned for the Minneapolis Mosaic Festival and one of the recipients of the 2005 SASE VERVE Spoken Word Grant. He has performed with Yellow Rage, Los Nativos, Chicano Messengers of the Spoken Word and Big Quarters. Sanchez-Chavarria hosted El Café Open Mic, located at El Burrito Mercado in the heart of the Westside of St. Paul. He also takes the power of his work to local high schools, colleges, and universities, both in the Metro Area and in Greater Minnesota, in which he engages in conversation with students in regards to the art of spoken word and how they can use it as tool of liberation. He manufactured and independently released a Spoken Word CD in 2006 titled “Desconocidos” with the collaboration of other local poets, and is featured in the Palabristas Chapbook titled “Outside the Lines.”

Artist Management by Larry Lucio, Jr. for AmplifiedLife.com

Indigenous People Day 2012

2012-10-08T01:08:00.002-05:00

Today we celebrate Columbus Day in the United States. Banks are closed, government offices are closed, postal stations are closed.

But yet we seem to still celebrate historical inaccuracies.

Yes, Columbus in 1492 sailed the ocean blues. But was he the first to "discover" America?

No he was not.

The Vikings ( Not the Minnesota NFL team) were know to have settled in the New World some 400 years prior to Christopher Columbus arriving in the Bahamas.

But honestly, how do you "discover" a place where people already live in?

This to me, is still a puzzling notion. So puzzling that the best way to address it is through stand up comedy brought you by Eddie Griffin.

Furthermore, the idea to not give Indigenous people the "credit" to even exist before Columbus arrived seems ridiculous to me. That way of thinking, that indigenous people needed "saving", that in the eyes of religion they were considered not human, is still a notion that perpetuates today. If you don't believe me, take a look at what happened in Bagua, Peru in 2009. Indigenous people of Bagua and their leaders decided to create a blockade after the Peruvian goverment passed legislation that "granted" access foreign investors to natural resources found in the amazon, found in Indigenous lands. The government of Peru, led by then President Alan Garcia, decided that the best way to address this was to send armed forces and the outcome was 39 dead, 202 wounded with many still missing. Below, you will find a short documentary about the massacres at Bagua. Remembering Bagua (2011) from Anna Luisa D. & Bronwen M. on Vimeo.

You might ask yourself, so why is land so important to the indigenous people?

Well, because taking land away from indigenous people is taking their existence. Because land is sacred to the indigenous. Its not just a physical space, it is also a spiritual space, a cultural space that they call their own. Peruvian Indigenous leader, Santiago Manuin said it best "The indigenous exists because of their territory".

And it's because of acts like the one that happened in Bagua, that its important that we acknowledge the historical inaccuracies around Christopher Columbus. Should we really be celebrating a man, who enslaved, murdered indigenous people all in the name of religion and prestige?

All around the world, countries are opting to celebrate Indigenous People Day, instead of Christopher Columbus Day. The question is why aren't we?

I like to leave you with a poem i wrote last year titled "Indigenous People Day". I hope the poem inspires you to question why we still celebrate Columbus Day. Because i can't find any reasons why we still do.

-rsc

Indigenous People Day Poem

by Rodrigo Sanchez-Chavarria

Today 518 years ago a man got lost

And found a ticket to fame

se persigno con la santa maria, la niña y la pinta

and left with god

traveled oceans

crossed timeline

towards the end of his world

lost years of human life

All to discover nothing.

landed on occupied land

and stole it

appropriated it

raped it

and called it HIS PA NIO LA

All in the name of the holy 1st world

he placed the blade on each side of their shoulders

anointed the soldiers metal

and declare holy war

treated natives as cattle

slaughtered butchered, conquered

it doesn't matter what noun you use

massacre still has the same effect.

and he continued on...

in the name of precious metal and spices

Enslaved thousands

to give them diseases

inject them with greed and rabies

expose them to a religion that

calls them

savages

murderers

ignorant

not human

and he continued on...

erased their way of life by force

enforced their ways

brick by brick

layer by layer

until their buildings replaced ours

hoping we forget

but we havent..

518 years and counting..

we have been speaking

you never chose to listen..

u gave us second class citizenship

yet you never chose to listen

you called our meeting a cultural exchange

but you never chose to listen

you gave us names because you couldnt pronounce ours

and you are still not listening

so we keep speaking

we keep asking...

Why do we build statues,

name avenues,

throw parades

for a man who got lost and discovered nothing?

-rsc

Facebook Page Launch

2012-04-23T22:43:00.000-05:00

Rodrigo will be releasing an EP for the Summer of 2012 entitled Don't Let Them Erase You. This collection will feature his popular poem about fatherhood, Ladybug, and will showcase his growth as an artist as he blends music with his poetry for the first time.

Please go to Facebook and "Like" Rodrigo's official page and we'll keep you informed. There you can follow his progress as he prepares to release a new project, and be the first to know when Don't Let Them Erase You is ready for download.

Thank you for your support!

-rsc

Ladybug by Rodrigo Sanchez-Chavarria

2011-11-23T23:59:00.001-06:00

Ladybug is the first single off my upcoming EP titled "Don’t Let Them Erase You". Ladybug is an attempt to highlight the wonders of being a father and at the same time challenge the preconceived notions society has of a Latino father. I hope you enjoy it as much as i have enjoyed creating it.
as always, thank you all for your support!
-rsc

Watch Rodrigo explain the story behind his new song here:

For your convenience, Ladybug is available for download below:

http://RSCSpokenWord.bandcamp.com

http://soundcloud.com/RSCSpokenWord

http://reverbnation.com/RSCSpokenWord

For those of you who prefer streaming, we have also posted Ladybug on the most popular and user friendly sites on the web:

http://youtube.com/RSCSpokenWord

http://vimeo.com/RSCSpokenWord

About Rodrigo:

Rodrigo Sanchez-Chavarria is a writer and spoken word poet of Peruvian heritage, heavily involved with Palabristas, a local Latin@ poets collective. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and is an involved activist in the Latin@ community. He writes about fatherhood, the duality of two cultures in English, Spanglish and Spanish, and issues pertaining to his community and life experiences. In 2006, he was a member of the poetry collective, “Found In Translation,” which was commissioned for the Minneapolis Mosaic Festival and one of the recipients of the 2005 SASE VERVE Spoken Word Grant. He has performed with Yellow Rage, Los Nativos, Chicano Messengers of the Spoken Word and Big Quarters. Sanchez-Chavarria hosted El Café Open Mic, located at El Burrito Mercado in the heart of the Westside of St. Paul. He also takes the power of his work to local high schools, colleges, and universities, both in the Metro Area and in Greater Minnesota, in which he engages in conversation with students in regards to the art of spoken word and how they can use it as tool of liberation. He manufactured and independently released a Spoken Word CD in 2006 titled “Desconocidos” with the collaboration of other local poets, and is featured in the Palabristas Chapbook titled “Outside the Lines.”

Artist Management by Larry Lucio, Jr. for AmplifiedLife.com

Introducing Ladybug

2011-11-23T15:18:00.000-06:00

A video introducing the soon to be released single Ladybug from my upcoming EP titled DON'T LET THEM ERASE YOU. Ladybug will be available 11.24.11

Indigenous People Day Poem

2011-10-10T02:47:00.002-05:00

Today is Columbus Day in the United States.

i started writing this poem last year and the point of it is to raise awareness about the effects of Columbus travels and to ask you to reconsider calling it Indigenous People Day.

Hope you enjoy it!

en la lucha,

-rsc

Indigenous People Day Poem

by Rodrigo Sanchez-Chavarria

Today 518 years ago a man got lost

And found a ticket to fame

se persigno con la santa maria, la niña y la pinta

and left with god

traveled oceans

crossed timeline

towards the end of his world

lost years of human life

All to discover nothing.

landed on occupied land

and stole it

appropriated it

raped it

and called it HIS PA NIO LA

All in the name of the holy 1st world

he placed the blade on each side of their shoulders

anointed the soldiers metal

and declare holy war

treated natives as cattle

slaughtered butchered, conquered

it doesn't matter what noun you use

massacre still has the same effect.

and he continued on...

in the name of precious metal and spices

Enslaved thousands

to give them diseases

inject them with greed and rabies

expose them to a religion that

calls them

savages

murderers

ignorant

not human

and he continued on...

erased their way of life by force

enforced their ways

brick by brick

layer by layer

until their buildings replaced ours

hoping we forget

but we havent..

518 years and counting..

we have been speaking

you never chose to listen..

u gave us second class citizenship

yet you never chose to listen

you called our meeting a cultural exchange

but you never chose to listen

you gave us names because you couldnt pronounce ours

and you are still not listening

so we keep speaking

we keep asking...

Why do we build statues,

name avenues,

throw parades

for a man who got lost and discovered nothing?

-rsc

TROY DAVIS HAIKU

2011-09-23T00:58:00.001-05:00

We are Troy Davis!
Tell me why we are dying?
Death penalty us.

-rsc

Ed Bok Lee and Bao Phi Book Release Show 9/24/11!

2011-09-22T14:20:00.000-05:00

There are many great thing happening to my friends/artists lately, and i will address them in due time but coming up this Saturday, September 24 at 8pm at Minneapolis Central Library spoken word power house's Ed Bok Lee and Bao Phi will be doing a co-book release event and its free!

Bao Phi is not only one of my favorite artist's in the Twin Cities, but he is also a great community activist. Bao was the first one to ever give me 5 minutes to spit a poem at an Equilibrium Spoken Word Series at the Loft and get paid for it. His support not only for my work and for Palabristas has been influential to everything i create. I have endless love and support for the work that he does in our community and I am extremely excited about his first book of poetry titled "SONG I SING" being published by Coffee House Press.

(review of Song i Sing by Tom Horgen)

You see Bao's poetry is not only real, with images and experiences, but as an immigrant, as my family was transplanted to MN from Peru, i see myself often in what he writes.

Which brings me to another amazing poet/writer whom also happens to be co-releasing his new book with Bao Phi this Saturday ( i am really glad they decided to make this a co-release because i could not see myself in 2 places at once) and that would be the amazing Ed Bok Lee.

(Review of Ed Bok Lee Whorled on the Star Tribune)

Ed Bok lee, is well, one of the most humble people i know, a damn good forward when it comes to soccer (P.O.C. soccer reference) and just one of the most mesmerizing performers/poet i have met. His previous book Real Karaoke People is one of my local favorite poetry books. But to really immerse yourself in the levels of amazing that Ed creates you need to watch this beautiful video made from his poem American Woods, a poem about the Chai Vang case. I first heard a draft of this poem at an Equilibrium series and was blown away.

I am so glad that Coffee House Press decided to give these two artist a chance to publish their work!

So this Saturday st 8pm we plan to sell out the Minneapolis Central Library, to honor the great art and work these two amazing artists create. I love it when my people/friends have great things happen to them. hope to see you there.

-rsc

A MOMENT OF SILENCE BY EMMANUEL ORTIZ (POEM ABOUT MORE THEN 9.11.01)

2011-09-11T04:33:00.000-05:00

It has been 10 years, since the towers fell, since our lives for many of us changed. But to me 9/11 is more then just the towers falling, there are many other things that happened and are continuing to happen that are caused by that day were religious zealots decided to hijack planes and erase any sense of vulnerability that this country had.

i mourn the loss of life just like everyone else, as i have dealt with many fatal blows since this day. Not only do i question my mortality on a daily basis but i understand more the value of life, mine and the loved ones around me.

Emmnauel Ortiz, a member of the collective Palabristas : Latin@ Wordslingers wrote this wonderful, beautiful poem that not only address that day of mourning but brings to light other things we forget to remember. I've been fortunate to see this poem performed lived by Manny and it brings me to tears and joy.

And its been 10 years, and this poem is more powerful now then ever. Take a listen, read it and breathe the power that poetry can have.

-rsc
**********************************************************************************************

A Moment of Silence

by Emmanuel Ortiz

Before I begin this poem, I’d like to ask you to join me in a moment of silence in honor of those who died in the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11th, 2001.

I would also like to ask you to offer up a moment of silence for all of those who have been harassed, imprisoned, disappeared, tortured, raped, or killed in retaliation for those strikes, for the victims in Afghanistan, Iraq, in the U.S., and throughout the world.

And if I could just add one more thing…

A full day of silence… for the tens of thousands of Palestinians who have died at the hands of U.S.-backed Israeli forces over decades of occupation.

Six months of silence… for the million and-a-half Iraqi people, mostly children, who have died of malnourishment or starvation as a result of an 12-year U.S. embargo against the country.

…And now, the drums of war beat again.

Before I begin this poem, two months of silence… for the Blacks under Apartheid in South Africa, where “homeland security” made them aliens in their own country

Nine months of silence… for the dead in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where death rained down and peeled back every layer of concrete, steel, earth and skin and the survivors went on as if alive.

A year of silence… for the millions of dead in Viet Nam - a people, not a war - for those who know a thing or two about the scent of burning fuel, their relatives bones buried in it, their babies born of it.

Two months of silence… for the decades of dead in Colombia, whose names, like the corpses they once represented, have piled up and slipped off our tongues.

Before I begin this poem,

Seven days of silence… for El Salvador

A day of silence… for Nicaragua

Five days of silence… for the Guatemaltecos

None of whom ever knew a moment of peace in their living years.

45 seconds of silence… for the 45 dead at Acteal, Chiapas…

1,933 miles of silence… for every desperate body

That burns in the desert sun

Drowned in swollen rivers at the pearly gates to the Empire’s underbelly,

A gaping wound sutured shut by razor wire and corrugated steel.

25 years of silence… for the millions of Africans who found their graves far deeper in the ocean than any building could poke into the sky.

For those who were strung and swung from the heights of sycamore trees

In the south… the north… the east… the west…

There will be no DNA testing or dental records to identify their remains.

100 years of silence… for the hundreds of millions of indigenous people

From this half of right here,

Whose land and lives were stolen,

In postcard-perfect plots like Pine Ridge, Wounded Knee, Sand Creek, Fallen Timbers, or the Trail of Tears

Names now reduced to innocuous magnetic poetry on the refrigerator of our consciousness…

From somewhere within the pillars of power

You open your mouths to invoke a moment of our silence

And we are all left speechless,

Our tongues snatched from our mouths,

Our eyes stapled shut.

A moment of silence,

And the poets are laid to rest,

The drums disintegrate into dust.

Before I begin this poem,

You want a moment of silence…

You mourn now as if the world will never be the same

And the rest of us hope to hell it won’t be.

Not like it always has been.

…Because this is not a 9-1-1 poem

This is a 9/10 poem,

It is a 9/9 poem,

A 9/8 poem,

A 9/7 poem…

This is a 1492 poem.

This is a poem about what causes poems like this to be written.

And if this is a 9/11 poem, then

This is a September 11th 1973 poem for Chile.

This is a September 12th 1977 poem for Steven Biko in South Africa.

This is a September 13th 1971 poem for the brothers at Attica Prison, New York.

This is a September 14th 1992 poem for the people of Somalia.

This is a poem for every date that falls to the ground amidst the ashes of amnesia.

This is a poem for the 110 stories that were never told,

The 110 stories that history uprooted from its textbooks

The 110 stories that that CNN, BBC, The New York Times, and Newsweek ignored.

This is a poem for interrupting this program.

This is not a peace poem,

Not a poem for forgiveness.

This is a justice poem,

A poem for never forgetting.

This is a poem to remind us

That all that glitters

Might just be broken glass.

And still you want a moment of silence for the dead?

We could give you lifetimes of empty:

The unmarked graves,

The lost languages,

The uprooted trees and histories,

The dead stares on the faces of nameless children…

Before I start this poem we could be silent forever

Or just long enough to hunger,

For the dust to bury us

And you would still ask us

For more of our silence.

So if you want a moment of silence

Then stop the oil pumps

Turn off the engines and the televisions

Sink the cruise ships

Crash the stock markets

Unplug the marquee lights

Delete the e-mails and instant messages

Derail the trains, ground the planes

If you want a moment of silence, put a brick through the window of Taco Bell

And pay the workers for wages lost

Tear down the liquor stores,

The townhouses, the White Houses, the jailhouses, the Penthouses and the Playboys.

If you want a moment of silence,

Then take it

On Super Bowl Sunday,

The Fourth of July,

During Dayton’s 13 hour sale,

The next time your white guilt fills the room where my beautiful brown people have gathered.

You want a moment of silence

Then take it

Now,

Before this poem begins.

Here, in the echo of my voice,

In the pause between goosesteps of the second hand,

In the space between bodies in embrace,

Here is your silence.

Take it.

Take it all.

But don’t cut in line.

Let your silence begin at the beginning of crime.

And we,

Tonight,

We will keep right on singing

For our dead.

Videos of People reading/performing a Moment of Silence

Photo Shoot & Verve Grant 2011

2011-08-02T14:07:00.016-05:00

It's been a while folks!

i know its been daunting, but my life right is full of great things. To start off on Wed Aug. 3 i celebrate 10 years of marriage with my best friend, Nubia. We are also expecting the arrival of our new family member Santiago anytime soon. So my focus as of lately has been on family. =)

the girls with Santiago's new bed!

But besides that i've been developing new pieces, i participated in my first slam not too long ago and placed 4th. Not too bad for a first try. i was nervous, but i think i did well enough, so i am gonna try to do it more often.

Slamming at the Blackdog Cafe photo by Rudy Aviña

In addition i have been working on EP project titled DON'T LET THEM ERASE YOU, in which i am writing and experimenting with music. Yes! you heard right! i am currently working with local musicians and looking to release it this upcoming year.

But the things that i am mostly looking fwd (besides Santiago's arrival) is that i am one of the recipients of the 2011 VERVE SPOKEN WORD GRANT along with Michael Lee, Naadirah Tha Great, Aimee Renaud, Jake Virden and Chaun Webster. You can get more information about the artists here.

I am excited because i get to start a new project, do something that its a long time overdue, tell the stories of new and already established latin@ immigrants in Minnesota. The idea is to interview folks, have them tell me about their experiences, about their stories and my job is to give life to their words through spoken word. I have had the fortune to run into all types of writers/poets from all types of backgrounds and from different parts of what we call AMERICA. All of them have taught me things not only about the Minnesota experience, but also about life. i hope to be able to give life to their story.

I also got new headshots thanks to family friend Sue Stirling! she has recently moved back to Philly, so if you are in the area and like her work let me know and i will shoot her info!

here are a few from the photo shoot!

En Lucha,

rsc

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T09:32:00.002-05:00

Madre

Ponme cerca de tu Corazón
Para sentir el latido
El calor que me das
Dame las caricias
Que nunca te dieron
Enséñame como caminar con orgullo
Protégeme con tus palabras
Dime cuanto te hago falta
Ríe conmigo
Olvídate de tus males
Dame de comer de tu espíritu luminoso
Enséñame como querer como tu
Cuéntame tus sueños
Tus Milagros
Llora conmigo
Soy tu esponja
Enséñame
Enséñame
Camina conmigo
Tomemos pasos juntos
Crea nuevos lenguajes solo para nosotros
Alardea tus ambiciones
Habla de las riquezas que tienen los libros
Cuéntame de los antepasados para siempre saber
De donde vengo para poder llevarlos conmigo siempre
Y siempre mantenme cerca de tus latidos
Porque para mi
Eres todo y mas
Y siempre te llevare conmigo.

Rodrigo Sanchez-Chavarria © 4/12/2010

MIKE SWOOP: UP LATE VIDEO

2011-02-16T15:03:00.008-06:00

last year i was introduced to Mike Swoop at his New Love CD Release Party that i attended with my brother. We had a great time!, I was vibing to the music i heard that night and i was compelled to purchase Mike Swoop album. Since then New Love gets many of plays on my ipod/iphone/laptop and when i heard that he was releasing a video from his CD i wanted to check it out.I am a little late on posting this and it took a reminder from Mike to check it out. But good things are worth the wait, i really like the video. It makes me miss NYC and we usually don't see many videos for instrumental tracks, but the storytelling flows really well! Good Job Mike Swoop!

If you haven't yet support Mike Swoop you should.

here is an excerpt of a review of new love, which really resonates with me

"Having honed his skills as a DJ for Twin Cities’ rhyme collective Diametrix, Swoop is rooted in Hip-Hop, but for his own album he definitely straddles genre lines in order to create the most heavenly loungin’ music I’ve heard in quite awhile. Containing elements from Dancehall, Dub-Step, Afro-Beat, Electronic and even Blues, Swoop cultivates magnetic arrangements that effortlessly get ya head groovin’. The basslines are thick and rolling, the instrumentation is crisp and sultry and every track has it’s own identity. "

New Love Review by Above Ground

Here is me with my New Love Package:

Mike Swoop-Up Late

Settin' In & Midtown Livin' Videos

2011-02-04T09:34:00.015-06:00

This week we have been fortunate to receive the release of 2 music videos from Minneapolis based Rap Artists. The first one is from Danami titled SETTIN' IN, who honestly I did not know much about until this past Sunday's Amplified Life Showcase. In all honesty, i am a sucker for horns in rap music, but overall good music + good lyrics = must check it out. I will be adding this to my music library. Also check out cameos by TC artists, Freeze, Mally, Felix and more.

The second video, the one that makes me smile from ear to ear, is the debut of local powerhouse and southside homies Illuminous 3, with their music video titled MIDTOWN LIVIN'.I've know these fellas for a long time, since the formation of Illuminous 3 and I have been a follower and supporter of their music. It always makes me feel good when friends are getting the respect they do. The video pays homage to what we from Palabristas refer to as Frontera Lake Street, an essential area of south minneapolis the breathes diversity. i can go on about how great this video is, but i let you all be the judge. Shout Out to Greg Grease for the directing of the video and King Karnov for the beat.

For all you rap music fans. get your fix of Twin Cities and Midwest talent at Midwest Broadcast.

New Poem: Man in Nevada

2011-01-23T02:09:00.003-06:00

been meaning to get this out sooner. here is an audio version. hope you enjoy it. leave me some feedback!

*** so the story behind this poem is a tv add run by Latinos for Reform and the fact that my mother had recently become a US Citizen. i decided to speak on the matter.***

NOTE: THERE IS A SMALL CHANGE FROM THE POEM TO THE AUDIO.

A MAN IN NEVADA

there is a man
in Nevada
that wants my mother not to vote.
that tells her that her voice doesn’t count.
that her calloused hands
that are soft to the touch
and rough to the rest of the world
dont matter.

this is the woman.
who’s 4 ft frame
somehow hides the 10 ft person
she really is.
and i know
cuz i’ve seen her shadow
mix in with those
who marched down the capitol of St. Paul.
down the avenues of Arizona.
to prove that her voice won’t be silent.
that her invest in her family will not be forgotten.

this is the woman who traveled thousands of miles,
swallowed her pride and crossed borders in exchange for college degrees.
to arrive to a land where the door never opened her way,
where shit wasn't free.

where she was shun for her dialect.
where MN Nice lacked respect.
where the ice on the sidewalk
reflected an image never seen by her
and yet she pushed on.

through the waves of assimilation
with heavy doses of depression
medications and a fuckin wooden spoon.
to raise 2 babies
so one day, they could vote with her.

there is a man
in Nevada
that wants my wife not to vote.
that tells her voice doesn't matter.
that change does not fuckin' matter.
that the thousands of hours she spent away from her babies
while working on getting her education don't mean shit.

this woman was the first from her family to graduate from high school.
she fuckin dominated college!
in a place where the bronze skin
faded with the cold winters.

she accomplished things no one in her family did before
opened and kicked down doors
for her daughters and others born
A legacy she leaves with every step she takes.
A Dream that Acts with every breath she takes.
A vote for change with every word (every baby) she makes.
A scream against the inequalities with every vote she casts.

A woman, like my mother that taught me that without struggle there is no hope.

so don’t you dare fuckin' tell me that what they think does not matter.

It fuckin matters!!

it matters to me, our children, our community.

and if god wants to prove me to that she is real.

She will make this Man from Nevada run into these ladies in a dark alley in Vegas and my $$ will always be on the (sun) brown goddesses.

-Rodrigo Sanchez-Chavarria

Man in Nevada by rscspokenword

Lady Bug Poem

2011-01-10T08:31:00.002-06:00

Today is Giselle Daniela Sanchez-Esparza's 4th Bday. there are many reasons she makes me smile on a daily. but the most important one, is that she lets me be part of her life.

Giselle Papi loves you! <3

Lady Bug

For Halloween i was a TMNT

Michaelangelo to be exact

The year before I wanted to be Bruce Wayne

and lets say, i might have enjoyed that a bit too much

In her case, her infatuation for the past two years (2/3 of her life)

Has been lady bugs

I ask her why lady bugs

And she says because they are small and cute like me.

And who can argue with that.i know i cant.So I tell her

You are right and you will always be right.

you see, she is 3 feet tall and our adventures include

climbing mt everest, all the way up her bunk bed

we make train sets, be our mode of transportation into her make belief world

make couch cushions and blankets be our fortress

we make up words like achabatuba

except she can’t say tuba so she replaces it with tuga

practice rolling our rrrr’s

our colors in ES-PA-NOL

because language is culture

tickle her sister cuz its the fun thing to do

we hide and seek for new adventures

and look for each other when life gets hard.

i never thought i would have 3 of my best friends live under my roof

i never thought i would be so happy with less, but she is my living proof

so we construct lego inequities that only make sense to her

stack dominos into mansions like quadratic equations

we color circles, squares, triangles and call it family

we dance to beat of our heartbeats

and to the rhythm of snare drums

we recite lyrics and make her magic wands be the microphone

she says she is a water bender and i her last airbender

we haduken our way through the strife

and embrace each other, so we can taste life.

i tell her i love her, and i miss her.

even though she hasn’t left my side.

she says i know.

and thats when i bow to her innocence.

make a promise to protect it by any means necessary.

with my pen and my machete of a tongue

i will show no mercy to those who stand in her way.

will make the massacres at the hand of the conquistadores

look like soap bubbles.

i will fight for her until she tells me she is a big girl.

then i will let go and try to find where i hid my innocence.

hoping and waiting that she still wants to be a ladybug.

New poem-needs feedback

2010-11-24T01:00:00.001-06:00

Hello all,

I wrote this at the airport as i saw my parents exchange good byes. I am sure they thought I was textin someone. I wasn't. Feedback please.

In struggle ,

rsc

-------------------------------------------------

I've never seen them hug
Much less kiss
32 years I waited for this.

He watches as she checks in
Carries her bags for her
Like he has done for all her trips
Walks her to her security check point
And I wish that the glass on the wall could talk
All it does is show me the reflection
And let's me write the story.
It's her turn to part
So she turns around
They embrace like it was the first time
I am aware that these times will end
I think she does too
She kisses him on the cheek
And heads to a routine well known
But always unprefered
I watch for his reaction
All he does is watch her
Until she fades away into
Conglomerate filled halls
I know that there is love
Even if brief
All I can do is wait
Wait for the next embrace
It will happen at the same place
And the glass will not talk
Just show someone
That love is/was there
Even if it was brief
It was there
I know
Because I am their creation.

Jason Yang- developing news...

2010-11-23T08:08:00.003-06:00

Jason Yang’s wife: “I, myself, with my own eyes, viewed a bullet wound right shoulder (his right, not right while looking at him)”,

some of you might have been following the case of Jason Yang, the man who supposedly jumped off a bridge while being chased by the cops in downtown MPLS. well.. now we get this. so all i know, is that cops got some explaining to do. my thoughts are with Jason Yang family, i can't wait to see what the MPD says about the bullet... Justice for Fong Lee, Justice for Jason Yang

must read,

click here http://donny-allen.us/?p=2428

and words by brother Tou Saiko Lee.. in the memory of Injustice

Audio Perm- Permed out Wednesday

2010-11-18T08:23:00.010-06:00

i've been known to dwell in the great local rap scene in Minneapolis. You gotta support the local scene if you are part of the local scene is what i say. in one of dwelling tours i was introduced to audioperm. group member Taylor Madrigal kept on asking me to download their beat tape. i am so glad he did because I instantly became a big fan and could not wait till their second beat tape dropped, Audio Perm in Full Effect Once that dropped it was inspiration to my ears. Then they came out with this Permed out Wednesday and its been damn good. someday i like to work on a project with them, till them this will do.

-rsc

Bobby Richardson, Yakub, Big Dylan, Niles Miller - 4th & 4th (Prod. Julian Fairbanks) by AudioPerm

download track

The 3rd installment in our “Permed Out Wednesdays” series, featuring special guest Niles Miller. Produced by Julian Fairbanks. Bobby, Yakub, Dylan, and Niles got together over a Julian Fairbanks beat, and wrote and recorded their verses all in one session. Niles Miller is featured on the track, representing No Static, along with Permed Out regular, Big Dylan. The song was recorded at Hogwarts Thugs Mansion 4th & 4th Studios, on November 18th.

Homelessryank -Magic feat. RiversRivers Cuomo Remix

2010-11-15T09:20:00.006-06:00

i've had a eventful monday. this always puts me in a good mood. support the homie homelessryank. dope artist. watch the video and vibe like i am right now.

-rsc

(Chorus: Rivers Cuomo)
I've got the magic in me
Everytime I touch that track it turns into gold
Everybody knows I've got the magic in me
When I hit the flow the girls come snappin' at me
Now everybody wants a burst of magic

Magic, magic, magic
Magic, magic, magic
Magic, magic, magic(ahoo)
I've got the magic in me

(Verse One: Homeless)
It's some wizardous trickery, spittin' sick with ability
I've been pleadin' with the people and it seems to be killin' me
When you set those those sights high, tryin' to take aim
Makin' a lotta long hours, in the name of your pocket change
It's funny really, feelin' weight on your brain
Knowin' if you stopped, you'd probably go insane
So I'd like to present you with a present I sent you,
It's an honest acknowledgement of the things that you been through
From a lotta forethought and a dose elbow grease
I magically made flowers appear from my coat sleeve
Tryin' to set records, world book of Guinness
Making something outta nothing is all in my line of business

(Chorus: Rivers Cuomo)
I've got the magic in me
Everytime I touch that track it turns into gold
Everybody knows I've got the magic in me
When I hit the flow the girls come snappin' at me
Now everybody wants a burst of magic

Magic, magic, magic
Magic, magic, magic
Magic, magic, magic(ahoo)
I've got the magic in me

(Verse Two: Homeless)
So for the sake of breakin' habits, take a deep breath tonight
I got a skyline, my friends, and a ten speed bike
Seems like, we might, be right around the lakes
taking common sense to realize we all need a break
did we make it home, a-a-are we there yet?
Criss-crossin' highways, chasin' down a sunset
Silent on the ride home, no soundtrack to speak of
back to my inner monologue riding a weak buzz
Seems like these days everything can kill you
And every bad prophecy they wrote is coming true
If I spoke too soon, then pardon my doom and gloom
There's a lot I wish I knew, I'm just tryin' to prove

(Chorus: Rivers Cuomo)
I've got the magic in me
Everytime I touch that track it turns into gold
Everybody knows I've got the magic in me
When I hit the flow the girls come snappin' at me
Now everybody wants a burst of magic

Magic, magic, magic
Magic, magic, magic
Magic, magic, magic(ahoo)
I've got the magic in me

ORDER YOUR COPY OF WRITING LIFE!

2010-06-22T13:56:00.004-05:00

$5 Dollars + Free Shipping!

Order Writing Life here!

Its here, after a year and half of work. please support!

EPIDEMIC FROM THE WRITING LIFE CHAPBOOK

2010-06-08T10:50:00.005-05:00

Epidemic

Chalino rides the bus
Wears a mask because of the fear of the brown planet
Fear of the sixth sun
Montezuma’s revenge
Figures its karma
And this time it does not pay in pesos
Or land promises
Written in invisible ink
On sobbing red tears
wrapped in small pox covered blankets

this time its delivered by the FDA
Assuring that the swine have no flu
media flashes bronze people on TV
Commentators blame a demographic

they want to repatriate the flu
back to Mexico
like in the great depression

people blame my complexion
every time they sneeze
they cough
they sniff

don’t blame the man made disasters
blame us for terrorism
the stock market falling
the lack of jobs
the expenses of health care

being a tax burden they can’t write off
depleting their 401k’s
exposing the truth
the dollar runs the USA

They call for the return of Jim Crow
The decapitation of ethnic studies
They say we need to be colorblind
Forget what’s in the past
I am sure that’s what the fore fathers had in mind
Rewrite history books so we can never
Know the dark history
The one that talks about our existence

The FDA was right; the swine don’t hold the flu
We do, and this is our epidemic.

WRITING LIfe Chapbook Release Show/Party 6-24-2010

2010-05-28T17:47:00.004-05:00

Its been 4 years since my last project, For the past year i have been working with photographer Andrew Macdonald in creating my next project a chapbook inspired by his photographs titled WRITING LIFE. i believe that we are all writers, that we all write in our own way. Mine happens to be in the form of poetry. Andrew's in the way of photographs, its our way of storytelling and this is what this project embodies. You will find spoken word pieces, haikus, etc in this chapbook. i must say that it has been a challenge to produce this work but i am proud of it.

I want to be able to share this latest work with you all, but i need your support.

First i need you to show up on June 24 @ 7pm at the Loft Literary Center (Free)

then i need you to let people know about the event, via email, Twitter, Facebook or word of mouth!

i am attaching the event flyer here and i hope you distribute it to people that might be interested.

if i have spoken in your class or programs i hope you can let those individuals know about this event.

Remember!

Date:
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Time:
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Location:
The Loft Literary Center
Street:
Suite 200, Open Book, 1011 Washington Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55415
City/Town:
Minneapolis, MN

here is the link to the facebook event

for all of you i will be having the chapbook available for pre order soon..

thanks for all of the support!

South Minneapolis Poem Preview

2010-05-11T09:59:00.001-05:00

**This poem is still a rough draft..but here it is for you to read..what i have so far**

South Minneapolis

Why do they hate you
Why do they beat you
Then rape you
Why do they hate you
Why do they chase you for
What do you got that they need
Why do the cops hate you more then they hate me?

Why

Is it on 26th and Chicago where my daughters were delivered
to unmachista hands blocks from what we called frontera lake street
where sore feet and callused hands, smell like home to me
where broken sidewalks, potholes let me breathe
where lightpoles and smell of fresh tortillas shed tears
where the colors in the buildings don’t speak paranoia
street corners that frequent me , myself and i
where eat street resembles my kitchen
where poetas walk to blend in with the letterings
a place I can finally call my own
where the smells scream WELCOME HOME!

tell me South Minneapolis

why do they hate you,
why do they beat you down
then rape you
what do they chase you for
what do you got that they need?
Why do the cops hate you more then they hate me?

Does your body tense
Heart skips a beats
When the siren scream police?
Wondering if they will plant the evidence next to your body
Ask us why we run
Tell me who holds the gun?
Are our shades to brown for them
Are they mad we made this town for them