Poetry fans eat up Poe at Prose Bowl

Share: Poet Olivia Gatwood got her start at the New Mexico State Fair in Albuquerque. She had just started doing spoken word, but found herself competing with pony rides and pig races for audience attention. “I was in this like little place with chairs, and it was just my parents and a drunk guy, and a ton of empty chairs and it smelled like funnel cake and horse manure,” she said. “And I did my little poem and I left. They gave me 25 bucks, …

An ode to poetry, PCC students get personal

Share: No matter your background, everyone has read their fair share of poetry, whether that be in the classroom or out of their own interest. Poetry’s impact on some people’s lives is evident, however, it may not be everyone’s cup of tea.  Poems have been a form of self-expression since the dawn of time, from romance to activism, it has served as a way for people to spread their beliefs and share a piece of themselves with the world.  “Poetry is so significant to society,” …

Local poet verses audience on religion and LGBTQ life

Share: Poet and Portland State University professor Azami Aman attended a Zoom meeting on Nov. 18 with the PCC QUEST center. Aman talked about their life by poem and read some of their works to the attendees.  Aman said that their poems all came from their personal experiences and from their childhood. They are currently working on a piece about their mom and how she found her biological family and was raised by her grandmother and her twin sister.  “They are a family friend of …

How the writing center gave voice to an artist

Share: The crisp February morning fog settled in as Baylie Raddon, an english major at Pasadena City College, began preparing for the long day ahead. Thirty miles stood between Pasadena and her house in Rancho Cucamonga. It should have been a forty minute commute but the 210 freeway was in a traffic jam, as expected. It was the beginning of the 2019 Spring semester and everyone was scrambling to find their place.  Follow:

Poet Luivette Resto: ‘My existence right now is a political expression’

Share: Laughter from the audience mixed in with the soothing voice of poet Luivette Resto. Her words, at times angry and biting, like when she reads a poem about an idiotic coworker, capture the audience more than once.  Standing at a podium, Resto presents her thoughts in an organized anecdotal manner that speak to an audience that ranged in age while also sprinkling her poems in between. Follow:

Behind the words of Ana Castillo

Share: Esteemed writer Ana Castillo began to write as a young activist in the 1970s. She used her poetry as a form of social protest by exploring the political and ethical implications of her personal experience. Her work seeks to challenge notions of not just Latinos and Latin culture, but ideas about gender roles, sexuality, spirituality, family and culture. She was recently hosted by the PCC English department for an evening of reading and discussion in the Creveling Lounge where students, faculty and staff gathered …

Existing within the stanzas: PCC Poetry Day

Share: Gold and silver mylar balloons swayed slightly as each poet came to the podium, glistening with the lights above, creating a glow that matched the poems themselves. The emcee, spoken word artist Cory Cofer, stepped up and immediately let his words flow as his arms undulated with the rhythm of his voice. He expressed the injustices within the education system against men of color. Follow: