A room full of guests shared their appreciation for Deyci Carillo L\u00f3pez at a poetry workshop hosted by ALMAAS at San Jose City College. The on-campus club ALMAAS worked with sponsorship from Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) to bring advocate and poet, L\u00f3pez, to SJCC on Friday, April where she read from her self- published book of poetry \u201cEntre la Miel y el Fuego\u201d.<\/p>\n
Serafin Andrade, a sociology major at SJCC, helped organize the event and was inspired by a bookmark his poet friend L\u00f3pez had brought back for him from Mexico. The bookmark, made from the indigenous people in Mexico, gave Andrade the idea of having L\u00f3pez read her poetry at SJCC.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought, she’s been doing other readings at UC Davis, Chico and Berkeley, and she hasn\u2019t come here. She should come to San Jose City!\u201d Andrade said.<\/p>\n
L\u00f3pez is not only a poet, but a full-time paralegal who advocates for those in immigration detention, and said she hopes that her words spread \u201cmagic.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked about why Andrade wanted this event to happen at SJCC he said, \u201cI see how it touches different people in different ways and I think that’s what words and poetry do. And when I heard her poetry that’s what it did to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
L\u00f3pez said her work is a creation of her loved ones who inspire her, including her family, friends and romantic relationships.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like sometimes I’m not best at expressing my love through actions, but I can do it with words,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
One of the main sources of inspiration in L\u00f3pez\u2019s poetry are the obstacles that immigrants face.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just felt like their stories were stories that many people and spaces have not heard or they’ve never been told that their story matters,\u201d L\u00f3pez said. \u201cI wanted to give them the opportunity to be in this book and show the world that their stories and experiences matter.\u201d<\/p>\n
During the event, L\u00f3pez talked about how her writing journey has led to many great milestones in her life. One of those more memorable moments was opening for Rupi Kaur, author of \u201cMilk and Honey\u201d in L\u00f3pez\u2019s hometown of Oakland.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel really thankful for her putting me out there and helping me expose my poetry in Oakland,\u201d L\u00f3pez said about Kaur.<\/p>\n
L\u00f3pez was not only inspired by the people in her life to write poetry, but said she sought their help in the book\u2019s design as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe cover art was made by Eddie, someone who was formally detained, the photography was my homegirl Esme, an East Oakland photographer, and the proof reading of the Spanish was done with the help of my high school Spanish teacher, Mrs. Matilla from Lionel Wilson College Preparatory,\u201d L\u00f3pez said.<\/p>\n
After the students listened to L\u00f3pez\u2019s reading, they were brought together to form a communal poem.<\/p>\n
Andrade, who has been detained in the past due to his immigration status, recalled a poem he and other detainees worked on together by author and activist Aida Salazar. Salazar\u2019s \u201cI am\u201d poem served as inspiration for the workshop.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted it not to just be an individual thing, because we’re in a community,\u201d Andrade said.\u201cSo everyone writes their own line to see what it means to them. I think that\u2019s what made it more powerful.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A room full of guests shared their appreciation for Deyci Carillo L\u00f3pez at a poetry workshop hosted by ALMAAS at San Jose City College. The on-campus club ALMAAS worked with sponsorship from Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) to bring advocate and poet, L\u00f3pez, to SJCC on Friday, April where she read from her self-…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17447,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,8,5],"tags":[],"staff_name":[1637,1764],"class_list":["post-17445","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-entertainment","category-campus-life","category-news","staff_name-angel-carrisosa","staff_name-kasandra-arreola"],"yoast_head":"\n