To honor Latinx Heritage Month, Moorpark College hosted two-time National Poetry Slam finalist and best-selling author Yesika Salgado in the Black Box Theater on Oct. 2, 2023
As her first visit to Moorpark College, the Los Angeles-based Salandoran poet conducted an hour-long discussion including several live readings of poems from her three highly-acclaimed books; “Corazón,” “Tesoro” and “Hermosa”.
While Salgado’s love for writing started early as only a first-grader, it wasn’t until her diagnosis of bipolar disorder in high school that pushed her to pursue a poetry career. Shortly after dropping out of high school, Salgado quit her job at CVS at age 18 to seek writing composition full-time.
“Poetry has always been my one thing that I turn to,” Salgado said. “Everything I write, I write from my perspective and my lens, which is what I always carry with me; my culture, being a Salvadoreña, being a Latina, being an L.A. girl, being a fat woman and being a disabled fat woman.”
In the early 2010s, Salgado navigated the underground poetry scene as a social media trailblazer. As one of the first Latina poets to break through the space, Salgado discussed pioneering an online presence for underrepresented communities.
“It was like an empty canvas, and It felt so achievable,” Salgado explained. “I think now because social media has also become a career for folks, posting becomes a little daunting, but I still invite people to still treat it in that same way where we all have the same tools at our disposal and be creative.”
As well as reading from her three published manuscripts, Salgado fostered discussions to supplement listeners’ understanding of her content in the poems. Students were even encouraged to snap, clap, stomp and jump in with words of their own if something impacted them.
During the middle of the set, the poet discussed the origination and meaning behind her second book “Tesoro,” which serves as an homage to the women in her family and their survival of domestic alcoholism from the men in their homes.
In the poem “Las Locas,” Salgado plays with the term “crazy” as the phrase women get classified as often. The poet lists the descriptions of several women in her family and the role patriarchy plays in her world.
“The one who lives out of her suitcase, who doesn’t cook or clean, who forgets to call, who wears red lipstick and sheer shirts to Thanksgiving dinner,” Salgado listed. “The Chismosa that no one tells the scandals to because she writes them all down. Tell me about that time again, when you were freed, when you made a mess and were forgiven the same way we forgive the men.”
Following this selection of live readings, Salgado opened the floor for students to ask questions regarding her journey. Many poets in the crowd inquired about Salgado’s unique writing process and asked for advice.
“If you are a writer that’s trying to start, I would recommend you all to find a routine that makes sense for you,” Salgado said. ‘“Remember to be a magnet for what you were searching for, and amplify yourself so people searching for you can find you,” Salgado explained.
Salgado’s performance attracted numerous students, including those who were previously unfamiliar with her work. Emmy Jagoe, a student at Moorpark College, was touched by Salgado’s poetry performance despite not being familiar with her beforehand.
“I don’t know much about poetry, but with her, I understood and did cry,” Jagoe shared. “I wasn’t sure about my attention span when coming to see the performance, but I was captivated.”
Moorpark College English major Amelia Daisa was convinced to buy Salgado’s book after feeling a connection with her.
“I really like her poem about her grandma because I was close with my great-grandmother, so I felt a connection,” Daisa said. “I came because of theater class, but the performance ended up being a pleasant surprise. I really liked it.”
Vice President of Academic Affairs John Forbes shared his praise for the poet and commented on Salgado’s ability to foster familiarity within her words despite having a contrastive cultural upbringing.
“My path growing up was very different from hers, but I found myself in her words and I think that speaks to how powerful her voice is,” Forbes said. “My hope is that all students would see the message that she is bringing, that is finding your voice, finding your story, and speaking it into this world.”
Moorpark College will continue uplifting Latinx voices through an assortment of Latinx Heritage Month events until Oct. 17. For more information, click here. To connect with Yesika Salgado, click here.
