Raven Spring 2018

RAVEN THE

OFFICIAL

MAGAZINE

OF

THE

BRONX

ACADEMY

OF

LETTERS

THE INTERVIEW ISSUE INTERVIEWS WITH ROYA MARSH + DENICE FROHMAN BOOKS ON THE BEACH: YOUR SUMMER READING LIST + MORE

THE INTERVIEW ISSUE SIDE

SPRING FLIPPED Interviews with

Students Denice Frohman EDITOR IN CHIEF/WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE CANDICE ILOH

Books on the Beach Your Summer Reading List

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER/PRINCIPAL BRANDON CARDET-HERNANDEZ

ART DIRECTOR CHRISTINA KIEL

STAFF WRITERS BAL RAVEN ZINE & LIT CLASS STUDENTS

SIDE

FLIPPED SPRING Interviews with

Students Roya Marsh + more

CONTACT US BRONX ACADEMY OF LETTERS 339 MORRIS AVENUE BRONX, NY 10451 WWW.BRONXLETTERS.ORG

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

OH HEYYY, FREN! HOW YOU DOIN?!

I’M FEELING PRETTY GOOD IN THIS MOMENT. For several reasons (UM, HELLO, 70 DEGREE WEATHER!): First off, Spring and Summer are heeeeerrre. Have you noticed that you kind of feel different now that the sun is shining more and it’s not so cold? This might not be true for everybody but it definitely is happening to me. I feel like the colder months make it so hard to not be sad. Gratefully, there are some great things happening that helped me handle that. One of those things is ALL THIS NEW GREAT ART. So much has come out in the past few months by artists of color that has my whole mind blown (like Black Panther) and has me SO inspired. It seems like all around us black and brown people are thinking less about being acceptable and more about truly expressing/being themselves! What a dream. And my everyday #goals. I want to be a fearless creator and human who feels free enough to be myself no matter what.

That’s a big part of becoming a success, to me. I see that growing in a lot of you.

The other thing that’s made this winter a little bit easier to deal with is YA’LL. Especially my Raven Magazine writers.

Our past issue, The Anonymous Issue, and the months that lead up to it being released made me so proud of ya’ll for your honesty and bravery. I have been learning so much about you all and everything is blowing my mind. I wasn’t as bold and courageous as you when I was in high school. I didn’t think being myself was cool. Just like many of you,

I felt confused about a lot of things and had so many questions, not sure of how to feel or think. I didn’t start making the decision to be true to myself or knowing how to choose what was best for me until I got into college. Up until then, I was always trying to impress people and make my family proud of me. I followed all the rules I was taught. All I cared about was doing what the world told me was right. But it’s in college where I discovered how to pay attention to my feelings, listen to my own ideas, and use my voice. It’s when I got away from everything I knew growing up and started changing my choices. Writing and books had a lot to do with that. I started feeling empowered to be myself when I saw that I could be good at coming up with my own stories. I began feeling like I could do my own thing when I started finding friends who liked me for me. I didn’t have to be who I used to be or what people expected of me. I could win without hiding or changing my identity.

That’s a big part of what this Raven Interview Issue is all about: asking yourself what you really think and feel, outside of what others think about you.

Who. Are You. That question freaks me out too. Luckily, this is all about having the questions, not really the perfect answers.

Roya Marsh, you’ll get to read the student poems that you heard at our last Writer’s Forum, and you’ll get hip to some books to check out this summer: even for the people who say they don’t like to read. Major shout outs to these super brave students who show up to class and are as honest as they can be.

Shout out to the courageous students who have been pushing themselves to go harder and try things that scare them.

Shout out to the students who are showing love to other students who are doing the best they can by telling the truth. Shout out to the students who are friends to these writers too. Keep growing together. Ya’ll are the real ones.

As always, there’s a little something here for everyone reading this magazine. You won’t identify with everything but you will find something you’re familiar with and feel. Please take the time to read these personal stories with an open heart and enjoy what you find. You may realize you have more in common with some of these students than you think.

WITH SO MUCH LOVE, CANDICE ILOH Writer-in-Residence / Editor in Chief

As you read you’ll get to know a little bit more about some of your hallway homies, you’ll find out more about our guest performers: Denice Frohman and

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STUDENT INTERVIEW

I feel most powerful when I got my big curly hair out and being dressed comfortable.

You know hoodies, sweats, fya kicks. I feel most powerful when looking like that because me having my curly hair out shows my natural self. In my opinion I feel like not many women embrace their natural beauty. They tend to think that doing their hair, putting on makeup makes them look gorgeous. Little do they know they’re gorgeous without it. I guess you could say having my curly hair out is a statement. I also love wearing hoodies, sweats, and dope kicks because it expresses my sense of style and it's just me. I'm not girly at all. So me wearing what I wear makes me feel more like myself and comfortable.

I'm from Clinton Ave. I was born and raised in the Bronx. But I was also raised in the heights. The Bronx is way better, though. My mother is Ecuadorian and my father is Dominican. Which makes me Ecuadorian and Dominican. My parents would always keep my head up while I was seeing things around the block when I was growing up.

They’d tell me to give no mind to the guy rollin up in the corner where the bodega is.

To just focus on school. They didn't want me to grow up seeing what I saw, like people that were doing drugs, selling, and even gang related activities. But I did anyway. I'm glad I have my parents. They've kept me out of trouble and made me realize things I wouldn't have realized on my own. Like to not always choose to hang out with the so-called cool crowd—that it would usually get me into trouble.

STUDENT INTERVIEW

MICHELLEPALACIOS WHAT IS SOMETHING YOU’RE AFRAID OF?

I’m afraid of death. I remember when I would always dream of it after watching horror movies. Horror movies about ghosts and stuff would always get to me, like ‘damn what if it’s all true?’ Yes it’s easy to die, but what happens after that? Is there a hell or heaven that they always talked about? Will you meet The Devil or Jesus? Will heaven look like your best memory? What about hell: your worst fear?

What if there’s no heaven? What if I wasted all my life trying to be perfect [to get into] heaven but wasted all my time? What happens to your soul? Do you reincarnate or will you just be stuck in your decaying body with maggots eating you? I guess that’s why the idea of death has the ability to amaze and scare others; or maybe just me.

WHAT IS SOMETHING YOU WANT YOUR FAMILY TO KNOW ABOUT YOU? I want my family to know that I’m bisexual. I haven’t really told my family about my sexuality.

I’m open about my sexuality at school, but I close up about it at home. Sometimes it’s really a struggle. My mom is always asking me if she’s ever gonna hear me talk about a boy romantically. I stress out, wondering if she’s already found out but she hasn’t.

I DON’T WANT TO KEEP MY SEXUALITY A SECRET FROM MY FAMILY ANYMORE. I’M JUST TRYING NOT TO GET JUDGED.

I want my mom to know that I like boys and girls. I just want her acceptance and love. But I can’t help and overthink the negative outcomes that could all happen. I want to be able to express this to my family without them shaming me about it or saying anything rude.

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STUDENT INTERVIEW

BRYANNA TRINIDAD What do you wish people knew about you?

When do you feel most like yourself?

I want people to know that I am stronger than I look. All my life I’ve been looked at as little due to my size but in reality I’m a lot more than that. I’v e always admired my cleverness and my love for learning. I’v e always enjoyed teaching myself new things. It makes me feel smart and proud to say that I know something mainly when I taught it to myself. I think that being smart is better than physical strength because, although you can’t literally beat someone, you can still beat them with your brains and outsmart them.

I feel most like myself when I am all alone in my room. I love my room because it’s my own personal space that other people can’t invade. It’is my very own safe space. I love the feeling when I come home to it and feel like I can be 100% myself. I love hibernating in my bed for hours while watching Youtube or Netflix. Coming home brings me such a relieving feeling. I love my room and the stuff inside. Whenever I want to reminisce I look at a box that I put a bunch of old pictures into. The pictures are a nice reminder of how good life is. In my room things always go missing. Most people will think that it’s a bit messy but it’s scientifically proven messy rooms/desks are a sign of a very creative person. You can’t argue with science.

STUDENT INTERVIEW

MEGAN NOBOA WHAT’S ONE THING YOU DO FOR YOURSELF?

I write. When the pen hits the paper it feels like a direct line to the vein pumping blood into my heart. My writing is probably one of the few things I can control. I write about my day like rewriting a script to fix the errors made. I find myself writing the most when I’m upset because all sorts of crazy thoughts go through my head when I’m upset. Sometimes I write poems to describe my off days or when I’m inspired. Or stay up late nights letting the paper overflow with words that come to my mind. It’s my private life life that no one invades.

WHEN WAS A TIME YOU GAVE UP?

I gave up on my relationship with specific people in my life. Not because I didn’t care. Well, part of me started to not care. I gave up because I realized that there are some things that don’t need to be forced. You can give up on that person, stop caring, stop showing affection and sympathy. Or you can give that person endless chances and a gratifying amount of forgiveness, until you call it quits.That’s called trial and error. But you can also make the decision to walk away from it for your own good. Especially if that relationship brings bad energy into your life. I made a lot of bad choices with the people I called “my friends.” It doesn’t mean I regret any of the decisions I made either. I surrounded myself with people who made me feel insecure like I wasn’t good enough. I used to let people walk all over me, never letting me think for myself. Half the time I was upset with myself for letting it get so far. The other half I just didn’t care. Well, I didn’t know how to care. I was disappointing the important people in my life like my mom. So with so much anger being held back and being silenced I finally quit a lot of people. I cut off some of my closest friends, some of which I knew for years.

IT HURT ME TO LET GO OF THE PEOPLE I CARED ABOUT SO DEEPLY BUT I NEEDED TO MOVE ON. 7

STUDENT INTERVIEW

ARACELIS SALAZAR

Me being a closed book makes me mysterious.

STUDENT INTERVIEW

CAROL MARTINEZ

IT’S ALL ONE BIG MAZE THAT I’M IN

WHAT’S SOMETHING YOU FEEL YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOURSELF? I don’t know why I don’t talk sometimes or why my mind gets cloudy when I realize something. I don’t really understand why I am the way I am. I don’t trust easily. I overthink a whole bunch and it all puts me in a place of worry. It’s hard to speak what I feel. Instead I’ll let my silence speak louder than my words. But no matter how much it kills me not to speak to my friends, I never really know what to say. And when asked if I’m okay or what’s wrong, I’ll brush it off and say I’m fine or that it’s nothing. I just never understand how I feel and I don’t want to bother people with my problems.

TOO DEEP. WHAT’S ONE THING YOU LOVE ABOUT YOURSELF? One thing I love about myself is my willingness to stay through good or hard times. I say this because I know what it’s like to have someone just up and leave you. And to be honest it’s not the best feeling in the world. It sucks really, but that’ll never be me. I have this one person in my life where no matter what happens they know they got me in the end. I know it’s not a lot. I know that not a lot of people can deal with hard situations, but one can at least try. You never know what you’ll get in the end, either a friendship or relationship. And that’s what I’m going to continue doing. I’m staying.

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STUDENT INTERVIEW

PRINCESS BANISTER WHAT WAS SOMETHING GOOD THAT HAPPENED TO YOU RECENTLY? At the beginning of the school year, these people interviewed me and two other high school students from our school. They called me in the room first and they asked me a couple of questions like, “What’s it like growing up around here in this area?” I told the camera guy what it’s like and gave them some personal background information about my life growing up living with my mom and, now, my aunt. Both of them sounded like they were from England or Australia because of their accents. The things I was saying made them tear up a little bit and it made me tear up too. After they finished asking me questions in the room they shook my hand hard and started smiling saying that I was amazing.

This shocked me because I just randomly got called out

WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT YOU ARE CAPABLE OF? I want people to know I’m capable to do anything I put my mind to. I want to be able to buy my mom a car and a house and I wanna be able to make it to the WNBA. I want people to look at me and say, “she has a bright future ahead of her.” I want my family to know I will be graduating and going to college. Right now I’m doing really good in my sophomore year. I have not failed one class throughout the year. Ever since I started my sophomore year I’ve been on track because nothing distracts me anymore. I feel like becoming more mature was something I needed to accomplish personally. It took a long time because of everything I’ve been through when I was living with my mom. My aunt had to teach me how to wash and iron my clothes and take better care of myself.

my first period class when I was doing my work and these people from CBS wanted to interview me. The next day they took me out for lunch and we went to the dining restaurant around the corner from the school. I ordered food then we sat down at the table to talk more and the guy put the recorder on his phone to record my voice.

Before we’d left the school Ms. Dash, who was invited to come eat with us, had asked me if I feel comfortable with them asking questions about my personal life because they will probably do a documentary on me. I told her I feel comfortable and pretty sure I wanna do this because this was something I wanted to share with friends and people. This was a good thing that happened to me because people always ask me why I live with your aunt and not my mom. They also ask me why my brother doesn’t live with us anymore. I’m usually afraid to tell them up front. People like to spread rumors and judge.

AN INTERVIEW WITH DENICE FROHMAN

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WHERE ARE YOUR PEOPLE FROM? WHAT PLACES DO YOUR CLAIM? HOW DOES YOUR WORK REPRESENT HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR CULTURE AND TRADITIONS? I was born and raised in New York City to a Puerto Rican mother and Jewish father. My work is deeply inspired by and comes from the Nuyorican poetry movement, hip-hop, and the tradition of storytellers and performers I grew up around— especially on the playground. Basketball was my first “stage.” I spent most of my childhood playing streetball and eventually played on a four-year athletic scholarship in college. After graduation, I played professional basketball in Puerto Rico. As a mixed person, preserving and uplifting my Puerto Rican culture is about what is authentic to my lived experiences and a responsibility I feel I have to my community. My work is shaped by the sounds, rhythms and lexicons of the people (and places) I come from, and seeks to build windows - both big and small for us to climb through.

WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO WRITE?

BUT MORE THAN ANYTHING, RIGHT NOW,

I’M DRAWN TO CREATING NEW WORLDS IN MY WRITING AND REACHING BACK TO ALL THE THINGS THAT FEEL UNRESOLVED.

I’m inspired to celebrate the parts of myself that have felt silenced or deemed unworthy. I’m inspired by moments that have made me feel powerless, and through poetry, hope to turn them into moments where I feel powerful. But more than anything, right now, I’m drawn to creating new worlds in my writing and reaching back to all the things that feel unresolved.

I’m less concerned with landing on a particular “answer,” and more interested in what I can discover, what new knowledge that can surprise me.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO WRITE POEMS? DO YOU HAVE ANY WRITING RITUALS? I like writing at home during the night with coffee, though I think some of the most powerful moments have been when I’ve least expected it (riding the subway, walking through the airport, sitting on a park bench etc.)

IF YOU HADN’T COME ACROSS THE FIRST POEM IN COLLEGE WRITTEN BY A LATINX AUTHOR, HOW DO YOU THINK YOUR LIFE WOULD BE DIFFERENT? I think it would’ve taken me a lot longer to “come out,” that’s for sure. Poetry has been the vehicle through which I explore my relationship to myself and the world around me. It has made so much of me “possible” and been the catalyst for so many moments where I started to “happen.” I think all of us, especially young folks, need to see ourselves reflected in literature and that’s something I’m really passionate about.

WHEN YOU VISITED BAL, YOU SHARED WHAT DID YOU LEARN A LOT ABOUT REALIZING HOW YOU FROM YOUR FIRST SERIOUS WERE DIFFERENT AS A TEENAGER AND RELATIONSHIP? THAT YOU LIKED GIRLS. HOW DID YOU Trust your intuition.

PARENTS REACT WHEN YOU TOLD THEM? WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE MOST I told my mother when I was 19 and told my father when I IMPORTANT LESSON YOU’VE was 24 or 25. Their unconditional love was never in question, which I’m grateful for, but I think they each LEARNED ABOUT LOVE? needed time to process in their own way. Our parents get married to a version of us, and I think when that’s disrupted or challenged it can be uncomfortable. But over time, they realized I was being authentic to myself and supported me the best way they knew how.

Love is not a measure of how much you can suffer. It’s a measure of how much you can thrive.

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WHAT WAS THE HAPPIEST MOMENT OF YOUR LIFE SO FAR? Each day I get to try again.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO A NEW WRITER WHO IS JUST GETTING INTO WRITING POETRY?

WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?

If the poem matters to you, it will probably matter to me, too!

The students who have been inspired to write their own stories.

also,

!

D A RE

READ, READ,

MADNESS LEIDY MARQUEZ You have most of the power 90% of it You still want the other 10% You’re greedy Equality feels like oppression when you’re Accustomed to privilege*

Do your hair like we do Lay the curly edges Apply a handful of gel You’ll never be able to feel The stiffness of our hair in yours We won’t let you

You have the desire to destroy us The need to take our little power The want to be “our” people You kill our people You shoot your own people When we speak out You try and shush us You can’t You can do everything But will never be a part of us A part of our culture We won’t let you That’s your madness

That’s your madness.

Mad ‘cus your melanin not as bright Mad ‘cus white teeth look better on us Mad ‘cus we’re America’s future Mad ‘cus every day we get the opportunities You don’t want us to have Mad ‘cus we’re still here Standing on your GMO soil Fighting for our rights Mad ‘cus it’s not just you in colleges It’s also us We’re the sneakers on your feet Cotton on your back Denim on your bony legs The lavender aroma in your house

You will never be able to Cook our frijoles like we do Mash the plantains Like we do Never know what a maja platano is Neither how to use it

You will never be able to do Anything like we do We do it full of love

You do it holding grudges Not even be as nice as we are Because you have resentment And madness in your heart We are all slaves to White Supremacy Freedom is in our hands We keep letting it fall Every time you arrest one of us When you kill us when we’re just pulling out our license Just because we’re minority Living in a country of superiority One day though, we’ll throw it back Like a dodge ball That’ll hit your body Hurt your heart

*A translation of a letter from the year 1766 that was later published in 1914 book by Anne Robert Jacques Turgot.

BOOKS ON THE BEACH Love hood stories? There’s a book for that. Know someone who had a baby while they were in high school? There’s a book for that. Don’t usually like to read?! THERE’S A BOOK FOR THAT. Here’s a short list of three books some of your homies at BAL recommend in between all the social media binging you’ll probably be doing this summer. It’s Lit.

LEIDY CRUZ 15

True story: I don’t like to read books but I like this one.

RULE #1 - DON’T CRY NO MATTER WHAT. RULE #2 - DON'T SNITCH NO MATTER WHAT. AND RULE #3 - GET REVENGE NO MATTER WHAT.

JASON SALGADO 17

AVEN RAVE AVEN RAVE

AVEN

AVEN

RAV

RAV

VEN RAVEN VEN RAVEN

N AVEN N AVEN

STUDENT INTERVIEW

JASON S. WHEN DO YOU FEEL MOST POWERFUL?

HOW DOES BEING HELD ACCOUNTABLE MAKE YOU FEEL?

STUDENT INTERVIEW

LEIDY CRUZ WHAT IS IT THAT YOU’RE SAYING TO OTHERS WHEN YOU CHOOSE NOT TO SPEAK? When I don't speak to people I am telling them that I can’t relate to what they are telling me and can’t come up with the correct words to keep up the conversation.

Another reason I’m silent is because I like to listen to how people around me talk without any artificial reactions. I like analyzing my environment and coming up with my own ideas and feelings because sometimes engaging with too many people too often can change your personality, behavior, or can pressure you to act like somebody you’re not. I am the type of person that is open-minded and likes to try news things, but I always stay true to myself. Also, it’s because I’m not comfortable with the people that are around me.

I no longer care about why people think I'm quiet because I realized that no matter what you say people will always have their own perception of you.

So yes, I do have my own opinions, personality, and attitude, but not everybody deserves to know me intimately. If a stranger comes up to me and wants to ask me a question or try to start a friendship I would answer and start a conversation.

But if you want my tongue to spill eyeopening words, then you're just going to have to get lucky and hope that you give off an interesting vibe.

WHAT IS SOMETHING YOU’RE OBSESSED WITH? I am really obsessed with designs.

1900s high fashion aesthetic is my favorite. It all looks classy and well put together thanks to one of the greatest designers, Coco Chanel. Women’s fashion was innovative and went from over the top uncomfortable to comfortable, classy, and spontaneous.

For me it's not about the brand, but about the way fashion says something about people’s personality and how they carry themselves. Houses, interior design, clothing, and shoes are all my favorite things to study. I like going back into history and getting to know where the inspiration for such creations came from. I like seeing old buildings that look like they have personality as well as seeing people express themselves through clothing. Now I feel like that 90s classy and glamour aesthetic is dead in my generation. But it’s fine because fashion is always innovating.

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truthtruthtr

Why is it so important to tell the truth?

You should tell the truth because lying will sooner or later cause an argument that could have been avoided. Telling the truth may hurt once, but a lie will hurt every time you remember it. You wouldn't want to be overthinking every day asking yourself why you weren't worthy of someone's truth, so don't do it to other people. After you lie people will always ask themselves if you're lying to them.

Telling the truth will set you free and you won't have to keep up worrying or being anxious that you'll get caught up. Â If you're someone that is in this position or have been in it where you hurt someone by lying to them then you should apologize. Apologizing might not seem like the best thing to do because it takes away from your pride, but knowing that you are forgiven or at least tried to redeem your mistake will take a huge burden off your chest and might even make things right again with you and the other person.Â

Everyone makes mistakes, which are something we can learn from.

STUDENT INTERVIEW

AMY COSTE WHEN DO YOU FEEL MOST POWERFUL? A time where I feel most powerful is when I am able to do what I really desire without being told otherwise. I feel that when I am able to make my own decisions and not have someone censor me for what I have decided to do is my most powerful state. Given that I’m only fifteen, I know I’ll rarely have those moments but, when I do, I know I don’t forget them. An example of this feeling would be when I’m in my room alone, dancing. I am free to do whatever it is that I want. There’s no one there to criticise my dancing or to tell me how to dance because I’m the one fulfilling the actions alone, without the help or judgment of anyone.

WHAT’S ONE THING THAT HAPPENED TO YOU MORE THAN ONCE THAT YOU REGRET TODAY? Something that has happened to me more than once that I really regret today is losing myself to give someone else satisfaction. Me seeing this caused me, in a way, to accept myself and my insecurities. I should just be myself and not care about what anyone thinks. If I’m weird, hang out with guys a lot because I can’t make friends easily with girls, or even have a tendency to overspeak, so what?

That’s who I am. I’m also a dedicated student and smart enough to realize that not everyone is your friend and I should never lose myself for them because I am me. No on else would or could be Amy.

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STUDENT INTERVIEW

RANDY FABRE

WHAT IS SOMETHING THAT YOU FIND FUNNY?

SOME OF THEM EVEN SKIP ME WHEN THEY HAND OUT THE ASSIGNMENT.

STUDENT INTERVIEW

KAITLYN ALVAREZ WHAT IS THE BEST ADVICE THAT YOU HAVE RECEIVED FROM SOMEONE? The best advice that I received was from my mom. She told me not to let anyone control me and to be careful around the people I hang with. This is the best advice because before I found the right people to hang out with I would always find myself getting In trouble. I was always skipping class or getting into physical altercations. So I actually took [what she said] into consideration and put myself with the right crowd.

THE RIGHT CROWD SUPPORTS YOU MAKING THE RIGHT DECISIONS AND GIVES YOU THE BEST ADVICE THEY CAN. AT THE END OF THE DAY THIS LEADS YOU INTO SOMETHING POSITIVE. WHAT ARE YOU TELLING PEOPLE WHEN YOU DON'T SPEAK? When I don't speak I'm telling people that I don't want to be spoken to because I'm not really in the best mood for conversation and have nothing nice to say. Also, when I don’t speak [I can] think a lot about my actions. In the video when [the poet] Shannon Matesky was talking, she was very aggressive and said her words with meaning and passion. That could also be me. When I'm talking about something you know that what I’m saying is something very meaningful and could be to many people. Another thing is when I don't speak my actions and my facial expression says a lot. When I don't speak being talked to or questioned annoys me a lot. Sometimes I like to be by myself or isolated from everyone for a while.

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STUDENT INTERVIEW

Darleen Guerrios

is an outspoken writer from New York who’s into fashion and expresses herself through poems.

Throughout her childhood she didn’t really see poetry by people she knew or identified with and so, now, she’s giving what she didn’t have to us. She wants her name to be associated with positivity and support.

Though she’s concerned and aware of her actions and impact, she still just wants to inspire us all to be ourselves and not care about what people say.

(Fernanda) (Bryanna) Super comfortable on stage, it’s obvious Roya Marsh isn’t afraid to be herself and she wants us to get comfortable enough to do what we want too.

Introduction by Bryanna Trinidad, Fernanda Calvo, and Kenny Rodriguez

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At the Writer’s Forum you told us you didn’t used to have poetry stuff in your school like this when you were a kid. What was high school like for you? What was it like as a teenager growing up in New York City?

What’s a typical day like for you now?

What’s been the biggest change?

KNOWING THIS, IT IS A DUTY TO REMAIN CONSCIOUS OF EVERYTHING THAT I DO.

Do you remember what your first ever poem was about? Did you always like to write?

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“TEMPTATION IS MY DEVIL I CAN'T ESCAPE HER YET I GET BURNED & NOW I'M HURTING THEN QUICKLY I FORGET I KNEW SHE'D BE A PROBLEM FROM THE MOMENT THAT WE MET SHE'D BE COLDER THAN ICE CUBES AND THAT'S BEFORE SHE WAS UPSET SOMETIMES WE'D BE BEST FRIENDS AND AT TIMES I WAS HER PET SHE'D SMILE AND BAT HER LASHES & FOOLISHLY I'D LET HER TRICK ME INTO STAYING AND I'D END UP IN DEBT SHE THOUGHT I'D NEVER CONQUER HER SO WE WAGERED A BET IN LOVE I WAS JUST BEGINNING BUT TEMPTATION WAS A VET SO SHE THOUGHT SHE HAD THE UPPER HAND AND VICTORY SHE'D GET BUT WHEN SHE CROSSED MY PATH THIS TIME I SLIPPED RIGHT THROUGH HER NET TEMPTATION I'M SO OVER YOU I'M SORRY I MUST JET”

I don’t know what I was going through, haha. I just know that the writing was in me and this was the way my mind and body agreed to let it out.

FOR MY PEOPLE

America, this is what you are?

This is the trash you are, America?

Nah, there are better things, But do you think you’re the best?

How does your family feel about the things you write? Do you care?

Tell me Why do you think you’re the best?

Do you think it’s best to Instill racism in the new generations?

You think you’re better?

Why have you always been first Trampling on the second?

Tell me America Why do you think you’re better?

Ha ha You feel better because your technology Magnetized your feelings and Money corrupted your values Just tell me trash Why do you think you’re the best garbage of all?

This is for my people

You seemed very comfortable performing on stage—like you were having fun (you even sang, omg!) What would you say to someone who wants to try writing poetry and maybe wants to perform too but is scared?

This is for those who Guayaron la yuca For those who struggle For those who fight to have a voice and For those who protested because that voice is heard This is my people

Cinthia Encarnación

This is for my island For a piece of land blessed

By God This is for Los Fajadores And the fighters This is for one who went empty And came full to his people This is for my palm full of dreams For my beach with clear waters And my people with the sun on their face This is for my people

You are very direct about your sexuality and how you feel about homophobia in your poems: Where did you get the courage to start doing that from?

For those who raised me For those who made me grow old For those who made me genuine This is for them For those who believed me For those who live despite the storms For those who painted me A sun on the forehead When the black cloud was in my head This is for my people

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