Power of Words - Poder de las Palabras, Issue II

PODER DE LAS PALABRAS

POWER OF WORDS

HIGH TECH HIGH

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2

SPRING 2024

POWER OF WORDS PODER

DE LAS PALABRAS

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2

Power of Words/ Poder de las Palabras

Spring 2024

Editors In Chief

Cameron Chanthala

Eddie Locano

Rennon Lyons

Section Editors

Kayla Fodor

Maya Fulton

Metzli Guerrero

Yandell Johnson

Matias Udrys

Damian Verdugo

Creative Directors

Hadassah Hernandez

Timell Richardson

Savion Stech

Analiz Castro

Project Co-Designers + Teachers

Lisa Griffin

Nils Ljungquist

Grant Castillo

Contributors

Ivey Billups

Ashton Burriss

Haley Copans

Xave Gullans

Elias Gustamante

Stephen Martin

Michael Moura

Jonathan Quezada

Jose Rivera

Diego Robles

Antonio Simpson

Jacksyn Stutz

Sofia Sufflé

Blue Swepston

Quentin Tallet

Ethan Williams

Copyright © 2024 by High Tech High Students All rights reserved.

No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS

Dear Reader,

Welcome to our team’s final magazine: a collection of English and Spanish poetry, samples of ways that figurative language shows up in music and poetry, and interviews with people who write for a living. Our themes focused around ideas of change, on a personal, community, and social scale

This project has been one of the most impactful and memorable ones we have done because the content of our classes was based primarily on the music we love, the poems we chose to explore, and our writing. As we worked to strengthen our research, essay-writing, and Spanish language skills, we were anchored in content that we chose and liked. Finally, we loved meeting artists who wrote and performed poetry and music and thanked them for supporting us.

As the editors, we are beyond thankful for the opportunity to celebrate our team, and we are eager for you to experience our creativity and ideas This magazine is a product that we are all genuinely proud of, and - from the bottom of our hearts, we hope you enjoy it.

Thankyou!!!

Cameron Chanthala

Eddie Francis Locano

Rennon

Lyons

“Power of Words” Project Description

Audrey Montgrain

This semester, we have been working to analyze music lyrics and poetry, and to find the writing strategies and creative choices within. Early on, we explored music we love and how it has influenced us across our lives We read many contemporary poets and current research about the impact of poetry on mental and physical health. We witnessed how words have the ability to shape minds and moods, and how powerful messages can be conveyed through poetry, whether set to music or not.

As we began our integrated English and Spanish project, we wrote poems daily and developed our writing skills. We wrote our poems about many topics and used models from other poets, building our own writing craft “toolkits”. We each chose one poem from our collection, gave and received critique, and revised the draft. After final rounds of feedback and revision, we submitted the chosen poem for this magazine

We continued to dive deeply into what it takes to create poems and song lyrics, using poetic devices and figurative language to share a story or message. We each chose a poem or song to analyze, with a focus on identifying literary devices used in the chosen work and claiming their significance and impact, resulting in a literary analysis essay.

As we returned from Spring Break, we completed the final phase of the project. In Spanish class, we developed poems in Spanish for our magazine with a focus on vocabulary and grammar to describe our identities In English, we researched and interviewed artists who write poetry and lyrics for a living, and who shared their writing processes and journeys with this craft in those discussions. These interviews united us, as people who are also working to express ourselves in words. It is fascinating how each medium connects to the mind and soul in its own unique way.

In the end, our team of editors and creative directors assembled the works to create a cohesive final draft– that being our magazine, “The Power of Words'', which we are so proud to present to you.

Descripción del Proyecto, “Poder de las Palabras”

Audrey Montgrain

Este semestre, hemos estado trabajando con y analizando letras musicales y poesía, y para encontrar estrategias de escritura y opciones creativas. Desde el principio, exploramos la música que amamos y cómo nos ha influido a lo largo de nuestras vidas. Leímos a muchos poetas contemporáneos e investigamos sobre el impacto de la poesía en la salud física y mental. Fuimos testigos de cómo las palabras tienen la capacidad de moldear mentes y estados de ánimo, y de cómo se pueden transmitir mensajes poderosos a través de la poesía, ya sea con música o sin ella

Cuando comenzamos nuestro proyecto integrado en inglés y español, escribimos poemas diariamente y desarrollamos nuestras habilidades de escritura. Escribimos nuestros poemas sobre muchos temas y utilizamos modelos de otros poetas, construyendo nuestros propios “kits de herramientas” de escritura Cada uno de nosotros eligió un poema de nuestra colección, dimos y recibimos críticas y revisamos el borrador. Después de rondas finales de retroalimentación y revisión, entregamos el poema elegido para esta revista.

Continuamos profundizando en lo que se necesita para crear poemas y letras de canciones, utilizando recursos poéticos y lenguaje figurado para compartir una historia o mensaje. Cada uno de nosotros eligió un poema o una canción para analizar, enfocándonos en identificar los recursos literarios utilizados en la obra elegida y reivindicar su significado e impacto, lo que resultó en un ensayo de análisis literario

Cuando regresamos de las vacaciones de primavera, completamos la fase final del proyecto. En la clase de español, desarrollamos poemas en español para nuestra revista con un enfoque en vocabulario y gramática para describir nuestras identidades En inglés, investigamos y entrevistamos a artistas que se ganan la vida escribiendo poesía y letras, y que compartieron sus procesos de escritura y sus trayectos con este oficio en esas discusiones. Estas entrevistas nos unieron, como personas que también estamos trabajando para expresarnos con palabras. Es fascinante cómo cada medio se conecta con la mente y el alma de una manera única

Al final, nuestro equipo de editores y directores creativos reunió los trabajos para crear un borrador final coherente: esa es nuestra revista, "El poder de las palabras", que estamos muy orgullosos de presentarles

TABLE OF CONTENTS

English Poems

Diego Robles

Metzli-Citlalcoatl Guerrero

Xave Michael Gullans

Kayla Fodor

Savion Stech

Blue Swepston

Yandell Johnson

Hadassah Avila Hernandez

Matias Udrys

Cameron Chanthala

Ashton Burriss

Timell Richardson

Rennon Lyons

Ivey Billups

Haley Copans

Spanish

Damian Verdugo

Jacksyn Stutz

Sofie Rose Suffle'

Jonathan Quezada

Michael Moura

Stephen Martin

Maya Fulton

Mireya Brito

Edward Francis Locano

Ethan Williams

Analiz Mendoza Castro

Jose Rivera

Eithan De Lara Carrillo

Elias Gustamante

Quentin Tallet

Interviews

Jason Magabo Perez

Krishna Feeney Paola Capo-Garcia

Ric Scales

Rob Crow Susie Meserve

Thomas Pender Verde

Metaphor

Imagery

Repetition Amon Ananda Esteva Geminelle Malone

English Poetry

Over the course of the Spring 23-24

Semester, we took a deep dive into the creation and meaning of poetry. We looked into how poetry can be transitioned into music and how music and poetry correlate through different poetic devices. We also looked at spoken word and how voice (tone, volume, etc.) plays a role in how a story is told. While doing all of this we practiced writing small poems every day with different poetic devices and eventually, we wrote two poems (one in English and one in Spanish) to share with you!

Inmydreams

Iseethisplace

WhereIhopetocallhome

Intheyearstocome

Itmightormightnotexistyet

Butaslongasitexistsinmyhead

Itexistsinmyheart

MyfutureMexicanhacienda

Myfuturehome

IhearthebirdschirpingasIrelax inmycourtyard

Thelushgreentreesasthey shadowmyhome

MyfutureMexicanhacienda

Myfuturehome

AsIwalkthehallsIlookouttosee thecourtyardbloomingwithfloral life

Withthebigwallsofmyhacienda givinglifetoeverythinginside

Whereflowersdancefreelywithout strife

Thewindowsalmostactaseyes showingtheworldwithgrace

MyfutureMexicanhacienda

Myfuturehome

In

My Dreams

DiegoRobles

To Whom It May Concern

Metzli-Citlalcoatl Guerrero

There's a poem in this place

From each spec of sand

To each seashell resting on the seafloor

There's a story

Was it you? You who sent me a letter millions of years in the making?

APoeminUtah XaveGullans

Eilish

Kayla Fodor

The Kia Forum

Billie Eilish’s 3-night hometown encore shows

Where furious fans would sleep on the street to secure their spot in front of Billie

The place I called home for three weeks sleeping on the slippery cold concrete of the Kia Forum

The rain beating down like a drum circle on our tents

Through storms and shouting in the dead of night

Weeks felt like years

Friends felt like family

Eventually, it was all worth it and the lights dim

Everyone is quiet

Suddenly the room is silent

From soldiers on the street we awoke in the arena

Billie would appear

The arena, so quiet that the silence was as loud as a scream

We were sent into a different realm

Billie blesses us with her presence

BUBBLES

SAVION STECH

Your mind is like bubbles

Multiple little bubbles

Each one with it's own shining spherical shape

How do you make bubbles?

You need water but not too much

You need soap but not too little

Too much water the bubbles don't form

Too much soap the bubbles don't fly

Keep the balance so the bubbles don't…

*Pop*

When your mind gets too much water it feels like a bright idea being wasted

When your mind gets too much soap it feels like a great idea going nowhere

To keep the shining spherical shape

The soap and water need to collaborate.

The bright idea can be used in multiple ways

The great idea can be tweaked to be a part of something

You can create

You can dream

You can shine

You can fly

You just gotta let your mind have a balance

So the bubbles don't…

*Pop*

Anteaters Blue Swepston

Dear Anteaters,

I hate you.

I hate you from your freakish snout to your unnecessarily long tail.

I hate your claws, made to rip at the earth, which in comparison is rather frail.

I hate your beady black eyes that seem to gleam with an obvious look of sadism.

I hate your coloration, like penguins lightly dipped in mud.

I hate your long pink tongue which you kill with, you must eat so much dirt.

I hate how you murder, ants don’t deserve the fate you serve them.

What I hate most of all though, is how happy you are.

I hate how you have such a boring pointless life, but you enjoy it so much.

I hate how you can live off a diet of ants and termites and still trot around with glee.

I hate how much you enjoy being contrary, how you agree with things that everyone else disagrees with out of spite

I hate how much I envy you, how I need so much to be fulfilled, to be happy, and you do it effortlessly, almost mockingly.

I hate you.

Though I’m older than you, and don’t talk to you anymore, I still respect you

I respect you more than anyone

Because of you, I cried so much

Because of you, I was happier than ever I have the best memories with you

And I regret ever putting a pause to such

Celestial

Yandell Johnson

It’s the worst feeling knowing you can’t do something about a situation

It felt like I was grieving over a loss

Sorry, feels

Every time your name comes up, your face, a song you liked

It’s like I’m at a grave watching your dead body, but it isn’t in a coffin

It’s above the dirt and you’re holding a flower

Except, you aren’t dead

It feels worse knowing you’re still around

I can’t touch you, feel your presence

But I see you, and you can’t see me

Why?

I don’t care for the galaxy or the solar system

So why you?

Why did I care for you so much?

No - more like -

Why do I?

You had a ridiculous obsession with the stars

Yet you hated yourself

I thought you were too much I soon realized, there was nothing wrong with you standing out

Nothing wrong with shining, just like your name

I imagine I start to tremble, hear voices, feel the need to crawl away on the floor

While being pulled back and gasping for air

I don’t want anyone to see me; I want to run away

But I want you to see me, I want you to stop running away

These feelings are an uncomfortable feeling of vulnerability

An embarrassment

As time went on, the longer we went without talking, the harder it was

And the easier it was to be drawn apart

But regardless, I’m grateful for every moment we shared

I didn’t think I could love, or care, but now I know I did

You’re my first heartbreak

But I will always know deep down

It was a self sabotage

WHERE GREEN MEETS BLUE Hadassah

Avila

WHERE GREEN MEETS BLUE WHERE I FEEL RENEWED WHERE MY HEARTBEAT SEEMS AT EASE WHERE MY WORRIES DISSOLVE, WHISPERED AWAY BY THE BREEZE IN EACH PASSING WAVE, I SEE, LIFE'S FLEETING MOMENTS, SO FREE URGING ME TO CHERISH EVERY DAY, BEFORE THEY SLIP AND FADE AWAY

WHERE THE SALTY AIR KISSES MY SKIN

WHERE I FEEL REPAIRED FROM WITHIN WHERE DISTANT SHIPS DANCE ON WAVES AFAR WHERE THE SUN DESCENDS, PAINTING THE SKY LIKE A STAR

WHERE THE HORIZON STRETCHES INFINITELY WIDE A REMINDER TO LIVE FULLY, WITH NOTHING TO HIDE

AS I GAZE INTO THE ENDLESS SKY, I'M REMINDED TO LIVE, NOT JUST GET BY.

New York Matias Udrys

I wish I could go to New York right now I would go day or night just get me on that flight

New York has a heart of its own I wanna hear it beat day and night

New York, the city that never sleeps

The love I have for it runs deep

New York, the city of dreams I would even go just for the scenes

The lights shining so bright a sight that can forever be a delight.

WELCOME HOME

CameronChanthala

There's a poem in my house

In every room, there is a story

Each one is different from one another

Something new in every nook and cranny

Every wall has something new

A photo of my dog, the centerpiece of our lives

Looking as cute as a baby

A baby photo of me, sitting on a giant bunny

Chirpppp! Oh!

Or maybe even a small cricket

There's a poem in my house

In every room, there is a story

Each one is different from one another

Something new in every nook and cranny

Up the stairs

Two windows

Looking out into another wall

With two windows

Having a staring contest

Great sight

But I always wonder, from inside

What does the sky look like

There's a poem in my house

In every room, there is a story

Each one is different from one another

Something new in every nook and cranny

Someday I wonder if I’m ever gonna leave?

To a better place like Olympus

Somewhere that is not here

A place where I stop hearing cars race VROOM!

Random pops during the night POP!

Neighbors not yelling HEY GET ME A BEER!

But if I leave

It won’t feel like home

There's a poem in my house

In every room, there is a story

Each one is different from one another

Something new in every nook and cranny Welcome Home

NEW YORK ASHTON BURRISS

There's a poem in this place

In the endless skylines of New York

The hustle and bustle of the city

The craziness of the streets

The pigeons swooping through the air

The roaring engines of the taxis whizzing by

Where you must yell to be heard

Where the glowing lights never fade

The penthouse I’ve always wanted

The white snow falls on winter mornings Cold as ice on the northern sea

Under the sweltering sun of summer afternoons

Hot as a raging fire

GOTHAM GOTHAM CITY CITY

TIMELL RICHARDSON

When the night is dark and shadows creep

Gotham city rest, but Batman never sleeps

With cape and cowl, he takes to the night

A symbol of justice, a beacon of light

His eyes gleam sharp, like a vigilante owl

Protect the innocent, he takes his vow

Through the alleys and rooftops, he soars

Defending the weak, setting the scores

With gadgets and skills, he fights the fight

With villains who thrive in the dark of night

His strength and resolve never waver or bend

For he is the hero on whom we depend

In the Batmobile he races through the streets

A silent guardian, where justice meets

He strikes fear in the hearts of those who prey

For Batman is here to save the day

So let us remember the dark knight's name

Grandma’s House Rennon

Lyons

In my grandma's kitchen lies a stove as big as a building

Too many pots and pans to count

Pots boiling with soup, meats sizzling in the oven, chillies roasting

A great ocean of warm and spicy smells

A great chaos to everybody except her I remember her dancing from pot to pot, Santa hat on,

Singing Christmas carols with a smile a milewide

To her, this was her happy place

She sings to her pots and pans

They sing back sizzling and boiling

Smells would creep into the backyard and everyone knew, Food was ready!

We would gather around the steaming kitchen

And slowly the food would disappear

As I sat down on the warm couch with my Santa plate every bite was special

Sharing these memories brings me back

To Grandma’s Kitchen

LOVE IS A PAINTING.

A PAINTING THAT COMES IN ALL COLORS,SHAPES AND SIZES.

LOVE IS A HEART THAT BLEEDS

WHEN IT'S BROKEN BY THE ONE YOU LOVED.

IT FEELS ALMOST AS IF IT'S BEEN STOLEN FROM YOU.

THE ONE THING YOU CARE FOR IS GRADUALLY BEING TAKEN AWAY FROM YOU.

LOVE IS A STORY THAT NEVER ENDS

ITS STARTS WITH A HUG,KISS OR EVEN A SMALL EYE CONTACT IN THE HALLWAY AT SCHOOL.

LOVE IS AN OPEN DOOR.

A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN FIND HOME A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN BE SAFE.

LOVE IS A PAINTING

LOVE IS AN EVERLASTING PLACE OF LUST AND TRUST.

LOVE IS A PAINTING.

I’m now 16

It’s a fleeting age, really 16

I feel the threads that have bound me start to fray

I’m 16 now

I’m pulling at the ropes

I scratch at the cocoon you have so lovingly knit around me

My claws and teeth bared

The shell around me is starting to crumble

I’m trying to hatch

Please

Let me hatch

Let me break through and discover

Sometimes birds must tumble out of the tree

How else would they learn to fly

I’m pecking at the walls of this nest

This cozy home feels more like a cage

Where freedom is promised and promised But never delivered

Let me shoot into space

The dark side of the moon

Let me orbit on my own

Discovering new lands and planets

Let me discover

Let me be free

16 Haley Copans 16

Let me be 16

Spanish Poetry

Durante el último semestre de español, hemos realizado muchos proyectos basados en la escritura / lectura para ayudarnos a desarrollar habilidades de vocabulario y fluidez. Recientemente, hicimos un simple poema de identidad que pasó por muchos borradores diferentes y fases de revisión antes de completar el producto final. Durante este tiempo añadimos nuevo vocabulario y aprendimos a usar dispositivos poéticos en español. Este fue un nuevo desafío, especialmente para los no hispanohablantes, porque las metáforas, los modismos y otros dispositivos son a menudo culturalmente específicos

Soy Damian

LO QUE SOY

Soy de San Diego

Soy hijo de mis padres

Soy hermano de nadien

Soy nieto de mis abuelos

Soy yo

Soy Hispano

Soy Latino

Soy Asiático

Soy yo

Soy alto

Soy flaco

Soy simpático

Soy agradecido

Soy yo

Yo Soy amidable

Yo Soy amable

Yo Soy confidente

Yo soy orgulloso

Soy yo

Damian Verdugo

Yo espero que voy a ser el mejor que puedo ser

Yo espero que voy a tener mucho sandia cada dia

Soy yo

Me encanta sandia

Yo rechazo el coco

Me importa familia

Tu no puedes comprar mis recuerdos

Soy yo

“Soy

Yo” Poema Jacksyn Stutz

SoyJacksyn SoydeSanDiego SoyhijodeChristina Soyelmenor

SoyJacksyn Soyescuela Soyvecindario Soyhogar

SoyJacksyn Soyalto Soyjoven Soylindo Soydivertido

SoyJacksyn Mepreguntoescuela

Yoquierodinero MesientoFeliz Mepreocupoelfuturo

SoyJacksyn Yoentiendomisamigos Yosueñoserrico

Yotratoserdivertido

Yodeseosertanfamosocomoelpresidente

SoyJacksyn Meencantamifamilia

Yorechazoalosodiadores Misamigossonimportantesparamí Ustednopuedecomprarmirespeto

Yo Soy Poema

Sofia Sufflé

Soy Sofia

Soy de San Diego

Soy hija de Lannie y Roberto

Soy hermana de Rina, Aaron, Leila y Jacob

Soy la mediana

Soy Sofia

Soy de los Philippines

Soy de la casa de mi abuela

Soy de Mexico

Soy Sofia

Soy morena

Soy baja

Soy chistosa

Soy honesta

Soy Sofia

Me pregunto si voy a tener éxito

Yo escucho la música soñando en mis oídos

Yo Quiero amor, amistad, alegría y afabilidad

Me siento como un diosa

Me preocupo por el fútbol y por mis amigas

Yo lloro cuando estoy en mi punto más bajo

Yo sonrió como un niño el día de Navidad

Soy Sofia

Soy Yo Poema

Jonathan Quezada

Soy de San Diego

Soy hijo de Mariene, Enrique

Soy nieto de Lupe, Alonso

Yo soy Jona

Soy Mexicano

Soy de Tijuana

Soy Mexicano

Soy Americano

Yo soy Jona

soy Chaparro

soy moreno

soy alegre

soy divertido

Yo soy Jona

Yo juego videojuegos

Yo tomo fotos a mis perros

Yo como mucho

Yo duermo mucho

Yo soy Jona

Yo quiero hablar inglés

Yo quiero llegar lejos

Yo soy Jona

Me encanta jugar con mis perros

Yo rechazo Desmotivarme

Me importa mi Familia

Tú no puedes comprar mi Cultura

Yo Soy

Michael Moura

YO SOY MICHAEL

YO SOY DE SAN DIEGO

YO SOY HIJO DE GUALTER Y STEPHANIE MOURA

YO SOY EL MENOR

YO SOY MICHAEL

SOY AMERICANO SOY CATÓLICO

SOY UN ERUDITO

YO SOY MICHAEL

YO SOY DE CABELLO OSCURO YO SOY ATLÉTICO

YO SOY CARISMÁTICO YO SOY CARIÑOSO

YO SOY MICHAEL

ME PREGUNTO POR EL SENTIDO DE LA VIDA

YO QUIERO LA VERDADERA LIBERTAD

YO ESTOY PREOCUPADO POR

LA HUMANIDAD YO CORRER

YO SOY MICHAEL

YO SUEÑO CON EL CAMBIO YO TRATO DE AYUDAR

YO SOY MICHAEL

ME ENCANTA EL TIEMPO

YO RECHAZO EL MAL

LA VIDA ES IMPORTANTE PARA MÍ.

NO PUEDES COMPRAR MI ALMA

YO SOY MICHAEL

“SoyYo”Poem

StevieMartin

Yo soy Stevie

Soy De San Diego

Soy hijo de Stephen Martin

Soy hermana de Robin

Soy nieto de John

Soy Stevie

Soy de Clairemont

Soy de Clairemont Mesa West

Soy de Clairemont Mesa East

Soy Stevie

tengo Ojos Azules

soy un poquito Alto

Soy Stevie

Soy honesto Soy comprensivo

Soy Stevie

Yo gusta desafiarme a mi mismo

Yo gusta lograr mis metas

Yo gusta hacer deportes

Yo gusta ser sociable

Soy Stevie

Yo trato de sacer buenas notas

Yo Deseo tener un buen futuro

me encanta mi familia mis amigos son importantes a mi

SoyMaya

“SOY YO” POEMA

MayaFulton

SoyMexicanaydeSanDiego

SoyhijadeGerardyKarla

SoyhermanadeSasha

SoynietadeJorge,Mariay Anne

SoyMaya

SoydeRosaritoyTijuana, México

SoydeSanDiego

Soydelcolegioreinaisabelreal delmar

Yocaminoporlaplayade Rosarito

SoyMaya

Tengocabellorizado

Tengopielmorenaysoy Mexicana

Soypositivaperotímida

Soysimpáticaperonosocial

SoyMaya

Yonadoenlaalbercade Coronado

YoestudioenlaescueladeHigh

TechHigh

Yoduermoenmicasa

SoyMaya

Yoquierograduarmedelauni

Yoquierosercapitanadel equipodewaterpolo

SoyMaya

Meencantalacomida

Yorechazoelejercicio

Meimportawaterpolo

Túnopuedescomprarmiamor

SoyMaya

“SoyYo” Poema

MireyaBrito

SoyMireya.

Yo oigo canciones. Yo mesientobonita.

SoyMireya.

SoydeSanDiego. SoyhijadeConnie. Soylamayor.

SoyMireya.

SoyMexicana.Soy deSanDiego.Soy Bilingue.

SoyMireya.

SoyChaparra.

Soymorena.Soy Simpatica.Soy Alegre.

SoyMireya

Yoquierodinero.Yo lloropornada.

SoyMireya.

Yoquierosermillonaria. Yoquierobuenascalificaciones. Meencantalamúsica. Yorechazoelmal. Meimportamifamilia. Túnopuedescomprarmilealtad.Soy Mireya.

SoyMireya.

YoSoy

Eddie Locano

Soy Eddie

Soy de San Diego, California.

Soy Hijo de Lorena y Edward Locano.

Soy hermano de Lauren Locano.

Soy Nieto de Juan y Teresa Vázquez. Soy el menor de mi familia.

Soy de National City. Soy de la comunidad Mexicano.

Soy de Calmoor St.

Soy muy fuerte. Soy valiente.

Soy bien amable. Soy muy responsable.

Yo Leo libros grandes. Yo Juego deportes. Yo ayudo con los quehaceres en la casa. Yo escucho música.

Yo quiero ir a la Universidad. También quiero ser un músico.

Me encantan las tortas. Yo rechazo los nopales. Me importa mi familia. Tú no puedes comprar mis emociones.

Yo Soy

Ethan Williams

Soy Ethan

Soy de Nueva York

Soy hijo de Tamanta Coutain y Bevin Williams

Soy hermano de Amir y Ravin Williams

Soy nieto de Elvie y Rawle Coutain

Soy el único hijo por parte de mi madre, pero soy el hijo mayor por parte de mi padre

Soy parte de la comunidad mixta

Soy parte de la comunidad escolar

Soy parte de la comunidad de Nueva York

Soy Alto

Soy joven

Soy inteligente

Soy feliz

Me pregunto por qué el tiempo pasa tan rápido

Yo oigo a las criaturas moviéndose por mi casa por la noche.

Yo quiero viajar por todo el mundo algún día

Me siento muchas cosas en un día

Entiendo cómo funciona el mundo

Yo sueño con ir a Japón

Yo trato de hacer mi mejor día

Yo deseo lo mejor para todos

Me encanta viajar

Yo rechazo la negatividad

mi familia es importante para mí

No puedes comprar mi vida 27

Yo Soy

Analiz Mendoza

Soy Analiz

Soy de San Diego, California

Soy hija de Rodolfo y Laura

Soy hermana de Kiara y Jonathan

Soy nieta de Isabel

Soy la menor

Yo soy el sol

Soy christiana

Soy mexicana

Soy americana

Yo soy el sol

Soy morena

Soy baja

Soy amable

Soy cariñosa

Yo soy el sol

Yo disfruto jugar video juegos

Yo disfruto leer

Yo disfruto crear videos

Yo disfruto seguir las modas

Yo soy el sol

Yo deseo ser inteligente

Yo espero ser educada

Yo soy el sol

Me encanta dormir

Yo rechaza la tristeza

Me importa mi felicidad

Tu no puedes comprar mi positividad

Yo soy el sol

Yo Soy

Jose Rivera

Soy Jose Rivera

Soy de San diego

Soy hermano de 4 hermanas

Soy el menor

Soy Jose

Soy Mexicano

Soy de San Diego

Soy Mexicoamericano

Soy Jose

Yo entiendo Ingles Y español

Yo sueño Grande

Soy Jose

Me encanta el dinero

Yo rechazo el odio

Me importa mi familia

Tu no puedes comprar mi Lealtad

Soy Eithan

Soy de Mexico

“SoyYo”Poema Eithan De Lara

Soy hijo de Vanessa Y Tzur

Soy hermano de Isaac

Soy nieto de Gina

Soy el menor

Soy Eithan

Soy de la Ciudad de Mexico

Soy de San Diego

Soy Eithan

Soy Judío

Soy alto

Soy guero

Soy calmado

Soy amigable

Soy Eithan

Yo juego videojuegos

Yo juego beisbol

Yo juego con mi hermano

Yo juego con mis amigos

Soy Eithan

Yo quiero ser rico

Yo quiero viajar el mundo

Soy Eithan

Me encanta mi casa

Yo rechazo la escuela

Me importan mis amigos

Tú no puedes comprar mi corazón

Soy Eithan

-EithanDelara

Soy Elias

Elias Gustamante

Soy Elias

Soy de San Diego

Soy hijo de mis padres

Soy hermano de mis hermanos

Soy primo de mis primos

Soy el mayor

Soy Elias

Soy Chaparro

Soy guerro

Soy parte de mission de alcala

Soy parte de la Santa Iglesia Católica

Soy parte de HTH

Soy parte de San Diego

soy Elias

Soy Yo Poema

Soy Quentin

Soy Quentin Tallet

Soy de San Diego

Soy hijo Eric y Naomi Tallet

Soy el menor

Soy Quentin

Soy Francés

Soy Japonés

Soy mestizo

Soy Quentin

Soy frágil

Soy roto

Soy callado

Soy inteligente

Me preocupa lo que piensen los demás

Yo quiero felicidad

Me siento tristeza

Yo oigo caos

Soy Quentin

Yo trato de estar abierto

Yo deseo ser escuchado

Soy Quentin

Me encanta relajarme

Yo rechazo la locura

Poder es importante para mi

Tu no puedes comprar mi respeto

Soy Quentin

Writer Interviews

While in English class we also prepared to interview some southern California native poets/songwriters. we prepared questions about them personally and about how they create their art. We were able to have many Zoom interviews as well as some in-person meetings. These conversations were very successful; we collected our notes and collaborated to create these articles. We have eleven different and unique articles about these artists’ lives, their writing processes and advice.

AMON THE EMCEE

Maya Fulton, Kayla Fodor, Jose Rivera, Xavier Taboada, Oliver Figueroa

How can you capture the essence of creativity in the realm of hip hop? We were honored to interview Amon the MC of the San Diego group “The Neighborhood Kids” during his visit to our school's campus on April 11, 2024. We were excited to meet him, as we had reviewed some of his previous interviews, watched videos of his performances, and listened to several songs on Spotify. Our group had a plan for hosting and facilitating the interview, and everything went really well. We are so thrilled to share more about this incredibly creative person.

Childhood

Amon is from San Diego. We were curious about where he grew up. and he told us that he grew up in North County Vista, attending high school there as well as in Poway.

Amon talked about being involved in skater culture and how he was exposed to drugs and homelessness on the streets of San Diego and Poway. There was a division based on class in his friend group, and he remembers being aware of that. Amon also talked about his favorite songs growing up and how they changed and encouraged him to look more into music. He had many songs he enjoyed, but his main song was "Breaking the Habit" by Linkin Park, which he first saw on YouTube when he was eight years old. Other favorite songs from his childhood included "Strawberry Fields" by The Beatles, and "Liquid Swords" by GZA from Wu-Tang Clan. Listening to "Liquid Swords" sparked his interest in hip-hop music and made him curious about exploring different genres and types of music beyond what he was familiar with.

Early Writing Memories

Amon said that he started writing poetry in elementary and continued writing and eventually started creating hip hop songs, and he's followed his passion for making/writing music ever since.

Amon makes music about stuff that's going on in the world, unlike other artists when they are just talking about personal things or things that don't really make things better for others. He's sending a message with his music and trying to get people to realize all the problems going on in this world, and to care and do something about it. When we discussed why Amon writes about the topics he does, he shared that we should all “write what you want to listen to.” This is powerful because he is working to create a more positive future for his listeners and himself.

Amon’s Craft

One of the main questions in the topic of “the theme in the writing”, we asked if it was hard for him writing about certain topics. He mentioned it was, and they recently had made a song about human trafficking. He then mentioned it was hard to write due to the crude material it came with. We wondered whether he writes about his personal emotions or feelings; he answered that he does, but only with certain subjects. In the end, his themes in writing tend to stay on the socially conscious side of things, and away from lighter topics.

Amons Writing Process

Writer's block isn't just a lack of writing ability; it's a mental barrier that can stem from feeling unprepared, disinterested, or overly concerned about external opinions. Overcoming it requires self-reflection to identify and address limiting beliefs.

We asked Amon about his experiences with or advice about writer's block. His approach to creating a song begins with establishing a rhythmic foundation, followed by freestyle expression to that rhythm. They then cultivate and expand upon ideas they find resonant, with a focus on identifying the song's hook early in the process. Crafting a song spans a week, typically. Recording takes a few hours, and engineering requires several weeks. Overall, the entire process can extend over several months to a year to create one song. I was stunned that the process was so extended, because I know that the actual writing sometimes is quick, but the development and engineering are more detailed and take a lot of time.

“The Kids Say”

During the interview he described the type of music he creates. He said "Hip-hop, and punk, and we also like to sing indie hip-hop and funk, slow stuff and dancy stuff." Lastly, he mentioned that hip-hop is going to be the root of all his songs but some have elements of other genres of music.

The song "The Kids Say" is about child trafficking. He said that it was very difficult mentally to write this song because the song's content is so confronting, about the horrors of human trafficking and the impacts on youth caught in this trap.

What’s Next For Amon

To conclude, this interview reinforced our understanding that the music industry is a complex workplace. From crafting the music to releasing the album, to playing the shows, everything is a process; either a short one or a long one.

The Neighborhood Kids has one EP, called Every Child Left Behind. When Amon was asked about possible future album releases, he stated that something might come out in the next year, and they’re in the process of releasing singles.

He noted, “making an album is a long process; sometimes your favorite songs will be made years before you even hear them.” In the end, the process takes time. He explained, “producing the song is a long process, and if you’re not specifically skilled to produce you then have to send it to your producer, who edits production in their song.” Overall, Amon and his band are on their way up in

Speakingupwith

ANANDA ESTEVA

AudreyMontgrain,ParkerBarr,Maya Kushner,CaioDowd,andJonahHolthaus

WehadthewonderfulopportunitytointerviewAnandaEsteva,atalentednovelist,poet, teacher,andperformer,viaZoomonApril11,2024.Wewerethrilledtomeetheraswe had immersed ourselves in her work. We read her poems, read articles about her, and even watched her captivating performances. Our group brainstormed and carefully organizedquestionstoaskherduringtheinterviewandwewereverypleasedwiththe outcome. Ananda Esteva's kindness and creativity left a lasting impression on us, and we'reeagertosharemoreabouther.

BeingBicultural-CaioDowd

Tostartourinterview,wewantedtolearn moreaboutAnanda'sbackstory.Weknewshe wasborninChile,butwewantedtoknow whateffectthathadonher.Thequestionswe askedreflectedonourresearchaswe meticulouslychosetoaskquestionsin connectiontotheinfowehad.Weasked Ananda“WeknowyouwereborninChileand cametoSanFrancisco;howhasbeingfrom Chileaffectedyourlife?”Throughour questioning,welearnedthatAnadawasborn inChiletorevolutionaryparents.Shemoved totheUSatagethree,buthasalwayslonged forhercountryofbirth.Asanimmigrant,she facedalotofculturalandenvironmental shiftsashermomwenttocollegeandthey movedaround.

Moreover, we discovered that she embarked onajourneytofindwhoshethoughtmightbe her real dad. The man was a revolutionary fromSouthAmerica,butasshedelveddeeper she ended up being followed by the CIA. We canseeherrevolutionarytiescomeoutinher worksuchasin“ButterflySkin”.Thisseriesof events related to her search for her father shockedusasitdisplayedthemeasurestheUS takestosuppressarevoltagainstthetentacles ofWesterncapitalistimperialism.

FindingtheLoveforPoetry-CaioDowd

Next, we were curious to learn how Ananda developed a connection to writing and if she has always enjoyed it. When we asked how shefirstgotintopoetryandifshehasalways loved it, she responded, “Originally when I waslikealittlekid,ImeanIdidn’tknowhow to write, but I would dictate things to people and they would write things for me here and there. Then I kind of fell out of it until high school.ThenIstartedwritingpoetryreallyin high school and I joined our school's literary magazine and whatnot.” Through Ananda's response,wefoundthatshewasnotalwaysas invested in writing as she is now but has always been interested in sharing her ideas andcreative.

Thisdiscoveryofherconnectiontowritinggave waytotherapidgrowthofherskills.Incollege, shetookmoreandmorewritingclassesand grewherskillsuntilshebecametheskilledand publishedwritersheistoday.

WritingMaterialandGrowth-Audrey Montgrain

AfterlearningaboutAnanda’shistorywith writing,wewerecurioustolearnabouthowshe woulddescribehercurrentwritingthemes,and howtheyhavechangedovertime.Wenoticed thatalotofherwritingisverypersonaland reflectsonbeingapartofmanydifferent cultures.Whenweaskedhowshewould describethethemesinherwritingandhowher themeshaveexpandedsinceshefirststarted writing,

“When we have pain we will do anything to cover that pain up even if it’s sloppy”

sheshared,“Ireallylikedsciencefiction, actually-thatwasmygenrethatIlikedthen becauseIwantedtoescapemylife.Ilivedina neighborhoodthathadalotofviolence.Ididn't wanttobewhereIwas;Iwasstuckwithmy family.Theywerefightingallthetime.”What Anandaistalkingabouthereisthatoriginally shewasreallyintowritingsciencefiction.She talkedtousabouthowsheusedherwritingto escapeherlifebeforecollege.Shedidn'twantto bearoundalltheneighborhoodviolenceandher familyfightingallthetime.Shelovedscience fictionbecauseitbroughthertoadifferent place.

Laterintheinterview,sheshared,“Afterbeing with[poetandprofessor]JuneJordan,

shehelpedmeunderstandthatthepersonalcan bepolitical,ethnographiclens-likeyourwords matter...Thatinspiredus(andme)tostartto writeformyownexperience.”Fromwhatshe sharedherewelearnedthatherwritingstyle tookaturnincollegefromherworkwithJune Jordan’sPoetryforthePeopleprojectatUC Berkeley.HerworkwithJuneJordanhelpedher understandthatpersonalwritingcanbepolitical andthatherwordsandexperiencesmatter.That inspiredhertostarttowriteforherown experiencewhichshehascontinuedtodotothis day.

Ananda’sWritingProcess-MayaKushner

Beyondherwritingthemes,wewantedtolearn whatAnanda'sactualwritingprocesslookslike. Weaskedthequestion,“Doyouwritefor deadlinesoronlywhenyoufeelinspiredto? Whatdoesyourpoemwritingprocesslooklike?” Fromthis,welearnedthatAnandaEstevahasa dynamicrelationshipwithherwritingprocess. Switchingbetweenwritinginjournals,to computers,tosafespacesathome,allthewayto cornersincafes.ThroughoutAnanda'scareeras awriter,shehasdiscoveredthatsettingaside timetowrite-evenifsheisn'tfullymotivatedto -actuallyincreaseshercreativity.

Shefindsthatwritingforprolongedperiodsof timecanmakeherstressedoutwhichiswhyshe preferstogetallofherideasdownona computerratherthaninajournal(although everyonceinawhileshewillsettlebackdownto classicpenandpaper).

“ButterflySkin”-JonahHolthaus

AfterwelearnedwhatAnanda’swritingprocess was,wethenaskedhowsheappliesitintooneof herpoems.Duringtheinterviewweaskedthe questions,“Welovedyourpoem“ButterflySkin”. Whilereadingitwedebatediftherewasan actualtattooorifitwasametaphorforyour relative'sfeelings.Isthetattooliteral, metaphorical,orboth?”Additionally,wealso wantedtoknowthecontextbehindthepoem “ButterflySkin”andwhatinspiredhertowrite it.WefoundoutthatAnandathoughtthather dadmightbe,themaincharacterin“Butterfly skin”,butsheofficiallytoldpeopleitwaswritten aboutheruncleforprivacyreasons.Thenwe askedaboutaspecificpartinthepoemwhenit talksaboutatattoo.Thesmudgedbutterfly tattoowasarealthingthatherdadhadbutit wasalsoametaphoricaltermthatAnanda explainedverywellinthisquote:“Ifwehave painwewilldoanythingtocoverthatupevenif itissloppy''.Finally,weaskedwhatinspiredher towritethispoemandwereadthatshewas

inspiredbyherdadandhowlovinghe seemedeventhoughhewasgoingthrougha lotofterriblethings.

What’sNextForAnanda-ParkerBarr

Lastly,wewantedtoknowwhatwasnextfor Ananda.AnandaEtevas'bookThe WanderingsofChelaCoatlicue:Touring Califaztlanoriginallywastwiceaslongasthe versionthatwaspublished.Becauseher storywassolongherpublisherthoughtit wouldbeagoodideatocutitinhalfandonly releasethefirsthalf.Thiswasdefinitelyhard forherbecauseshedidn'tgettoreleasehalf ofthewritingsheworkedsohardon,butit wastherightdecision.Ananda'spublisher toldherthatthestorywasgoodbutthere wastoomuchgoingonandneededtobesplit inhalf.Anandaiscurrentlyworkingtowrite thebeginningforthesecondhalfandturn thatsecondhalfintohernextbook.Ananda explainsthattheprocessiseasierbecauseso muchofitisalreadywritten.Bothofher booksarechoose-your-own-adventure stories.Thesecondstorywasoriginally meanttobethesecondending.Nowsheis gettingtheopportunitytoturnthatsecond endingintoawholeotherbook.

https://anandaesteva.wordpress.com @anandaesteva

BREAKING BOUNDARIES: GEMINELLE

Rennon Lyons , Isa Guerrero , Amaya Fox-Williams, Imani Williams, Ivey Billups, and Michael Moura

Geminelle Rollins Malone was born and raised in Southeast San Diego, in the Paradise Hills neighborhood. She currently lives and makes music in Los Angeles, California, Geminelle uses her music as a medium to share positive affirmations for herself and her listeners. Over her career, Geminelle has released two albums, Mantra Loops Volumes I and II. these projects are full of messages that remind us all to love ourselves, and that we are enough. As a new parent to a baby boy, Geminelle and her husband and executive, Dominic Malone, are creative partners in every aspect of their lives. We had an almost hour-long interview with Geminele where we discussed many topics relating to growing up and her life as a musician. We had been researching and exploring her website and music leading up to the interview. You can find her on Instagram at @geminelle or on all streaming music apps under the name Geminelle.

Background Information

Geminelle says her childhood was amazing. Her dad was a scientist and her mom was a stay-at-home mom. Some of her childhood memories were doing science experiments with her dad. She lived in a neighborhood with a lot of kids. She used to do track; surprisingly, that's how she got into singing! When her mom found out she could sing, she signed her up to sing the national anthem at her track meets. She grew up listening to Lauryn Hill and Bilalilal who were some of her inspirations, Outcast, and Goapele were artists that she and her brother would listen to, and Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston were artists she aspired to be like, and would always sing their music.

When she and her mom realized that she had the gift of singing, her mom supported her and pushed her to start singing more. She says her favorite part of being a singer is writing music and getting to tell stories through music. She believes music is very powerful and that it can heal people. She wants to use her voice as a tool to teach people lessons through her songs and make an impact on the world.

She has her master's degree. She went to UC Riverside for her bachelor's degree in liberal studies education, and USC for graduate school where she studied postsecondary administration and student development. Her brother was a really big supporter of her, he would introduce her to new artists and tell her his favorite songs and they would sing those and also sit down and write music together. Those were some of her core memories. Now her husband is her biggest supporter. He is someone who will encourage her to write but also sits in on her studio sessions to make sure her music is the best it can be and pushes her to her limit. Her mom is also one of her biggest supports and knows that she never has to worry if there will be anyone to support her.

First Writing Memories

Geminelle started writing at a young age and her mom was there to support her. So we wanted to know if she had another specific supporter while growing up and now in her life that pushed her to start writing music. Geminelle talked about her brother being a big supporter who introduced her to favorite songwriters and analyzed lyrics with her. That was a core memory from growing up. Now, her husband not only encourages Geminelle to write music but also actively participates in her studio sessions, ensuring the quality of her music. Geminelle’s mom is still a major supporter too, even though it can be tough for parents of artists. She's grateful for their support. Geminelle has a lot of supporters in her life and people who have always been there for her.

We also asked if she could tell us about her relationship with writing as a student, compared to her relationship with writing music now. Did you enjoy writing essays, research papers, etc.? She talked about how she loved writing English essays! It was one of her favorite subjects.

Spreading Positivity

She tries to get listeners to sing along with her to say positive messages to make it come true. She expresses that in the past she wrote sad songs about how she was feeling. She later realized that the things she is singing will come true and she changed her music themes to be more positive.

She shared, “I believe that music has the power to heal people; I think that music can really teach lessons, and so I sing because I really want to make an impact on the world through positive music and positive storytelling and to use my voice as a tool to help people overcome challenges and teach lessons on how to grow and expand and be better humans.” It’s inspiring not only to me but to other people to aim for more positive messages - not only in music but in real life. The messages in music can affect people, whether they notice the affect or not.

She wrote about musicians using music for activism and storytelling in grad school. When she writes music now, she connects it to how she used essays to tell stories. She makes sure her songs have a clear structure, a skill she learned from Writing essays in college and high school. Creative writing has improved her storytelling by showing instead of telling directly. She likes being creative with her songwriting. Geminelle provided insightful responses to our questions about her work and experiences. She shared valuable perspectives on her artistic process and inspirations, offering a deeper understanding of her creative journey.

Inspiration

In our interview, Geminelle elaborated on the sources of her inspiration, stating that she finds motivation in the works of other authors and the desire to make a difference in the world. She also mentioned that her songwriting process can vary, with some songs coming to her quickly as a “spur of the moment” sort of thing, while others require more time and effort. Furthermore, Geminelle opened up about the struggles of being a small artist, sharing that financial difficulties can be a significant challenge. Despite these obstacles, Geminelle remains dedicated to her craft and continues to create music that resonates with her audience.

Milky Way

We listened to Geminelle’s song “Milky Way” as a group, and we noticed a lot of uses of figurative language. I specifically noticed a lot of repetition and was curious as to what it meant. My question was, why did she choose to repeat the line “We’re going up up up up and away we go” and what does it signify? She talked about how the song “Milky Way” is one of her favorite songs she has ever written because she wrote it while she and her husband were at a kind of roadblock. They were living in New York and life just wasn't going their way. They got kicked out of the place they were living and they couldn't qualify for another place. She wrote it as a kind of visualization of where she saw herself in the future and where she wanted to be. I think this is a beautiful song and now that she is past that point she can listen back to that song and realize that everything she visualized came true.

What’s Next?

I always talk about how I haven’t had the chance to properly push a project. Each time I’ve released an EP, life has thrown me a curve ball that stops me from being able to promote and tour my projects. I finally have the space to really dive into Mantra Loops Vol. 2 and give it my all, so that’s what I’m doing. I have a few ideas for future projects, but I’ll be committing to Mantra Loops for the remainder of 2024 at the minimum. One project I’d like to produce next is a project that’ll highlight every song I’ve written about my partner after knowing him for 23 years. I’ve written songs about him since I was a teenager and they are some of my favorite songs. My plan is to compile all of those love songs into one live audio recording, “Acoustic Love Letters”. I don’t know when I’ll record it, but that’ll be my next project.

SanDiego’s PoetLaureate

BACKGROUND

WeaskedJasonwhathecouldtellusifhis parent’sinfluencedhiswritingcareer.Hesaid no because his parents don’t really speak Englishsotheydidn’treallyhelphim.Wethen askedifhecouldtellusmoreaboutwherehe grewupandwhathischildhoodwaslike.He saidhewasborninDetroitbutwasmoving west throughout his childhood eventually endingupinOceanside.Hetoldusthatthe languagesandculturesthathisparentsbring reallyinspiresthewayhewrites.

Jason Magabo Perez

AntonioSimpson,AlexQuintana,DashiellWeaver, HadassahAvila,CharlotteSnow,BlueSwepston

WehadtheprivilegeofinterviewingJasonMagaboPerez,theSanDiegopoetlaureate, duringhisvirtualpresenceonaZoomcallonApril18,2024.Eagerlyanticipatingthe opportunitytoengagewithhim,wehadthoroughlyresearchedhispreviousinterviews, watchedhisperformances,anddelvedintohisliteraryworks.Withameticulously crafted plan for conducting the interview, our group hosted and facilitated the conversationwithJason.Itprovedtobeanenrichingexperience,andwearethrilledto sharemoreaboutthiscreativeindividual.

EARLY WRITING MEMORIES

Beforetheinterviewweresearchedhischildhood,andlearnedhisparentswere Filipinoimmigrantsandwouldtalkindifferentlanguages.Weaskedhimifhis exposureatayoungagetomanydifferentlanguagesimpactedhispoetryasan adult.Heansweredbytellingushowwitnessinghisparentscommunicateinso manydifferentwayswiththepeoplearoundthem,whetheritbetheircousins, thepeopleattheFilipinomarket,ortheirco-workersinspiresalotofthewayhe writes.HethengoesontosaythatwhileheprimarilywritesusingtheEnglish language,heusesthetechniquesofotherlanguages.Thewaythatheunderstands sounds,howsyllablescometogether,andthewayherecognizesmusicfrom languagedoesn’tcomefromEnglish,itcomesfromthebeautyofthewordshis parentsspeak.

“I Ask About What Falls Away”

OurarticleofmainfocuswasJasonPerez’spoem“IAskAboutWhatFallsAway.” Throughoutthepiece,heuseshisinspirationfromFilipinoandMexicanfarmers andcolonialismtopaintthepictureoftheirhumbleandsorrowfulexperiencetothe readers.Weaskedaboutthespecificlines:“Whosehandswashthissky?Whodrains thissunagainstworry?Whosemightyachemakeshistory?” Perezstates:“Ithink maybethatpartofthechallengeinthoselineswastobestowthehigherpower, whateverthat higherpowermeant, sortofadeeperworld,changingsortofforce withintheworker. So,reallywantingtorecognizethepowerwithineveryday people.”Perezusesotherworldlyandimaginativeimagerythroughoutthispoem, makinghismeaningandwordsmostmeaningful.

Writing Process

JasonMagaboPerez,theSanDiegopoetlaureate,sharedinsightsintohis intentionalapproachtohiswritingprocess.Heemphasized,"Writingapoem isn’taboutputtingwordsonapage,it'saboutmeandeverythingIhaveto bringonthatwritingtable.Everysinglefeeling,everyhistoricalmomentor reflectionthatI’mthinkingabout."Perez'sprocessinvolvesactivelyengaging withhissurroundings,asheexplained,"WhenIcometothewritingprocess, I’mmuchmoreattentivetomysurroundings,thethingsIhear,see,andfeel." Perez's writing is deeply intertwined with his lived experiences and communityconcerns.Hestated,"IwritefrommyownlivedexperiencebutI alsowriteaboutthingsthatmattertomeandmycommunity."Hiscreative processisdynamicandinclusive,describedasa"processofcollage”.He elaborated,"Ihavedifferentprocesses.IfIfeellikeIcanwriteI’lljustdoit.On theotherhand,it'smuchmorecalculated.There'spatterns,games,and exercisesthatIputmyselfthrough.OftenIdobothandputittogether."

Jasonrejectsthenotionofwriter'sblock,asserting,"Idon'tbelieveinwriter's block.Ifwe’reblockedit'sbecausewearepreoccupiedwiththemyththatwe havetosaysomethingimportant."ForPerez,poetryandliteratureencompass aspectrumofemotionsandexperiences.Heremarked,"Ibelievepoetryand literatureisaspacewherewecanbeseriousandsilly,failandsucceed.Itcanbe ascomplexaslife."Throughoutourconversation,Jasonemphasizedthe importanceofcommunicationandpurposeinhiswriting,ensuringthat eachpoemservesasavehicleforexpressionandconnection.

Recurring Themes

Duringourinterview,weaskedJasonaboutthemesinhispoem“IAsk AboutWhatFallsAway”Themainoneswefocusedonwerenostalgiaand confusion/curiosity. Jason said he wrote this poem in the heat of the pandemichewasinvitedtowriteinresponsetoanexhibitionaboutFilipino farmworkers.hetoldusabouthowafilmmakersenthimfootageoffarm workersandhowhehadthatinmindinthecontextof COVID.“our communitiesweredevastedbythisthingandinparticularlymarginalized communities”hesays.Laterhementionsthathewasthinkingaboutthatand howweasasocietythinkaboutthisstuffthatmatters.Becauseprofitdoesn't mattersafety,liberation,socialjustice,anddignityinourcommunitiesare whatmatters.hesaysallofthishelpedhimfocusonthecoreconcernsinhis latestbook.Wealsoaskedhimhowheconnectspersonallywiththethemes ofhispoems.Hesaidhewritespoetryfromlivedexperience.Hesaid, “Writingisaspaceformetoconnect,writingisaspaceformeformetoarrive atsomesortofself-understanding”.Hetellsusit'saplaceforhimtoexpresshis loveandjoyforhiscommunity.hetalksabouthowhetriestoconnectthe readerandwriterinhiswritingpieces.hetellsushowwritingandpoetryare wherehegoestounderstandhisloveandcommitmenttohiscommunities. Jasonsayswritingisalwaysanintimatebutcollaborativeexperience.

Accomplishments

JasonMagaboPerezhasdonealotwithhisroleof San Diego’sPoetLaureate.Herecentlylaunchedhispublic engagementproject,the“SanDiegoPoetryFutures2024” whichhasamainfocusonyouthoutreach.Jasonhadbeen goingfrommiddleandhighschoolsallacrossSanDiego discussingpoetryandtryingtoengagestudentsinwriting. JasonMagaboPerezhasalsobeenlinkingupwithpublic library’stodofamilyfriendlychalkingeventswherehe meetsupwiththecommunityandwritespoemsonthe sidewalksashediscussespoetryandliteraturewiththe peoplewhocomeout.OnApril20thheattendedan AsianAmericanPoetmeetupatHazardCenterinMission Valley.Theeventheldlivepoetryreadingsandworkshops thatdoveintothewritingprocessandthemesofthese influentialAsianAmericanPoets.LastlyJasonMagabo PerezwillattendafilmscreeningonAprilthirtiethatthe CityHeightsLibrary.Thescreeningistocelebratethelife ofAudreLorde,theAfricanAmerican,Queer,Feminist Poetandtorecognizeherwork.TheactingPoetLaureate forSanDiegohashadalotonhisplatebut,JasonMagabo Perezhasflourishedinhishighlyhonoredrole.

KrishnaFeeney:GoingWithTheFlow

Julia Melchor, Sofia Suffle, Matias Udrys, Timell Richardson, Ethan Williams

What is it like to write songs? To find out, we Interviewed singer and songwriter Krishna Feeney on April 11, 2024. We were excited to meet her, as we had reviewed some of her previous songs, watched videos of her videos and learned some things about her life. Our group had a plan for hosting and facilitating the interview, and everything went really well. We are so thrilled to share more about this incredibly creative person.

Moving And Finding Music:

Krishna moved in her teenage years, starting with living in San Jose and moving on to Albuquerque, New Mexico when she was fourteen and stayed through her high school years. Her music has involved her family and friends. For example, she dedicated one of her songs to her deceased friend. An article has quoted about her, “Her original material draws deeply on her personal experiences and the rich American folk tradition. Her voice is unique, raw, and soulful.” We were also struck by her vulnerability in her words.

She had said that when she felt accomplished was when she wrote her second album because she is so surprised that she came this far, with more than 20+ songs released. Although she started writing around the age of 15 or 16, Krishna didn't really have any specific inspiration or reason to start writing; she really liked music and wanted to write about it.

Krishna started to write her first song at the age of 17; even though she didn't feel accomplished in her writing and in her music at that time, she kept trying and pushing through to keep making music. She is now working on her second album, to be released in May 2024. She has two and also has a full-time job, with performing and singing on the side.

Writing Process:

In our recent discussion with Krishna, this amazing songwriter, we dove into her approach to music. It turns out that music isn't just a hobby for her; it's a passion. When she creates music, she starts by humming a melody and then focuses on finding the perfect rhythm before diving into creating her lyrics. I found it interesting that Krishna doesn't rely on any specific rituals or habits during her writing process. She simply needs to be in a quiet and private environment to let her creativity flow. It was very inspiring to see how she brings her music and ideas to life. She was adamant that she does not consider herself a poet, but rather a songwriter, as she said she needs a melody in order to write.

Song Connection:

We asked whether she dedicated any of her songs to anyone; because of that, we wanted to know if she had a stronger connection with any specific song because it's dedicated to someone or because she just likes the flow.

When asked the question what songs she has a strong connection with, she realized that most of her new ones she has personal connections with, but shared that she has learned to never judge any of her songs. The reason why she learned this is because sometimes she makes songs she thinks are bad, but other people think are good. So, over time, she learns to like the songs she didn't like before. On the new album, she really likes the song “Oceans Will Rise”, even though it's one of her old ones and has the most meaning because it’s like a lullaby.

Album process:

Krishna just finished a really huge project, her new album called Dreams; she’s been working on it for a year and a half. She doesn’t know what her next project will be after that because her process is that she writes more songs than she releases, so she has many unreleased songs. For example, when she works on an album, she picks 10 to 15 songs that she’s written since the last album. It’s not that the unpicked songs aren’t worthy, it's about what fits best in the moment to make the next album. We were able to get advanced access to some of the new songs, and can’t wait to hear the album! Krisha’s music can be heard on all streaming platforms, and her website is https://www.krishnafeeney.com/.

PAOLA CAPÓGARCÍA

POET,WRITER,TEACHER

JACKSYN STUTZ, METZLI-CITLALCOATL GUERRERO, QUENTIN TALLET, MIREYA BRITO, EITHAN DE LARA CARILLO, DAMIAN VERDUGO

Our group interviewed teacher, poet, and book writer Paola CapóGarcía. She came to our school on April 12, 2024. We were anxioustogetourquestionsansweredandgettomeetthisperson we’ve been doing all this research on. We wanted to know about her experience as a teacher and a poet. Our group was both surprised and pleased with her answers, as we were gaining insightintobothherlifeandmind.

Being a Teacher

In our research, we found out that Paola was a teacher at HighTech High. We asked our interviewee Paola if her experiences teachingatHigh-TechHighhaveaffectedherwriting.Shesaidshe has been a teacher for a good amount of time. She said that her experiences with teaching have actually made her writing harder. Shethensaidthatbeingateacherhasmadeitsoshestopswriting herself. I thought this was interesting as I had thought that being a teacherwouldhavehelpedyourwritingprocess.

Writing about the past

We asked the question “In many of your poems, We’ve noticed that you write about your past experiences, so how do you feel when you're writing these?”. She went into depth on how writing about her experiences helped her overcome the lingering negative feelings. The main theme in her poem “Yellow” is about her experiences when she was growing up. She purposely uses vague terms to exaggerate how when she was young nothing made sense. She explains how writing about her past experiences and feelings helps her overcome them and won't ever write about them againalmostlikeshe's“burying”theminherwriting.Shebelievesit could help other people with the same experiences see a different perspectiveandhelpthemheal.

Poem In which I can’t Use Vowels

She started the poem as she does any other, one line at a time. Although she couldn’t recall erasing any lines she was able to arrive by rearranging and adjusting them to go along with her own rhythm.

She likes to end the poem in something that seems very possible or impossible hence why she endedthepoemon“PoeminwhichIcan’tmove”.

Whats next?

Paola is currently working on parts/pieces of writingtoputonherfuturebook.Thebookcoming out would be her second one coming out. She’s hoping to make it a hybrid text, meaning it would have some essay type of writing and poetries. Paola wants to mix both essay and poetry type of writing to keep the readers intrigued. She likes to keep the audience interested and wants them to readmoreofherown.

RicScales SanDiegoEmcee

WeinterviewedSanDiegoMCRicScales, whenhecametoourschoolcampuson April11,2024.Intheleaduptotheinterview, we combed through previous interviews learningeverythingwecould.Buttoknow anartist,youhavetoknowtheirwork,and soweperusedthroughhismusiclibrary to discover what makes Scales, Scales. Through this research we crafted a comprehensiveinterviewthatwouldfillin theblanksonRicScales.We’resoexcited tosharemoreaboutthistalentedartist.

Scale’s Backround

RicScaleswasbornintoamilitaryfamily that moved around a lot. While growing up,heoftenlistenedtovinyl,andthus,his love for music began. When Ric started high school in New Orleans, he heard other students freestyling and could not help but be amazed by the music they couldmake.HethenmovedtoHonolulu, wherehemasteredtheartoffreestyling, graduatedhighschool,andthrivedinthe rap scene. After high school, Scales moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, and then,around2004,movedtoSanDiegoto pursue his music career with a group calledtheLiveShowbasedinEscondido. SincemovingtoSan

Diego,Richasspreadhisnameacrossthecityandhugely boosted his popularity. Scales started attending a rap competitioncalled“Battlebot”attheCasbaharound2016 andwonmostbattlesforfiveyearsstraightwhichhelped buildhisfanbase.Scaleshasalsocreatedaduorapgroup called18ScaleswithhisfriendChuckMoon,andtogether, theyhavecreatedsomeofScales'smostpopularmusic. RicScalesisnowworkingwiththepopularreggaeband Boostersonhisnextbigproject.

First Writing Memories

Growing up, Ric’s parents had a large vinyl collection, beingbigmusicloversthemselves.Onedayhisfatherlet him use the record player, and once he hit play on ‘Characters’byStevieWonderheimmediatelybecamean R&B fan, an interest that he sustained throughout his childhood.Movingintohighschoolthough,thesesounds brought him into Hip Hop through their samples of the music he grew up on. Attending High School in New OrleanshequicklyfoundaHipHopsceneinthecornerof thecafeteriaduringlunchtime.Evenifhedidntstartasthe best this was essential to his development as a rapper. Never one to back down from a challenge, he locked himselfinhisroomoverthesummerduringhismoveto Honolulu and improved at rhyming and rapping. Newfound skills in hand, he found new friends in Hawaii and they soon began to do rap battles at small venues with friends. Eventually through these skills his career broughthimtoSanDiego.

Ashton Burris, Roberto Plascencia, Diego Robles, Eddie Locano, Muska Wahab, Omar Villa

Roberto Plascencia, Ashton Burriss, Diego Robles, Eddie Francis Locano, Muska Wahab, Omar Villa

How Ric Stays Original

Fromourresearch,welearnedthatRicScalesbelievesa strengthofhismusicishisoriginality.Toexpandonthat, we questioned him on his process of achieving that result in his songs. He shared that while he takes inspirationfromthoseheadmires,hepreferstomakehis workassomethinghelikesbestratherthanwhatothers will.ThisishowRickeepshismusicoriginal.Heputsaspin onthingstomakethemhisownandusesuniquebeats andcadencestofitwhatfeelsgoodtohim.Thisisquite noticeableinhissongsandyoucandefinitelyappreciate thetechniquesheusestomakeitso.Inaddition,hislyrics are distinctly original because he writes about his own experiences, and since those are unique his raps becomeuniqueinturn.Thesequalitiesinhislyricsand melodiesproducenovelmusicthatconnectstohimina genuine,personalway.

Ric’s Writing Process

RicScales'writingisuniqueashepreferstofreestyle, creating his lyrics live. We asked him his reason for this,towhichheresponded that it was a cool experiencehavingtocome upwithyourownlyricslive and having to impress the crowd. He talked about how he would sometimes asktheaudienceforwords which he would then incorporateintohislyricsin thefreestyle.Inaddition,he hasstatedthathislyricsis him doing what feels good for him. Ric had started freestylinginhighschool,whenheencounteredagroup ofkidsfreestyling.Intrigued,hejoinedin.Thus,begana starttohiscareer.WhenweaskedRicScalesifheprefers workingsoloorcollaboratingandworkingasaduo,he admittedtopreferringworkingwithotherpeople.Ricsays that he prefers to work in a group rather than solo because he likes to expand his music and he likes to matchtheenergyofthepersonthatheisworkingwith. AnexampleofRicworkingwithsomeonewaswhenhe workedwithChuckMoon,aproducerwhomadebeats. Ric and Chuck would meet up 1-2 Times a week to record,whereChuckproducedthebeats,andRicwrote

lyrics to them. He describes that he does not follow the trend of rap/freestyle being very misogynistic, drug-influential, and havingaverycrueltypeofwordusage,he prefers using beats he finds with friends andrappingaboutthingsorthoughtsthat inspirehim.

“Fade Nasty Did It”

In his song “Fade Nasty Did It", Scales wrotealineabouttearinghismeniscus anditmadeuscuriousaboutthestory behind that. One of our groupmates shared that he had torn his meniscus, explaining, “I never even knew what a meniscuswas.Iwascurious,everytime - people were like ‘What happened?’ Nobody knew what a meniscus was.” Ricsharedthathewastryingtoemu-

-lateBustaRhymes,oneofhis favorite artists. He shared, “I was trying to emulate his style…to come in and say something that made people be like - what?” My reaction was that this story gave us insightintohowhethinksand writes. He has a lot of inspirationfromotherartistshe respects.

Whats Next?

Ric Scales is a rapper who traveled fromeasttowestcoastlearningmusic from two different sides of the country. Coming up first as a freestylist in his teensandthendoingsolostoduetand groups as he grew older. He really shows his true colors in his music and rapsaboutwhatfeelsgoodtohimand what he's gone through. Although he didn't give us the full scoop, he did say he’s staying true to himself while working with reggae band ‘Boosters’ to createnewandexcitingfusionsounds.

Rob Crow: Songwriter, Musician

Yossarian Crow, Xave Gullans, Haley Copans, Jayden Joseph

Early Life and Inspiration

Rob Crow is known for being a San Diego artist, but was actually born in New Jersey. He went back and forth from San Diego to Jersey because of his stepfather's job. He says he has no real “main inspiration”, and that everyone has the idea of “I like that! I want to do that!” when it comes to music. When asked more about inspiration, he talks about how making actual art is not profitable, with algorithms always showing you artists and music that make someone else money. He states that a large majority of music is complete garbage, but every genre has something to say so it’s worthwhile to look for it.

Crow’s First Writing Memories

When we asked when he wrote his first song, he told us about a song he made when he was around six, that went “duhduhduhduhdinosaur”. He says he made this song on his porch while playing three strings on a random guitar someone handed him. He then spoke about when he made his first good song. He was around 19 before writing a full set of music of what he now says is “garbage”. However, he couldn’t be that happy with writing one good song out of all of his first ones.

Themes in Writer’s Writing

When talking about the themes in his writing, Rob Crow explained that his music can vary. He told us how he often pinballs around several different themes in order to find the inner theme. He further explained how sometimes he goes for a more carefree approach in his writing, comparing this method to “hitting things with rocks to see how far it explodes.”

When asked about current themes in his writing Crow answers that he’s been really into the theme of instant gratification and catharsis, and exploring how to have a cathartic experience without it being at the expense of someone else. He finishes off with an explanation about how music can make you feel and its relation to the theme of catharsis. his music can vary.

Writing Process

Crow explained his songwriting process to us. Describing how each song can vary, he shared that there isn’t a formula to each song. Some of the songs he makes take less time to write, but other times he will have said half a song just sitting around for months before it finally “clicks.”

Crow also shared a unique way he writes some of his songs, and how he will create characters and proceed to write from the perspective of the character. He then clarifies that these songs still have a bit of him in them and they are still a character.

What’s Next?

As some of our group members listen to his music, we were curious to ask Rob Crow what he’s doing in the future, or any upcoming present projects. He answered that he was currently working to release a B-side compilation for his band Pinback (B-side recordings are extras or are specifically made for the B-side album). Another project of his band is: Pinback setting up a performance in Las Vegas this October at the Las Vegas Best Friends Forever festival.

“Grey Machine”

Rob Crow wrote the song “Grey Machine” with his partner Zach Smith under the band known as Pinback. Both of their writing styles are very different. They wrote this song without discussing or understanding what either was writing about because Rob Crow likes to ask questions in his art, while Zach is about going or coming from somewhere.

The start of the song is about property and the strange idea of someone saying they “own something.” Rob shared his comments about how everybody just has to agree and how they use ownership to feel in control and safe. Rob Crow also connects it to his real life, explaining that some people are paid just to sit on someone's property and how strange the idea of him getting paid just to make music that he’s been enjoying making for the past ten years.

After they had written the first half, the song was just lying around with no purpose, so they chose to change it and decided to think . “Let's just get weird with it” was their view of the second half of the song, with them trying to finish the song deciding to make it about bending time to their will.

Rob Crow as Lord Phallus

SUSIE MESERVE:

Alicia

Campbell, Leah Vickery,

Cameron Kruger, Yandell Johnson, Arsema Tadesse, Cameron King Chanthala

We interviewed poet Susie Meserve. To prepare for her interview, we researched about her and her poems before we held a Zoom meeting on April 10th, 2024 We were excited to meet her,, and everything went really well We are so thrilled to share more about this incredibly creative person. She shared personal details about herself and her life, but also described aspects of her poetry and writing prov She has written and published poems and essays such as Steps to Get Over, How I Silenced That Voice in My Head, and My Fertility Envy.

EARLYLIFE Interviews

InspiringWriter

Susie talks about how living in different areas has influenced her writing “My work is influenced by what I see outside and the landscape and stuff like that ” She was born outside of Boston, Massachusetts which was different from the Bay Area where she moved to. To her what she saw around her influenced the way she wrote or what she wrote about We also see our environment being the same in a way We all have different ways of writing, talking, dressing, etc, which are influenced by where we are and how we grew up. When Susie brought that up, it made us wonder how we all are influenced because of our environment

Susie Meserve talks about how she got into poetry after her teacher influenced her “I was in college and I had a good teacher who introduced me to contemporary poetry and I got very excited.” Susie is also a contemporary poet which was what she was interested in at first. This shows that positive influences from those around you, can open up new experiences and opportunities

Lastly, Susie says that she many interests aside from poetry. “I write poetry but I also have written a memoir and I’m writing a novel right now ” She used to sing because she had a great voice, she still writes poetry and she even wrote novels. When we asked Meserve what other careers she could’ve pursued instead of poetry, she talked about how she had many interests growing up, so she could have gone in many ways

FIRSTWRITINGMEMORIES

In the interview, Susie shared about growing up a musician, and coming from a music background. When asked about her transition towards focusing on poetry, she talked about how she was naturally gifted in music, and how poetry “attracted her in a different way ” However, Susie explained she had to work a bit harder with poetry than she had to with music, and that she couldn’t find a connection between the two for a long time Currently, she connects them in the fact that they are both creative arts that she participates in, and share similar qualities. Now, she states that she is more motivated to work with music, such as things like playing guitar and songwriting

When asked about her first experiences with poetry, she shared that she started with poetry in high school. Meserve also spoke about a poet that she read named E E Cummings, and how he writes in a way that “grabs at the heart of the reader” by using different literary devices She talks about how this work inspires her because it was so different from any other poetry she had read, and how because of this poet, she discovered that poetry “offered more possibilities” than what was inherently visible It is insightful in the fact that she talks about E.E. Cummings’ writing style, how it inspired her, and how his writing reached out to the reader on a personal level In terms of her poetry, something that could have greatly influenced her writing is the places that she was living at the time.

THEMESINWRITING

When asked about how growing up in New England has influenced her writing, Susie spoke passionately about how her writing style is heavily influenced by the landscape and what’s happening right outside of her door. Specifically speaking about her home in New England, Susie said, “I think that one big thing is that, you know, rural New England anyway, where I wrote a lot of that book, in the fall, you just get these incredible colors all the time, right?”

However, in Berkeley, Susie says that there’s a notable difference in the seasons between the two cities. “Here we get them (the incredible colors of the changing seasons), like in Berkeley we get them a little bit, and they tend to come later like after Thanksgiving Sometimes the trees change, but in New England, there’s a period of time, where you can’t miss, you know, the leaves are just coming down and the air is crisp and all that.” The differences between seasons on opposite coasts were fascinating to learn about

WRITINGSTYLE

During this segment of the interview, we were able to learn about Susie’s writing style and her process and making of the poem She personally prefers starting poems with daily prompts Being prompted makes you ponder on topics that you may not have thought of otherwise Having that daily time to write reinforces her to practice writing and putting her thoughts onto paper Something she said that has stuck with me is, “It’s really important to just show up and see what happens, every day if you can. ” This can go with occurrences other than poem writing, and she has put that effort into showing up every day. She has taught us that even if it's just one sentence or one step it is important to be consistent in your work.

We have asked Susie about her experience in writer’s block and what her process for navigating the block and inspiring herself again is For her, writer's block is hard and is not something she likes But again it's all about showing up and compromising When overwhelmed, she has taken breaks from them, knowing what you need and responding to those needs are also very important, she states Even when “nothing is happening,” she has still tried to reinforce the habit by setting her alarm early and maybe reading or journaling. Taking frequent breaks is a method Susie uses to enforce that habit of daily writing.

From this interview, we have learned so many new techniques and ways of writing a poem Hence the process of writing can differ from person to person, being able to ask Susie to see how she navigates through creative writing has helped us grow our knowledge on the process of writing. We are looking forward to using this knowledge in our creative piece making process as well

“STEPSTOGETOVER”

In our research, we found many interesting poems by Susie One that caught our eye was, “Steps To Get Over” It is featured in her book, “Little Prayers” The title of the poem was very eye-catching, and when we took a look at the poem We were amazed by the wordplay and imagery When we asked Susie about what influenced her during the writing process of making her poem, “Steps To Get Over”. She explains that she was inspired by another poem made by Matthea Harvey. She continues to say that “poets and artists steal things all the time. Steal ideas, steal lines.”. During her writing process with “Steps To Get Over,” she took a line from Matthea Harvey and included it into “Steps To Get Over” since it fits well with the poem

WHAT’SNEXT?

Susie shared a lot about her music along with her poems and novels She mentioned something about how she felt she had a natural talent for singing from a young age and it naturally came to her as she grew As far as her poem writing goes, she said she was inspired to write at a young age and wrote her first “piece” in 4th grade, it was called “Breeze ” She was inspired to write it because of other poets she read When she was younger, she wanted to being a performer in the musical Starlight Express. Susie seems to have a thing for anything to do with art whether its performing, singing, writing, etc. She has a very good structure which makes it satisfying to read. We look forward to checking out some more of her amazing work

Thomas Pender

Stevie Martin, Jesse Ibanez, Josue Estrada, Apryl Palacio, Jonathan Quezada

OurInterview

We interviewed poet Thomas Henderson on April 16 through a video meeting. We read some of his pieces before the interview and were looking forward to getting to know him and his poetry. We could ask questions, hear some of his poetry, and learn about his process. We are excited to share what we learned about him.

Thinking in poetry

We asked Thomas about his writing process and where he gets his ideas to continue writing. He said the first thing he does is let thoughts come to his mind. He claims that being outside in nature helps him develop new poetry. He also said that all his writing concerns his love for everything around him. Thomas mentioned that as a poet, he thinks in poetry. This gave us a new perspective on poets and their mindset as we have never heard of someone thinking solely in their craft.

“Speed, Momentum, Velocity”

Before our interview, we found out more about his writing by reading and researching his poems. This got us curious about his writing process. The first question we asked was, “Where do you get all of your ideas for writing.” He explained to us that he goes outside and lets all of his ideas flow into him. We then asked him about his thinking process. He responded by saying that he lets nature guide his mindset when writing poems and uses outdoor influences to guide his writing. We wondered about the topics, themes, and genres that he likes to write about the most and how he implements these topics into your future poems. Thomas again replied that he likes writing about nature and the world around him. He said that he grew up around poets and uses the early influence of his childhood, alongside nature to influence his poems.

Themes In Writer’s

Writing

During our research, we discovered he writes a lot about self-care and respect. He told us that all of his poems were meant to spread positivity and bring peace to the readers. The themes of nature and joy were put there intentionally to make his community better.

verde THE CRYSTAL OF THE VALLEY

Analiz Mendoza Castro

Elias Gustamante

Savion Stech

LT Sweet

Gina Buono

INTRODUCTION

We interviewed hip-hop artist and songwriter Verenice, also known as Verde. We were excited to interview her, as we had watched her previous interviews, watched videos of her performances, and listened to multiple of her songs on Spotify. This interview was very interesting and we will share more info about this creative artist.

MEXICAN IN SAN DIEGO

Tolearnmoreaboutherbackgroundinfo,weaskedwhattypeof music was popular where she grew up. She responded by saying that her parents are Mexican so she grew up listening to a lot of Latino music. She stated that she wasn't introduced to hip hop until later in college when that type of music was being played aroundthem.

In our research, we also found out that she lives in San Diego. We asked how living in San Diego influenced who she is. She told us that she grew up in Spring Valley which is a secluded place and didn't live the normal city life of San Diego like others might have. She shared that growing up in Spring Valley impacted who she is today.

EXPERIENCE AS A SOPHOMORE

When talking about her writing memories we wanted to see what her experience was when she was in 10th grade. She mentioned that she was very shy and didn't know what she wanted to do, but she had a creative sense. She wasn't even into musicwhenshewasasophomore.

When watching her podcast with Step Off she mentioned that her parents hated hip hop. When asked about that, she mentioned that she felt the need to prove to her parents that this was what she wanted to do and what she wanted her career to be.

After she was in the hip-hop industry for a while her parents started to accept that hip-hop is a great form of music, it's what theirdaughterwantedtodoandsheismakingacareeroutofit.

WORLD CONFLICT

One project Verde wants to work on is a song about the Israel/Palestine conflict. ‘“It’s a genocide,” she said when asked about it. To make a song about the issue would get more people to think about it and give it though, this is exactly Verde’s goal whenever she writes any song about social injustice.One example of a song she wrote about an injustice is the song titles “And the Kids Say,” in this song she writes about the Jeffery EpsteincaseandhowChildrenweretraffickedforyears. She made it clear that children are “The most oppressed people,”

SPEAKING OUT

She spoke about how she connects with her writingandwalkedusthroughherwritingprocess. The questions that led to these responses were “Can you give us an example of your writing process?” and “When writing do you connect with what you write? and if so how do you connect with it?”. The first question sparked a conversation in which she explained that when she’s in the studio trying to rap over a beat she does a thing called scatting

Thisiswhatmusiciansusetofigureouttheflow of their rap. Verde thinks of it as a puzzle with making the syllables match and also making sure thatthebeatmatcheswiththemessage.Rappingis something complex and isn’t as easy as it sounds when you're trying to make something impactful. The Neighborhood Kids music has a very oldschool feel to it; it's very unlike the rap music we have nowadays, which is something else she mentions in this interview. The next question that was discussed was “When writing do you connect with what you write, and if so how do you connect withit?”.Verdetalkedabouthowsheconnectswith her music because she tries to speak out against police brutality, immigration laws, and the injustice POC go through. She spoke about how she enjoys being able to be a voice for people who can’t afford to speak out against the injustices they face.

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

OvertheSpring23-24Semester,wedelvedinto differentpoemsandsonglyrics.Weexaminedthe compositionofwrittenartbylookingatthedifferent kindsoffigurativelanguagethatarenaturally embedded.Thefollowingpagesincludeexcerptsfrom analyticalessaysthatwewroteinresponseofthe poemsandsonglyricsthatweanalyzed.

METAPHOR

DenzelCurryusesimagerytoadddepthtohislyricsand createthetoneofthesong.Hetalksaboutovercoming obstaclesinhislife.Forexample,"tradin'softlyonapath downtherockiestroad"(7).Inthisquote,Denzeluses imagestodescribethedifficultieshefacedthroughouthis life.Heusesarockyroadtoshowhowhislifewasbumpy andunstable,buthestillwalkedwithcautionand perseverancetomakeitoutandcreatethelifehehasnow.

DenzelCurry,“Walkin”

EithanDeLara

Tupacusesmetaphorsthroughoutthemusicpiece.Tupac usesmetaphorstohelpmakehispointstrongerandconvey messages.Oneexampleofmetaphorsinthesong “Changes''iswhenTupacstates“Causebothblackand whitearesmokin'cracktonight.”Tupacmeansthatboth blackandwhitepeoplearecommittingcrimesanddoing harddrugsequally.Hethenstates“Thepenitentiary's packedandit'sfilledwithblacks".Thismetaphorshows thatjailsarefilledwithmostlyblackpeopledespitethefact thatmanywhitepeoplearealsodoingdrugsand committingcrimes.ItshowstheracistrealityofAmerica andthatmuchmoreblackpeoplewillbegivenjailtimefor theircrimesthanwhitepeopledespitedoingthesame crimes.AnothermetaphorTupacusesis“Insteadofwaron poverty,theygotawarondrugssothepolicecanbother me".TupaciscriticizingtheAmericangovernmentand policesystembysayingthattheyarefocusingonpunishing thosewhousedrugs.Tupacissuggestingthatinsteadof simplypunishingthosewhousedrugswhichisprimarily thosewhoareexperiencingpovertytheyshoulddestroythe problemattherootsbyworkingtoeliminatepoverty. TupacShakur,“Changes” AshtonBurriss

MichaelJackson'ssongcontainsseveralmetaphorsthat conveydeepermeaningswithinthelyrics.Oneexampleis whenJacksonstates,“Ifyouwannamaketheworldabetter place,takealookatyourselfandmakeachange”(lines3738).Thismetaphorimpliesthatindividualactionscanhave arippleeffectontheworld.Here,Jacksondrawsattention tothevalueofone'schoicesinimpactingsocietypositively. Anotherexampleis,“Iseekidsinthestreetwithnot enoughtoeat”(lines9-10).Thismetaphorpaintsapicture ofpoverty,usingtheimageofhungrychildrentohighlight socialissues.

MichaelJackson, "ManintheMirror" DamianVerdugo

LaurynHillusesmetaphorstoreinforcetheimportanceof perseveranceinthefaceofsetbacks.Byusingthispoeticdevice sheconnectswithlistenersthroughlife'sdisadvantagesasa marginalizedperson.Inthelines,"Itseemswelosethegame/ Beforeweevenstarttoplay/Whomadetheserules?(Who madetheserules?)/Weresoconfused(Weresoconfused)/ Easilyledastray”(11-15),Hillportraysthesetbacksher communityfacesduetoariggedsystem.Shedescribeslifeasa gamesetupforfailure,wonderingwho'sbehindtheserules. Writinginthefirstperson,shesignalsherinvolvementinthese struggles.Hillillustrateshowthesechallengeseasilyleadyoung peopleoffcourse.Theinequalityembeddedinsocietyhas deniedthemtheopportunitytothrive.Thissentiment resonateswithmanywhohavefacedsetbacksanddelaysin reachingtheirgoals.

LaurynHill,“EverythingisEverything”

HadassahAvila

JohnLegendalsousedametaphorinthethirdversetoexpress hisfeelingstowardsfameandpopularity.Throughhiswords, heshowcasesanexperienceanddescribeshowitfeltandor feels.Hesays“Butthefameisahellofatemptress,notmy wifebutIguessshe’samistress,oh/CanIlethergo?”Hehas awayofbeingverydirectinthisstatement;inapowerfulway aswell.Heusedtemptress;awomanwhotemptssomeoneto dosomething,alluringorseducing,togetacrosshispointthat fameistempting,theclout,popularityandattentionhe receivesfromit,butregardlessofthetemptationhewantsto letitgo,hedoesn’twantitandknowsthatitmeansnogood, they’rereallyforselfishreasoning.Healsousesthetemptress torepresentsomeonetryingtoholdhimbackfrompursuing his“dream,”notlettinghimdothenextstepandtempting himtogiveupandfallout.

JohnLegend,“SoGone”

YandellJohnson

IMAGERY

TheNotoriousB.I.Gusesimagerytotryandshowthe listenersthroughsomeofhispersonalexperiences.Biggie Smallsmentionsmanystrugglesinhisverses,suchasin thesecondverse,wherehementionssomeofthethings heusedtodo.Hesays,“IusedtoreadWordUp! Magazine.Salt-n-PepaandHeavyDupinthelimousine. Hangin'picturesonmywall.EverySaturdayRapAttack, Mr.Magic,MarleyMarl.Iletmytaperock'tilmytape popped.Smokin'weedinBambú,sippin'onPrivate Stock.Wayback,whenIhadtheredandblack lumberjack.Withthehattomatch”(7-12).Inthisverse, hegivesusvisualimagerywithlinesabouttheclothinghe wears,orwhathe'sdrinking.Healsoshowssomeactions likewhenhesayshehungpicturesonhiswalls.This imageryisusedtocompareandcontrasthispasttohis present,byshowingusthingshedidinthepast,andlater comparingitinthefutureofthesong.

TheNotoriousB.I.G“Juicy”

EddieLocano

MichealJacksonusesalotofimageryinthesongtoallowthe audiencetoimaginehowtheunderprivilegedfeelwhentheyare disregarded by the upper classes. In the third verse he makes multiple references to imagery on different objects and people thatsomeonemaybeabletoimaginewhatthislooksandfeels like and what it means. He says “A summer's disregard, A brokenbottletop,Andaoneman'ssoul”.(12-14)Intheselines hesaysthese3differentthings.Hereisanexampleof2herefers to. "A summer's disregard” indicates that during the summertimeeveryoneisdoingwhattheywanttodo,inother words,theycanbecomealittleselfishanddisregardothersand their needs.“A broken bottle top” can be interpreted as when someone litters. If they throw it on the street, they are also disregardingothers.Peopleandanimalswalkonthestreetsand either could step on or touch something sharp and cut themselves.Peoplewhocan'taffordfoodmayhavetoeatfroma trash can, depending on what it is, it could harm them or potentiallykillthem.

MichealJackson“ManInTheMirror”

SavionStech

InYourPower,Eilishindicatesthatshefeltmanipulated, andgesturestowardstheactofbeingtakenadvantageof throughimagery.Eilishshowsthisinmorewaysthanone, butoneofthemostmemorableandstrikinglinesiswhen sheattests“IthoughtIwasspecial,youmademefeellikeit wasmyfaultyouwerethedevil,thatyoulostyourappeal.” (19-20)Notingshethoughtshewasimportanttothis person,wheninrealityitwasjustexploitationthrough beinggroomed.Addingwhenshelostinterestinthe exploiter,hemadeherfeelbadaboutinferringthathe manipulatedEilish.Shethengoesontoquestionthe exploitersactionsandaskiftheywouldonlyfeelbadin certainsituations.Eilishinferstheexploiterdoesn’t genuinelyhaveremorse.Thisgoesontoshowthathe wouldonlyfeelbadwhenothersfindout.

BillieEilish“YourPower”

KaylaFodor

Cole’suseofimageryhelpsthelistenerunderstandthis storyandimaginethehardanddetailedmomentshe describes.Thisversespeaksabouthowheoncehadagleam inhiseyeswhenhewasyoungerbeforeitgotruinedby harshreality.ButDaddyhaddreamsonce,myeyeshada gleamonceInnocencedisappearedbytheageofeightyears

MyPopsshotup,drug-relatedMamaaddicted(66-68) Jamesstruggledwithnothavingastablelifeandthehope heoncehadcamecrashingdown.Hisparentswereboth absenthisfatherdealingdrugsandhismomaddictedto them.James'parentsunfortunatelypassedawayandhis grandmahadtotakecustodyofhimintheprojects.He wasraisedaroundtheinfluencesofthugsandgang violence.Bythetimehewas19,hisgirlfriendgotpregnant withhisdaughterwhohenamedNina.

J.Cole“4youreyezonly”

AnalizMendoza

Henry also uses imagery in this poem to express his feelingbetter."Darknesssettlesonroofsandwalls.”(810).Hestatesinstanza2.Thismakesmethinkabouta dark room, closed up, and somewhere where people just break down and think through the stuff they’ve beenthrough.Anotherexampleiswhenhesays,“The little waves, with their soft, white hands, efface the footprintsinthesands.”(8-10).WiththisIthinkabout the sea moving smoothly, small waves going through arefeetwhenstandingonthesand.

HenryLongfellow“Thetiderises,thetidefalls”

MireyaBrito

Lordeusesimageryinthefirstverseandinthepre-chorus ofthesong,toproveherpointabouteveryonewantinga lifeofluxuryorisfromthatlifeandthatshedoesn'twant tobeapartofthiskindoflife.Inthefirstlineofthesong shestatesthatshehasneverseenadiamondringinperson butshecutsherteethwithweddingrings.”I'veneverseen adiamondintheflesh/Icutmyteethonweddingringsin themovies”(2).

Inthesetwolines,Lordewritesaboutadiamond,a preciousstoneconsistingofaclearandcolorlesscrystalline formofpurecarbon,andbysayingthatshehasneverseen adiamondinherlifebutshecutsherteethwithwedding ringssaysthatshedoesn'thaveadiamondringandshe doesn'tcareaboutthepriceofanringshedoesn'twant.A furtherpossibility,sinceLordeestablishestheimageryin thesongs'pre-chorus,istoreinforcetheideathatsheand herfriendsdon'twantaluxuriouslifebecausemoney bringstrouble.Shealludestomanytypesofluxuriessuch asjewelry,petsandtraveldestinations.“Buteverybody's likeCristal,Maybach,diamondsonyourtimepiece/ Jetplanes,islands,tigersonagoldleash”(11).Inthesetwo lines,Lordewritesabouttigersaspets.Thepriceofatiger cubrangesfrom$7,500to$900,0,andinsayingthat peoplewillpaythatmuchforapettohaveahappylife, accordingtosociety'sstandards.She'salsosayingthatshe andherfriends,ornotaboutthatlifeoftravelingand payingthousandsofdollarsforananimal.

Lorde“Royals”

MayaFulton

REPETITION REPETITION REPETITION

KendrickLamarusesrepetitionforthechorusofthesongto reinforcethatnomatterhowracisttheycanbe,thatblack peoplewillgetthroughit.Herepeatsthismultipletimesand saysitlikehe'sconfidentinthisstatementandissureofthe future.“Nigga,wegon'beAlright/Nigga,wegon'be Alright/Wegon'beAlright//Wegon'beAlright”(8-10). In theselineshe'sreferringtohowthepast,present,andfuturedo notaffectwhatblackpeoplecando.Heexpresseshisfeelingof optimismthroughoutthesong,despitethestrugglesinthepast orpresent.Hisfriends,family,andeveryoneintheblack communityaregoingtobe"alright"includinghimself.He repeatsthismultipletimesthroughoutthesongsothatpeople canrelatetohim.Hespreadsawarenessaboutracismand unequalities.

KendrickLamar,“Alright”

TimelRichardson

BigSeanusesthewritingmethodof"repetition".Inthechorus of"OneManCanChangeTheWorld"hetalksaboutsomething thatusedtobesaidtohimthatwastoldbyhisGrandma.Atthe startofthesonghestateswhattheyusedtotellhim,then proceedstosaywhattheysaidtohim.BigSeansings,“Theyused totellme,Ihopeyoulearntomakeitonyourown,Andifyou loveyourselfjustknowyou'llneverbealone,Ihopethatyouget everythingyouwantandthatyouchose,Ihopethatit'sthe realestthingthatyoueverknow”(1-5).Thelinesarewordsof encouragementfromhisGrandma.Shespokewordsofhope thatBigSeanwouldbecomeastar.Thewordsfromhis Grandmaareprobablythereasonwhyhewantedtoachieve greatness,thereasonwhyhestartedmakingmusic.Wordsof motivationtogethimthroughlife.

BigSean “OneManCanChangetheWorld”

CameronChanthala

JohnMurillomentionshowthepoemshowshow3 peoplewereshotinbrooklynoveraminorincident. Thisincidentcouldhavebeeneasilysolved,butit endedupinabrutalmassshooting.Themanresisted awayfromthecopsandinsteadchoseviolence.This poemshowshowcrimecanturninferiorandharsh quick.Theauthorusesanumberousamountsof figurativelanguagetoenhancethepoemandmotivate thereaderandmakethemfeelmoreintriguedinto readingthepoem.Thispoemalsohastohaveagood hooktohookthereader,youdon'twantthepoemtobe boringandconfusing,thispoemmentionsthatthere wasashootinginNewYorkwherethesettingofthis poemtakesplace.

JohnMurillo“FromARefusaltoMournthe Deaths,byGunfire,ofThreeMeninBrooklyn“

Stevie Martin

PODER DE LAS PALABRAS

POWER OF WORDS

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2

SPRING 2024