Staff Inside
06 Emotoción
Historia por Sofia Sierra Fotografía por SalmaPaola Baca
English: Moto-Thrill
10 The Rhythm Resistance
Story by Marco Hinojosa
Photography by Iziah Moreno
Español: La Resistencia del Ritmo
14 Rise & Grind
Story by Vianah Vasquez
Photography by SalmaPaola Baca
Español: Despierta y Dale
19 Remember My Words
Story by Rumi Sevilla
Photography by Dominique Macias
Español: Recuerda Mis Palabras
Staff
On The Cover TheWorlds Within Issue
by Iziah Moreno
Director
Veronica Gonzalez
Assistant Director/Editorial Adviser
Crystal Hinga
Accounting Specialist
Isabel Castillo
Administrative Associate
Amy Ontiveros-Bocanegra
Spanish Translations Edited by Diego Cruz-Castruita
Minero Magazine is published by UTEP students through the department of Student Media and Publications. It is published once every fall and spring semester. The magazine is not responsible for any claims made by our advertisers. Additional policy information may be obtained by calling Student Media and Publications at (915) 747 - 5161. Views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the University.
Vianah Vasqu
Sevilla
ola Baca
Sofa Sierra
Photo
From the Editor,
Marco Hinojosa, Editor-in-Chief
In this issue of Minero Magazine, my intention was to shine light on our city’s countless hidden worlds –vibrant, resilient and quietly thriving. In a time when community matters more than ever, I wanted to recognize the people and spaces that go unnoticed.
We begin by riding alongside a unique subculture, a fearless group of female bikers. Not just navigating the open road – these women are carving space for empowerment, independence and uplifting communities.
Next, we explore the pulse of El Paso’s nightlife – the liberating, healing power of music. Through the eyes of local DJs, we witness how intentional soundscapes bring people together, uniting strangers on the dance floor and in spirit.
We then shift the focus to El Paso’s entrepreneurs – individuals who have built their dreams from the ground up. With grit and vision, they remind us of the hustle, heart and hope it takes to create something that lasts.
Finally, we close the magazine with the raw voices of local poets – artists who are often misunderstood yet courageously pour their lived truths into verse. Their words are bridges, inviting us to listen more deeply.
This magazine is a love letter to El Paso, to the dreamers, the doers, and the daring. To those who see beauty in the everyday and strive for something meaningful. To the artists, entrepreneurs and storytellers who show us the world through their unique lens.
I would like to thank my dedicated and passionate team. What started as a vision came to life because of each one of you. Huge thanks to Iziah, Salma, Dom and Gael for making the magazine visually captivating. Thank you, Rumi, Vianah and Sofia for flourishing these articles into works of art.
This issue is for anyone who believes in the power of place, voice and connection. As you turn these pages, I invite you to enter these worlds with an open heart and mind. Let the stories you find here stir something in you – to question, to create, and to connect more deeply with the people around you.
Las mujeres motociclistas abren camino a la conexión y la comunidad
Historia por Sofia Sierra Fotografía por SalmaPaola Baca
Es el agarre firme del manillar mientras el viento golpea más fuerte. Es el olor de las llantas quemadas que te llena la nariz. Es el rugido del motor al alcanzar velocidades mas altas: para los motociclistas, estas sensaciones son lo que la adrenalina de conducir puede provocar.
Emoción es la palabra que Janeth Edwards usa cuando habla de sus experiencias conduciendo motocicletas.
Empezó a manejar en su juventud por la influencia de su padre, un profesional de motocross en México, y era un entorno del que nunca podría alejarse.
El padre de Edwards compró motocicletas para ella y sus hermanas para continuar con la tradición del motociclismo; sin embargo, sólo Edwards se mantuvo fiel al deporte gracias a su talento.
Con 20 años de experiencia, las motocicletas son una parte importante de su vida. Edwards tiene una colección de motocicletas, en ellas incluyendo varios cuatrimotos, y una moto Kawasaki 400 y una Yamaha YZF-R1.
Su pasión por las motocicletas la llevó a involucrarse con grupos en El Paso. Dijo que a veces, por ser mujer, otros motociclistas hombres creaban un ambiente incómodo.
“Estaba cansada de juntarme con hombres; siempre me coqueteaban”, Edwards dijo. “Solo quería tener amigas”.
El deseo de tener amigas inspiró a Edwards a fundar “Biker Chicks” en el año 2013 en El Paso. El grupo, reconocido
por “El Paso Motorcycle Coalition”, tiene la misión de impulsar a las chicas que les gustan andar en motocicletas, y, al mismo tiempo, recaudar fondos para diferentes personas y caridades.
Por los 10 años que el grupo se mantuvo activo, Edwards siente una gran gratificación por el compañerismo que se respiraba.
“Fuimos hasta Hawái porque un grupo de mujeres quería establecer un Biker Chicks”, Edwards dijo. “Hicimos muchas cosas en esos diez años; todo fue una experiencia. Casi todos los fines de semana había una o dos actividades, y se siente muy bien poder ayudar a alguien”.
Y ese sentido de comunidad entre las motociclistas de El Paso las impulsa a apoyarse mutuamente. Por ejemplo, Edwards chocó recientemente su Yamaha YZF-R1.
“Iba manejando por la calle y una mujer se me cruzó por delante, sin poner atención”, Edwards dijo. “Ni siquiera tuve oportunidad de frenar y choqué con la parte delantera de su carro, salí volando de la moto”.
Describió haber salido volando unos 16 metros – pero escapó con heridas leves. Edwards dijo que sólo sufrió heridas en la uña de su dedo, costillas y el pie izquierdo, pero no sufrió fracturas.
Arriesgando su vida, Edwards dijo que muchos parte de “El Paso Motorcycle Coalition” la contactaron para preguntarle si estaba bien, demostrando la gran fuerza de la comunidad.
La devoción de Edwards por las motocicletas la llevó a volver a subir de nuevo su moto a pesar del accidente, y con 39 años, Edwards todavía maneja con frecuencia.
Ahora, Edwards se enfoca en las carreras de motos. Después de cinco años compitiendo, tiene el título de la mujer más rápida de la región sureste.
“Me encantan las carreras de motos; esa es mi adrenalina”, Edwards dijo. “Es toda una experiencia: vas, te quedas el fin de semana, los sábados son para practicar, luego cocinas y pasas el rato con los demás motociclistas, y el domingo es para competir”.
El peligro y la emoción van de la mano con los motociclistas, y esta es la razón por la que la exmotociclista Teresa García empezó.
“Tenía amigos que andaban en moto y yo iba con ellos como pasajera. Iba con ellos en las noches y a eventos de motociclismo”, García dijo. “Lo hice durante unos años, y luego decidí comprarme una moto y tomé clases para aprender a manejar”.
Aunque García comenzó simplemente como pasajera en las motos de sus amigos, le encantaba la emoción de conducir una moto, tanto por las altas velocidades como por las otras amistades que hacía.
Mientras García aprendía a conducir, conoció a Edwards, y se unió a las Biker Chicks en 2014, donde conoció a más mujeres motociclistas.
Conduciendo su Yamaha YZF-R6, García dijo que se divirtió mucho conduciendo como participando en las recaudaciones de fondos.
“Hay muchos eventos que benefician a la comunidad, y quiero mencionar que todos en el grupo de motociclistas estamos unidos”, dijo García. “Si algo le pasa a un club o a un motociclista, todos se unen. Todos están dispuestos a donar, dar su tiempo y traer su club”.
[De izquierda a derecha] Adriana Carrillo, Sylvia Valtierrez, Janeth Edwards, Michelle Sapien, y Cynthia Arceo les gusta la adrenalina que conlleva conducir motocicletas.
“Había muy buen compañerismo y generó confianza para las mujeres”, dijo Acevedo. “Había un buen sentido de pertenencia y era una forma de vivir los cuatro pilares de la vida: salud, relaciones, propósito y bienestar emocional”.
Muchos miembros en Biker Chicks, están orgullosas de los diferentes beneficios que da la organizacion y las recaudaciones de fondos en las que participaron. Por ejemplo, otra exmotociclista Amy Acevedo contribuyó a la primera recaudación de fondos del club, “Saving Serenity”.
“Serenity era la hija de mi mejor amiga que tenía leucemia, así que necesitamos mucha ayuda con ella”, dijo Acevedo.
La mejor amiga de Acevedo no estaba involucrada en el mundo de las motocicletas, pero ella se encargó de ayudar a Serenity, y ese apoyo es un tema recurrente entre los motociclistas y la gente de El Paso.
Acevedo ha manejado motocicletas desde 2013, pero dejó de hacerlo en 2022 debido a una vida ajetreada que incluía estudios de posgrado y cuidar a sus hijos. Sin embargo, dijo que guarda buenos recuerdos de viajar en su Suzuki GSX-R600 con otras personas.
A veces, existen vínculos entre los motociclistas y la violencia pandillera que les dan mala reputación. Acevedo comentó que la fuerte conexión de las Biker Chicks con la comunidad hace que quienes no pertenecen a clubs de motociclistas vean más allá de los estereotipos negativos.
“En ‘Biker Chicks of El Paso Motorcycle Club’ nunca tuvimos un estigma negativo porque siempre hicimos mucho trabajo benéfico y ayudamos a la comunidad”, dijo Acevedo. “Así que teníamos una buena reputación, y nunca recibí negatividad, salvo que mi mamá me llamara loca por el peligro”.
A pesar de todo, la emoción, el peligro y el amor que se atribuye a los motociclistas fomentan una gran comunidad en El Paso. Las Biker Chicks, junto con otros grupos de la “El Paso Motorcycle Coalition” difunden positividad entre ellos y la ciudad.
Si bien la valentía es parte integral del nombre de un motociclista, para algunos, vivir al límite significa cultivar la amabilidad hacia la comunidad.
Janeth Edwards comenzó en el mundo del motociclismo gracias a su padre, que es un profesional de motocross en México.
FTranslated by Sofia Sierra
or Biker Chicks of El Paso, biking is a love that bundles thrill and community. The club, which started in 2013, is led by founder Janeth Edwards. Her riding journey started in her youth, as her dad left a legacy as a motocross professional in Mexico.
As she delved into different biking groups, she felt a calling to start a women-only group, to promote diversity amongst the community. Biker Chicks of El Paso mixed the fun of riding with giving back to the community, hosting many charity and fundraiser events across ten years.
Member of Biker Chicks of El Paso, Amy Acevedo said giving back to the community was her favorite part of the club. She led one of their first fundraiser events, “Saving Serenity” to help raise money for her friend’s daughter in her fight against leukemia.
Borderland DJs amplify community and inclusivity through queer nightlife
Story by Marco Hinojosa
Photography by Iziah Moreno
Strobe lights flashing, bass throbbing, moving bodies lost in the rhythm of the beat. For a few hours, nothing else matters, just the music, movement and euphoria – it feels like freedom.
Nightlife can offer a space to surrender to the beat and exist fully, and a DJ’s responsibility is to create an atmosphere that augments the clubbing experience.
For local DJ “DEATHBYNOIZE,” also known as Syn, being a DJ was never just about mixing a track but about fostering communities and curating sonic identities.
Influenced by early 2010’s DJs like “deadmau5,” Syn said he was keen to create an environment where people could enjoy each other’s company, escape through electronic music and most of all, he wanted to create a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community.
“There’s a lot of hateful people out there that don’t want to see us thriving or do good for ourselves and being a queer person, especially in this day and age,” Syn said. “I feel it is super important that we stick together and create a space where we can exist.”
Syn invites listeners – both queer and beyond – to feel the pulse of his music. He encourages them to let go, move with confidence and deeply connect with the music in a way that radiates passion.
Beyond the lights and beats, DEATHBYNOIZE’s sets remind the community that intentionally crafted sound can cut through even the loudest of noise.
On the dance floor, the club transforms into a cultural movement — one where music not only reflects the times but also pushes them forward.
Robert Fernandez, also known as “DJ TOUGHASSPUTA,” began his mixing journey in 2017, drawing inspiration from the underground nightlife scenes of New York City and Chicago.
In these spaces, he saw how nightlife was used as a platform where marginalized communities could express their identities and resist mainstream norms – he aimed to bring that same sense of purpose to El Paso.
“I really wanted to bring that to our passport,” Fernandez said. “We’re a city shaped by so many cultures between the U.S.-Mexico border. There’s so much talent and so many ideas in this city.”
Despite its deep cultural roots, nightlife can be dismissed as shallow or frivolous. Online discourse can paint club culture as a phase to be outgrown. For Fernandez, it’s a space where presence, purpose, and pleasure can all coexist together.
“Nightlife is what you get out of it. For me, the biggest thing is human connection,” Fernandez said. “It is a beautiful thing to feel this bond between people you might not know but still feel the music and that state of euphoria.”
For many marginalized communities, especially for queer, black and brown people, nightlife has never been “just for fun.” It is a space where survival, visibility and joy intersect. Fernandez reminds us that clubs have long doubled as sanctuaries from a world that polices bodies and minimizes oppression.
To construct a stronger force of inclusion and community, DJ TOUGHASSPUTA and DEATHBYNOIZE have collaborated on an official branded series called “C*NT INCORPORATED.” With
only two shows so far this year, these local DJ’s have brought talent from Austin, in hopes of growing nightlife opportunities in El Paso.
“With C*NT INCORPORATED, I wanted to connect El Paso to other regions in Texas because we are so far removed from the bigger cities. C*NT INCORPORATED is about bridging the gap between these communities and really bring El Paso into the larger underground DJ and party scene in Texas,” Fernandez said.
The energy of C*NT INCORPORATED is electric –designed for locals to move together, feel seen and valued. At its core, this branded series isn’t about exclusivity; it is about access.
This is DJ culture; a global movement born from rebellion, creativity, and community. Dance floors became places to reject conformity, embrace liberation and connect without judgement.
In a city that is overlooked on the cultural map, DEATHBYNOIZE and DJ TOUGHASSPUTA continue to build toward a larger goal of fostering connection and helping the borderland thrive in creativity, visibility and sound.
El ambiente del club nocturno, con las luces parpadeantes y el ritmo de la música del DJ que se infiltra en ti, evoca una sensación que muchos podrían buscar como escape de la vida real.
Una actuación de DJ ofrece más que solo música y entretenimiento, puede generar un sentido de comunidad en el club nocturno. Dos DJs de El Paso, DEATHBYNOIZE y DJ TOUGHASSPUTA, no solo mezclan música, sino que también
Traducido por Sofia Sierra
cultivan la conexión humana.
Ambos DJs se enfocan en crear un espacio seguro en la frontera para quienes se identifican con el grupo LGBTIQ+. Una forma de lograrlo es a través de su propia serie, “C*NT INCORPORATED”, donde invitan a DJs de ciudades más grandes para conectar a El Paso con otros.
Con un conjunto de canciones, los DJs pueden empoderar a estos grupos dentro de la vida nocturna, sin miedo a la discriminación.
ALIAS DEATHBYNOIZE AFFILIATION: C*NT INC.
For DEATHBYNOIZE and DJ TOUGHASSPUTA, nightlife is not just entertainment, but a form of empowerment.
ALIAS DJ TOUGHASSPUTA AFFILIATION: C*NT INC.
rise & grind
RISE AND GRIND
Local entrepreneurs cultivate business in the Sun City
Story by Vianah Vasquez
Photography by SalmaPaola Baca
It can be surprising how, amidst a seemingly dry and still desert, life not only exists — but flourishes. In much the same way, the minds of this new generation are thinking bigger, creating careers off their passions, while also proving success doesn’t have to mean leaving home.
Nancy Loya, Jaylene Nguyen and Jacob Duran are three El Pasoans who have proven that locals can cultivate purpose and prosperity right where you are planted.
Lay The Foundation
Success starts from the ground up, and for 21-year-old Jaylene Nguyen, that meant setting herself up with a solid foundation of resilience.
She says after high school, she skipped college, worked 80-hour weeks in fast food, bartended, bounced between Houston and El Paso, saving money while still feeling stuck and unsure. “There’s this stigma that if you don’t go to college, you’ll get lost. And for a while, I did,” she said.
Nancy Loya, 28, turned a pandemic plant hobby into a local plant shop.
Nguyen says everything shifted, flipping her entire life upside down until she reached out to a local realtor, curious about the field.
“I took a shot in the dark, I didn’t know a thing about real estate, I didn’t know anything about professionalism, loans, I barely knew about credit cards.” she said, “I’ve learned the importance and technicalities of financial literacy, and try to pass it on to all my clients.”
A year into her business, she’s helped dozens of families, stays connected with clients, maintains daily posts on her social media and does a lot of doorknocking. She described El Paso as the best place to promote because of the welcoming community.
“I really like how El Paso is as a community. We’re small, so people are always willing to help.” Nguyen said. “Real estate has taught me so much. It’s not just about selling homes; it’s about helping people achieve their dreams.”
She proves that every hardship she faced simply prepared her for this career.
“If you have genuine curiosity for something and feel that gravitation towards it, just go for it,” she says.
Plant The Seed
At 28, Nancy Loya has fostered more than just a business—she’s growing a community. La Planta, her vibrant, plant-filled oasis, isn’t just about selling plants, candles, music, and local art— it’s a space where visitors leave with knowledge and a deeper love for plants.
Loya’s path to entrepreneurship was anything but expected. Studying to become a physician, the science lab was where Loya was introduced to botany.
“I was in a lab, we were growing beans in a mason jar, and I fell in love. I [thought] wow, I can’t believe I just grew that,” Loya said.
When the pandemic hit, Loya’s job at a clinic was put on pause, leaving her alone to “nerd out” with the plants, before a friend encouraged her to start her own business.
“If I ever considered it, it would’ve been for the creative aspect of it. But I kept flirting with the idea. It really didn’t happen till I gave it a name,” she said.
La Planta began as a plant shipping and instruction service, stretching from El Paso to California, Chicago and more. She aims for her customers to have that “aha” moment when it comes to growing their own resources and plants, just like she did.
Loya has never considered leaving El Paso for her business. Born in Juarez, raised in Deming, and living in El Paso for over 10 years now, she explains, “I’m
very proud to have opened my business in El Paso. It’s a genuine connection, La Planta is fronteresa.”
While Nguyen and Loya continue to nurture their businesses, Jacob Duran represents what is possible when that seed is grown.
Watch It Grow
For Jacob Duran, 29, barbering began when he was 12 years old while hanging around the shop his uncle worked at.
Duran says his curiosity took over, and he started working on his first clients— his cousin and close friends.
When Duran entered high school, he became known as the barber, cutting his classmates’ hair for free before charging two dollars “for lunch money,” he joked. He entered the school’s cosmetology program, initially interested solely in women’s haircuts and color.
He says a new barbershop opened across the street from his school and they took him in.
“I just walked in there and asked if I could work there,” he said. “I had kind of a drive to be successful; I have always had some sort of desire for that.”
As high school came to an end, Duran says he felt pressured to choose the “right” path — and made a few mistakes. He dropped out of the school’s cosmetology program; feeling that it wouldn’t apply to his barber goals.
“That was probably one of the biggest downfalls I had. At that point, I couldn’t work anywhere,” Duran said.
Determined, Duran took a job at T-Mobile to save for barber school, which cost $28,000.
Jaylene Nguyen, 21, took a leap of faith to start her career as a realtor in El Paso.
“[It was] just enough to get me on my feet and allow me to pursue what I really wanted to pursue,” Duran said.
Once licensed, he built his clientele from the ground up. He was full throttle with his passion shining through every client he met.
“You’re going to get stopped sometimes, but you’ve got to keep going, and don’t fold over, don’t give up,” Duran said.
Now, with nearly two decades of experience, Duran has fostered a trustworthy community, a reputation, and a brand for himself. He credits his success to consistency and patience.
“I wasn’t a successful barber at 12, I wasn’t at 18, it took me until about 21 to actually begin to build a solid clientele,” Duran said. “Where I could say, ‘I am okay now.’”
And his story is one that he got to dream of right here in El Paso.
Rooted In Community
Jaylene, Nancy and Jacob each followed different paths, but they share a common denominator – they built their foundation, planted their seed and nurtured their own growth right here in the Sun City.
For those chasing their own dreams, these three entrepreneurs prove that sometimes, the best place to grow is where you are.
Jacob Duran, 29, built his barbering career from amateur middle school haircuts into a professional trusted brand.
Traducido por Sofia Sierra
EN BREVEbreve en
El desierto a veces da la impresión de que nada prospera. En El Paso, la fuga de talentos puede frenar la esperanza de encontrar trabajo o emprender un negocio. Pero quienes siembran la semilla del emprendimiento pueden cosechar el éxito con trabajo duro y determinación.
Por ejemplo, Jaylene Nguyen tiene apenas 21 años, pero su camino ya la ha llevado por diferentes caminos. Al graduarse de la secundaria, decidió no ir a la universidad y, en cambio, trabajó intensamente entre Houston y El Paso. Pero una llamada en el negocio de bienes raíces, la hizo cambiar de opinión. Ahora, ha ayudado a 30 familias a encontrar un hogar en El Paso.
Emprendedores como Nguyen afirman que la comunidad de El Paso es una gran ayuda para apoyar a las empresas. Y aunque muchos piensan que la fuga de cerebros se extiende a la ciudad, no es necesario dejar El Paso para alcanzar el éxito.
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Gen Z poets navigate emotional landscapes through writing
Story by Rumi Sevilla
Nationally, El Paso is often defined by its border headlines more than it is by its creative pulse. Headlines are inundated with the death toll of migrants, militarization of the border, and violence coming in from Mexico, that to outsiders, paints the city as a no man’s land, however this is just one side of the story.
Two emerging femme voices, Kyleen Salais and Jimena Esqueda, use their words to remind us that El Paso — continues to produce talent that echoes across the nation.
From the page to the mic, these Gen Z poets turn their vulnerabilities into spaces to confront, heal, and honor their truths; transforming their individual testimonies into a community act.
Kyleen Salais (left) and Jimena Esqueda (right) are just two examples of the emerging voices in El Paso’s writing scene.
Photography by Dominique Macias
kyleenSalais
After her move to the U.S. from Juárez, it was Kyleen Salais’s firstgrade English teacher that encouraged her to write daily, a practice that built Salais’s confidence in both speaking and writing in English.
By the time she entered middle school, writing became central to how Salais’s younger self found solace in a world that became heavy.
Scribbling across her pages— which she described as half stream of consciousness and half grasping for clarity in undefinable feelings— Salais began to find her voice.
Before entering college, Salais realized her writing deserved to live a life larger than inside the pages of her journals.
Through the encouragement of her teachers and peers, she began immersing herself in the poetry scene, attending workshops, participating in poetry competitions, and performing at open mic events.
Poetry, Salais says, became her lifeline and it remains her constant refuge — a space where she can give voice to the things that live closest to her heart: what it feels like to be a daughter of immigrants, what it means to carry the weight of generational trauma, and what it feels like to be a woman in a world where the course of your life is often drawn out for you.
As an outspoken child, Salais said that her parents encouraged her early on to pursue a career in the legal field. While she gravitated towards writing, she worried what its pursuit would mean for her in a society that often dismisses artistic professions as unstable.
“My mom really wanted me to become a lawyer,” Salais said. “I told myself; I’ll do it. But I wasn’t writing as much, and I realized I was keeping more to myself at the expense of not doing what I knew I needed to do.”
Despite her mother’s initial hopes for her, Salais’ drive and passion for writing spoke for itself, quickly turnig her family into her number one advocates.
“I remember my mom cried when I read her my poem, On Impregnation,” Salais said.
The poem, a raw free-verse piece, explores the helplessness of womanhood — the weight of societal expectations and the haunting question: What if I pass this on to my daughter? Will she be doomed to the same fate?
“This whole journey, especially with the political climate right now, has made me feel helpless. So recently I’ve been writing a lot about that,” Salais said.
For Salais, poetry is not just about suffering, but it is also an opportunity to heal collectively.
“To be an artist, to be a poet,” she said. “You have to be an open wound sometimes. But that’s how we heal.”
...i followed the muddy footsteps you so delicately left for me to find i had the memory of your face imprinted on my forehead hoping that if we came across one another you’d recognize the presence of mine…
JimenaEsqueda
This willingness to be vulnerable and let the wounds heal and breathe in the open, pours over into the work of another El Paso writer, Jimena Esqueda. For the 22-year-old, poetry became more than just artistic expression; it became an act of reclaiming her narrative from the grips of childhood trauma.
“I want people to know that someone else in the universe has felt the same way as they have,” Esqueda says. “That no matter what happens, no matter how temporary pain or joy may be, we can live through it.”
Poetry became especially vital when Esqueda’s father passed away.
“I had to come to terms with the fact that although my dad wasn’t the best person, he was still my dad. So, a lot of my work has been yearning for what I could’ve had as a child and what I went through with my siblings,” she said.
As Esqueda’s writing continued, she discovered her true power in spoken word poetry, performing at her first open mic event in high school.
Esqueda’s voice – raw, electric, and unapologetic – found its identity at platforms like Barbed Wire Open Mics. One of her pieces, Feminine Rage // Gratitude, allows readers to be witness to her exploration of identity and healing through poetry.
Her work explores themes of memory, grief and love — her father who was both absent and present in her life, the landscapes that remind her of home, and moments with her girlfriend.
“There are stories from my childhood, things I went through, that I am still trying to come to terms with,” Esqueda said. “As I write more about them, I have control over them. The story doesn’t control me anymore. It’s my own narrative for once.”
Excerpt from Feminine Rage // Gratitude by Jimena Esqueda.
Redfining The frontera
“The appeal of something secret and something sacred is exactly what El Paso is,” Salais says. “Every time I think about leaving, I remember that.”
Through their words, Esqueda and Salais challenge the existing narratives of the frontera. They remind us that El Paso — the liminal space between two sister nations, where languages dance between English and Spanish, and where art dismisses any man-drawn border — is not just a backdrop for sensationalist headlines, but fertile ground for artists who dare voice their truths.
...a sudden womb carried me and the earth, spit out me and the animals that are hairy. we were crowded, starved; we carved our shadows out of
the
Traducido por Sofia Sierra
breveEn
La ciudad de El Paso en veces es reconocido a nivel nacional por sus problemas fronterizos, ya sean las muertes de migrantes o la violencia proveniente de México. Sin embargo, esta perspectiva solo muestra un ángulo de la dinámica cultura de la ciudad.
El Paso cultiva muchos artistas como escritores y poetas que narran sus historias en papel para que toda la comunidad las escuche. Kyleen Salais, una poeta, comenzó a escribir poesía al ingresar a la secundaria. Ella dijo que sus emociones se reflejan en su voz en las páginas, y que se convirtió en un lugar donde podría refugiarse.
Jimena Esqueda, otra poeta, escribe sobre su trauma como una forma de afrontarlo. Ella dijo que sus poemas incluyen temas de memoria, dolor y amor en las diferentes relaciones que ha tenido en su vida.
Con sus palabras, Salais y Esqueda dan voz a su creatividad, mostrando el impacto positivo de la frontera.
walls of a heavy net/womb that birthed out creation something genesis could not say a woman made...
Excerpt from On Impregnation by Kyleen Salais.
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