COVID-19 couldn’t keep the House of Pride and Equality (HOPE) from hosting its annual Santa Maria Pride festivities—albeit online through Facebook Live and Twitch in place of traditional gatherings this year.
“It’s the government, they’re after me!” California-based poet and activist Yosimar Reyes said for levity’s sake after some moments of technical difficulty during HOPE’s virtual Poetry Night, which streamed live on Friday, June 26.
Reyes, named by The Advocate in its list of 13 LGBT Latinos Changing the World, was the event’s featured guest speaker. The livestream also showcased multiple readings, in both English and Spanish, from Central Coast-based poets. Translator Jennie Morales joined in on each segment to interpret the readings in ASL.
After reading a variety of his own nationally acclaimed poetry, Reyes took part in a very insightful Q-and-A session (viewers were encouraged to comment with their own questions for Reyes during the stream). Born in Guerrero, Mexico, and raised in San Jose, Reyes once received an Undocupoets Fellowship—an annual grant given out to poets who are currently or were formerly undocumented in the U.S.—for his works, which usually explore themes of migration and sexuality.
Reyes’ poems have been published in various collections over the years, including Mariposas: An Anthology of Queer Modern Latino Poetry and Aztlan: Chicano Male Recollections of Consciousness and Coming Out. New works by Reyes will appear in the upcoming publication Joto: An Anthology of Queer Xicano and Chicano Poetry.
One question that arose during Reyes’ Q-and-A was what pieces of advice would he give to aspiring poets, specifically to those in the Santa Maria Valley that might feel they could easily become “lost in the mix,” compared to poets from larger cities.
“Own the place,” Reyes said, encouraging poets to embrace the places they’ve grown up in, rather than create separate realities in their work. Reyes is also well known for exploring his upbringing in San Jose in his poetry.
“Tap into the special nuances and cultural references in your area,” he said. “Own your experience.”
HOPE’s Poetry Night was one of several other Santa Maria Pride events live and online for free this year, including its annual Drag Show, virtual for the first time this year. Central Coast-based performers Santanico and Juicy CW co-hosted the event (through Facebook and Twitch), on Wednesday, June 24.
The duo glamorously performed a fun, eclectic blend (from Broadway staples to modern pop hits) of dance and lip sync numbers along with guests C.C. Candypepper, Foxy Moron, and Nala Diamond. Tips were accepted but not required during the livestream. Viewers who could not tip but still wanted to show their support were encouraged to “tip with compliments” in the comment section.
The performers also provided back-and-forth commentary with each other in between segments in a Zoom/Facetime style. Memorable banter included, “COVID-19 couldn’t stop us; she tried, but she could not prevail,” and, “they call it a crop top because if it was any lower, you’d have to crop it out.”
Tip compliments and/or suggestions to Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood at cwiseblood@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jul 2-9, 2020.