Barrio Writers

Streetlight Villain by Daniel Farias

2011-10-06T19:39:00.000-07:00

We   are glad to finally provide a new BW blog post! We had a busy 2011   with two Summer programs running (Santa Ana, CA and Austin, TX) but we   are still trying hard to keep up with our website and upcoming books! Next   update will include a re-vamped website and information on our   upcoming publications of Barrio Writers 2nd and 3rd Editions! We are   very proud to publish Daniel's following piece, enjoy and please give us   your feedback!

Daniel Farias, Summer 2009
& 2010 Barrio Writer

Daniel Farias was born on January 23, 1993 to Mexican immigrant parents. He graduated from Rancho Alamitos High School in 2011 and currently goes to Fullerton College. He’s older than he once was and younger than he’ll be and that’s not unusual. At the moment he’s lost, but in a couple of years he hopes he’ll have the joy to read this and laugh, not out of self-deprecation, but just to see how far he’s come along.

Streetlight Villain

There is a siren that sounds when the sun goes down and twilight turns the clouds a shade of peach and Venus sparkles just above the horizon like any other star so close so close yet so far out of reach

It all calls for you beckons you to come hither out of your shell to bear witness to the heavenly panorama it leads you out by the hand like an infant and you see Venus in all its glory the brightest mote in a spectrum of violets and blues

The sight of the planet makes you giddy the butterflies flee from your mouth and float off into the vast expanse their color the same as the clouds and immediately you remember them and their presence overshadows that of the celestial body

The great canvas in the sky is only temporary though the clouds lose their hue the blood leaves their cheeks and they turn mortal gray the light recedes over the horizon and the world grows dark

But vision and security is quickly spared the iron stocks that jut from the concrete they glow dutifully the night itself has ushered in the reign of the streetlights

The phoenix or Jesus Christ dies over the horizon the streetlights spread asunder their stark, stale uniformity upon the walks and roads and a path is lit for you

It is recommended you do not take it but its there for your convenience you cannot resist it there is something about the void that makes the blood boil in you cheeks and your fingers tingle

You do not know what fiends are out there and what schemes they are concocting in the shadows and the nooks at that moment a fifty-six year old howl echoes through the night the abyss stares back but what exactly is the abyss disregard it buy the ticket take the ride why not wander

Step on to the orange path start your stroll your eyes our drawn down you think of what was you grab the roots and you trace yourself to your notch on the trunk

You are now at what is before you are cookie cutter houses with sloping roofs and lanterns in their driveways in each one of them a neon bible a box of farces to make your eyes milky and to roast your senses

Ahead is an elementary school on the wall of the cafeteria there is stale, stark uniformity engulfing the school you don’t like it

You look up at what can be there are few stars and among them gargantuan figures watchtowers and mountains and every other step these figures are interrupted by none other than the pervasive streetlights

What makes these things glow they hurt your eyes can’t take too much of it so you look past it at the stars and the figures larger than life

Your face is strained your vision is squinted and there’s a grimace on your mouth you try to look into what’s in front of you and past what’s above you it’s embattling and it takes its toll and it claims a casualty not you thankfully but the streetlight it goes out

You curtail your steps your eyes perk wide open and you lift your hands absurdly and with the greatest conviction and the greatest sense of victory you yell out triumphantly “You went out just for me”

Then the déjà vu hits you don’t remember where it’s from maybe it was a foreboding dream or an ominous hallucination but it was clear

Four streetlights and one bad bad being shattering all of them as he went on towards you you felt the adrenaline surge and your heart beat increase and when he or she got to the fourth there was darkness and nothing more

You can’t explain it it’s hard difficult but you feel it you have now been christened you are like him or her congratulations you are a streetlight villain

Not an unfortunate thug with unfortunate intentions but a ramblin’ shamblin’ man looking for that lost highway

You take after the weeds that bounce on the gritty grains of sand from the ole lands of the boundless and the bounties of lonesomeness where it was accepted and romanticized and reigned supreme

There’s depth to you you value your bottomless pit you suck everything inside and it never really leaves does it it haunts you and people can see it they don’t cross the street in the dark to avoid you because of your hulking figure no they do it because you speak in riddles, stutters, gibberish, garbles, and literary devices

Your hands are still spread out foolishly you can see now see the stars and they’re beautiful “We need to go out there” you say you point “You want your energy there it is”

And you decree “I’ll take everyone, anyone willing to come we’ll cruise around the stars, play chicken with black holes look for homeostasis organization metabolism growth adaptation response to stimuli and reproduction and we’ll venture create and expand I’ll take them all I’ll take them all around the fucking universe”

So streetlight villains move it forward the mountains have crumbled to the see but there’s a man who may have proved this is the land of the free theses events define you and you must learn from them

You may smoke the crackpot from pipe dream but you’re working on it the goal is to make the grand realistic but you got to get a move on you can’t spend your time tracing the drinking gorge you got to give them a reason you got to give a reason for those streetlights to go out

Guest Submission by Matt!

2011-01-10T19:00:00.000-08:00

Born in one of the harshest places in the nation, he’s still comes out on top and that’s what he's planning to do in the hip-hop business. His name is Matthew Antwain Turner but for professional reasons call him Matt.

He was brought into this world on November 10, 1994 and originally from Memphis, Tennessee. Rapping is a way for him to express how he feels about cruel things in this world. Expressing yourself is something he feels every artist should try and do. That's what he intends to do while educating people about the crisis that's happening in the streets. As far as writing, he plans to become an author. His goal is to bring joy and happiness to the global community. He treats all his writing as a way to connect to every individual. It’s his little own social network!

Currently, Matt is a sophomore in high school and a member of the Thurmond Heights Community.

Crusade

Compassion in my outer shell, anger in my heart.

No matter how hard I try, things always fall apart.

Darkness taking its toll, it’s sneaking up on me.

Is reality fantasy or fantasy reality?

I speak from my soul, there’s no holding back.

Have you ever understood the true meaning of a heart attack?

Demons within are starting to get strong.

There power overwhelms me even as I preach this song.

My whole life I’ve tried to become a savior.

But I always get the opposite later.

Maybe I should pray and talk to the Greater.

Maybe he could contradict my behavior.

The true enemy in life is the weak mind.

Blaming others for their faults but in reality they’re blind.

Father I’m sorry for your explicit loss.

If this is how the world is then crucify me on the cross.

Emotionally drained from my emotional labor.

Soon to go extinct, like the legendary saber.

Talk your talk everyday and say you getting played.

I tried to help you and help you become saved.

Why be alive if I can be in peace in a grave.

And maybe I’d be buried next to where my sister is laid.

Perhaps life is no more than a game of charades.

All of us being dictated by this demonic crusade.

Barrio Writers Summer 2010 Video!

2010-10-12T17:04:00.000-07:00

Hello Barrio Writers Friends & Family!

We were extremely too busy over the summer to share pictures and videos regularly, but we did make time to recap our summer for you to view first hand via video and music of all the work we do in 10-weeks! This past summer we also had two new locations!

This is our first video-blog, we plan to document our next summer a lot more! Enjoy!

Music written & composed by Barrio Writer Germayn!

Barrio Writer Lorena Garcia, Guest Speaker at Chapman University!

2010-09-29T13:52:00.000-07:00

It is a great honor to introduce you to Lorena Garcia, she has been with Barrio Writers since June 2009. She published her first piece titled, "Sparky" in the 1st Edition of Barrio Writers in Spring 2010 and participated in Summer 2010 as well. Her new story, "Saving Our Home" will be published in the 2nd Edition of Barrio Writers scheduled to be released Spring of 2011.

Recently, she was invited to be a guest speaker at Chapman University, she presented the following essay alongside keynote speaker Michele Serros, author of "How to be a Chicana Role Model". Her piece, "My Education" was written to provide insight about her life as a high school student and path to obtaining higher education.

Lorena Garcia was born in the city of Santa Ana located in California. She’s fourteen years old and a freshman at Santa Ana High School. Writing has always been part of her life and in fact, English is her strongest subject in school. Other than writing, she enjoys spending time with her friends and family, which consists of three siblings, all older, her parents, her pet dog Mickey, and her bird. In the future, she aspires to become a “New York Times Bestselling Author.”

My Education

      For many people education is something they leave behind without finishing. Sometimes they don’t care or sometimes they don’t have time for it. For me, education is really valuable but living in Santa Ana where the number of high school graduates has been decreasing each year through teenage pregnancy, drugs, or the lack of money, it’s kind of difficult to not get distracted.

      However, I haven’t let that get in my way of pursuing my dreams of finishing high school and going off to community college or even better, a university. Of course, I wouldn’t be where I am right now without the help from my parents who have supported me from the start. Even though they didn’t receive the best education while growing up, they’ve been able to assist me with the supplies and support that I need to be successful in school.

      In my first few weeks of attending Santa Ana High School, I’ve witnessed many students who aren’t interested in school and would rather “ditch” to go hang out with their “friends”. However, I’m certain that this problem is in many schools. I personally think that students who try to run away from their education are running away from their goals as well. They are not only harming themselves, but also harming their future.

      Many kids, who are born here in the United States of America, have a tremendous advantage of getting a great education. However, many take it for granted and let their education slip away. On the other hand, there are others, like my parents, who aren’t born here, and yet they fight everyday to earn a better education, and those are the ones who I call hardworking. My parents didn’t receive the best education possible and didn’t graduate from school, but they’ve taught me the vital facts about finishing school and how everything can be accomplished as long as I set my mind to it.

      For now, my goals are quite straight forward. I’m not only planning on finishing high school with a high grade point average but also receive a scholarship to a university. At this moment, I’m facing one of my toughest phases of life, high school.

      For now, what most students are mainly focused on are their social lives and popularity. They don’t even care how those priorities affect their education. Many think that getting low grades or failing classes are somehow going to make them “cool”. Others laugh when they receive their tests marked with a huge “F” or simply dismiss assignments.

      It’s difficult to not pay attention to those “cool” groups. At times it bothers me that I’m not part of them. But when I put it all aside, I know that once this high school life is over and we move on to the real world, I won’t be seeing ninety-five percent of my peers. Everyone will take different roads and that’s when all the ones who thought education was a waste of time will realize that messing around in school might have made them popular but in the real world it will only make them work twice as hard.

      Sometimes I’m forced to wake up early and go to school on the days I’d rather stay in bed. Those days are hard, but I know at the end of the road I’ll be glad I chose my education and grateful for the long hours my parents have worked to give me the opportunity.

      So what does education mean to me? It means I get to chose to live my dreams. It’s an option everyone should have an opportunity to obtain. It doesn’t matter how old or young we all are or where we come from, we all need an education.

      So next time you see me, I won’t be this young fragile freshmen, instead I’ll be a young woman graduating from a well known university, maybe even from this campus, and on my path to becoming the next New York Times best selling author because along with my education, I have the opportunity to live my dreams.

Join us for our 2nd Annual Barrio Writers Live Reading!

2010-08-20T11:08:00.000-07:00

2nd Annual
Barrio Writers Live Reading!

3-6pm, Saturday, August 28th

Santa Ana Public Library!

It has been a great summer of reading, writing and empowerment! Barrio Writers has grown in the last year, in Summer 2010 we branched out to additional locations!

We hosted our 10-week program at El Centro Cultural de Mexico and Santa Ana Public Library. We also ran 1-week intensive programs at Newhope Library and the East Street Community Renewal Initiative (ESCRI) in Anaheim.

"Our 2nd Annual Barrio Writers Live Reading Festival will unite all writers to present their words to our community! They share their stories with great pride, it is up to us to listen to them. The 2nd Edition Barrio Writers book will include their works, it will be released Spring 2011."

Please join us and invite your friends and families, your presence will continue to empower our youth, new writers and the young leaders of our communities!

Special Thanks to Our Sponsors & 2010 Guest Writers: Calacas on 4th, Mydesign2print, Garden Grove Channel 3, OC Childrens Book Festival, Young Authors Fair, Poets & Writers, Ollin, Sol Art, OC Dream Team, The Road Less Traveled Store, Alan Woo, Karen Cordova, OC Register Journalists: Alejandra Molina & Theresa Cisneros, Gustavo Arellano, David Bueno-Hill, Sandra Lopez, Juan Farias, & Richard T. Rodriguez!

News Update: Barrior Writers Guest Writers & Fundraiser Featuring OLLIN!

2010-08-02T10:06:00.000-07:00

We are in our last month of

2010 Barrio Writers Summer Program!

Join us at all our upcoming events!

We still have three more guest writers visiting us:

August 4th -

Richard T. Rodriguez,

Santa Ana native and author of Next of Kin

Santa Ana Public Library 4-6pm (regular workshop starts at 3pm)

August 7th -

Sandra C. Lopez,

CSUF Graduate and author of Beyond the Gardens

El Centor Cultural de Mexico 1-3pm (regular workshop starts at 12pm)

August 11th -

David Bueno-Hill,

author of I Wasn't Born a Teacher

Santa Ana Public Library 4-6pm (regular workshop starts at 3pm)

August 22nd -

Barrio Writers & SolArt Radio Present: Ollin!!

*$10 donation request - Fundraiser to benefit Barrio Writers & Barrio Actors Guild (dinner not included)

"We need your support to keep on empowering our youth through creative programs that provide pipelines to higher education & cultural arts!"

Join us from 5-10pm at Zócalo (301 N. Tustin Avenue, Santa Ana, CA) for dinner, local music Trio Barrio Writer Joana (accordian), David & Barrio Writer Germayn, DJ Michelle Reyes & our special feature band OLLIN!

"Ollin began with the inspiration of traditional Mexican music. From there, the brothers expanded their musical curiosity and brought other types of folk music into the mix. Irish melodies, Klezmer riffs, German beer polkas, and African syncopations all were introduced and have become a part of the eclectic Ollin sound. Live performances are theatrical, energetic, and with the mixture of many different styles, still well balanced. Their recordings are solid three dimensional stories with lyrical prose that puts you knee deep in their musical barrio."

For more info or to listen to their music, please visit: www.myspace.com/eastlosollin

Testing and Cockroaches by Charlie Days

2010-07-09T16:58:00.000-07:00

Introductions. I’ve never really found the right one. I believe the perfect introduction should be a preview, a foreshadowing summary of what is about to be presented. This unfortunately is my introduction, lame I know, or at least that’s how I feel about it. Now, who am I you may ask? Well I’ll give you this; I am a Barrio Writer, one of the many authors featured in the book that derives its name from the said program. Which Barrio Writer am I?

I’ll never tell!

To put it frankly, I wish to stay anonymous. A name is not needed; what I plan to share with you will be entirely me. I assure you that every facet of my mind, heart, and soul will be intentionally and unintentionally displayed before you here. But if you lovely people do require a name to be put on this phantom, you can call me Days . . . Charles Days. A fitting pseudonym, don’t you think. As I implied, I will be posting sporadically on this blog. Key word here is sporadically. I’m still in school, which means I’m busy most of the time. But I got to keep the creative juices going somehow and summer is around the corner, so expect some serious venting coming your way. We’re going to have fun, trust me.

Yours truly,
Charlie Days

Testing and Cockroaches

Last week I had three days of CST testing. I can say I was glad it was only three days. Back in the old days when I was in elementary school, I had to go though two grueling weeks of testing. It was ten long days of filling in the little circle for the right answer. And being such a neurotic little kid (still kinda am), I had to make sure that no stray marks escaped that damn circle; and if a stray mark did happen to cross the boundary, oh boy. It would take me about an hour to move on to the next problem. I would go through three erasers a day trying to get those atom sized stray marks, seriously it was sad.

These days I don’t really worry about that anymore. I am still meticulous at filling in the circle, but if I get a stray mark, I erase it, immediately forget about it, and move on. I like to think of my reasoning as a proverb; it’s a waste of time trying to erase stray marks that aren’t even there. There, try and get whatever philosophical meaning you can out of that.

Returning from the stray mark tangent- I had to take my CST tests in my 2nd period class. For second period I have Trig and Stats, my favorite . . . not really. My assigned seat is located at the corner of the class. In this corner, my math teacher has, piled up on each other, old poster projects he used have up on the wall. Some still have the tape he used to stick them up there. Going off on another tangent-

Now my school, not for the sake of bad mouthing it but for the sake of telling the truth, is infested with legions of cockroaches. I kid you not, last year for extra credit in my Algebra 2 class I tried to kill about a good fifty of them in my teacher’s cupboard. I attempted everything, moving the box they were hiding behind up against a wall in order to crush them, getting a ruler and trying to cut them in half individually, nothing worked. They would just crunch and then go wriggle behind some small, unreachable crack. The whole experience was quite revolting, considering that I just tried to kill dozens of cockroaches in horrible ways and that I only received some of the badly needed extra credit.

And what in the devil does this have to do with some forgotten posters in a corner? Well I’ll tell you. For some strange reason, whether because they are attracted to it or they walk over it accidently, there are always clumps of cockroaches stuck on the pieces of tape behind the posters. From what I’ve heard and from what I’ve experienced, cockroaches are resilient as hell. They stay there for days, without sustenance, slowly withering away, while they try to pull themselves from the tape.

Their efforts are truly . . . commendable. Though they are doomed, they don’t know it. All they know is that they must fight to survive. It’s so natural and simple and true. They’re lowly creatures but yet they have this innate will to live. In my first day of CST testing, I took the English portion. It had its share of poetry and during one of the testing breaks, I was inspired to immortalize the plight of the cockroach into the aesthetic confines of a poem.

And so here it is, my tribute to the six-legged arthropod.

“Of a Cockroach Stuck on a Piece Tape Behind a Poster Board”

Or simply.

“Ode to a Taped Cockroach”

The poor taped cockroach
Trapped by the adhesiveness of man’s ingenuity
Feels the cold grasp of death encroach

As it shuffles and shambles in futility
Its jet black exoskeleton reflects the fluorescent light
Flashing its distress and anguish for all to see

Compared to God it is a joke, but with all its insect might
It instinctually struggles and strives to break free

So bravo cockroach. Kudos to you and all of your other friends. May the memory of your persistence live on in these lines of words. Life is precious, even if you’re a cockroach stuck on a piece of tape.

Brought to you by a much larger cockroach,
Charlie Days

Welcome Barrio Writers & Barrio Actors Guild Teens & Role Models! Summer 2010 is here!

2010-06-23T22:21:00.000-07:00

Are you ready?

Well, don't worry, we have planned
lots of great things to do!

Barrio Writers & Barrio Actors Guild
provide a safe place for you to write & express yourself freely, find your way to higher education & explore the cultural arts!

Our workshops start June 26, 2010!

Please check out our schedule and locations below:

Barrio Writers & Barrio Actors Guild
Free Workshops scheduled for June 26 - August 25, 2010

*Wednesdays*

Barrio Actors Guild: 12-2pm

Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble

310 W 5th Street (2nd Floor)

Santa Ana, CA 92701

(Corner of 5th & Broadway above El Curtido Restaurant)

Barrio Writers: 3-5pm

Santa Ana Public Library - Teen Center

26 Civic Center Plaza

Santa Ana, California 92701

Phone: 714-647-5264

*Saturdays*

Barrio Writers: 12-2pm

El Centro Cultural de Mexico

310 W 5th Street (2nd Floor)

Santa Ana, CA 92701

(Corner of 5th & Broadway above El Curtido Restaurant)

Barrio Actors Guild: 3:30-5:30pm

El Centro Cultural de Mexico

310 W 5th Street (2nd Floor)

Santa Ana, CA 92701

(Corner of 5th & Broadway above El Curtido Restaurant)

Barrio Writers Live Reading!
Details TBD August 28 or August 29, 2010

Barrio Actors Guild Showcase!
September 3 & 4, 2010
Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble

Barrio Writers on KPFK.org & 1st Barrio Writers Book Signing!!

2010-06-04T09:54:00.000-07:00

Hey World (aka Diary)!

We are making it, we never thought this day would come but it has and there is no limit to what we can do! Let's share the good news, our book is out, yes OUR book! Barrio Writers First Edition is being sold at Calacas on Fourth in Santa Ana, Ca!

Plus, our documentary was recorded by Garden Grove Channel 3 and will air at the end of July! Too cool, eh? Well there's more, we were on the radio with The Mexican! Yep, with Gustavo Arellano on KPFK.org, who would've thought another author from OC would be interviewing us! Life is Awesome!

Anyway, gotta go get ready for this weekend, we have our booksigning and Patchwork Art and Craft Festival this weekend. We listed the details below, just to remind us that we are making it, yes Barrio Writers are here to stay - no I mean, Barrio Writers will continue to grow!

Oh yeah I almost forgot! Along with our 10-week Summer 2010 program in Santa Ana, we will also be having 1-week intensive programs at the Newhope Library, LA, Costa Mesa & East Oakland!! Yep world, it has been good, we can't complain, life as a Barrio Writer is pretty cool. Ok, well gotta go!

Feeling Great!
OC Barrio Writers
barriowriters@gmail.com

Barrio Writers Book Signing & Live Reading!
Date: Saturday, June 5, 2010
Time: 7:00pm - 10:00pm
Location: Calacas on 4th - 324 W 4th St #B, Santa Ana, CA 92701 Tel.714.662.2002

Patchwork Indie Arts and Crafts Festival

Date: Sunday, June 6, 2010
Time: 11:00am - 5:00pm
Location: 2204 NORTH MAIN ST@BUFFALO SANTA ANA CA 92706

KPFK.org Barrio Writers and Gustavo Arellano!

Listen Here! Click Now!

Press on Play Arrow & Turn up volume!

2010-04-30T15:12:00.000-07:00

Germayn, Barrio Writers 2009 Author

Universography

I am.

I become.
I live.

I die.

I was.

Inspiration

Fallen down with eyes wide open

Broken hard, no more words spoken

Hope in time my hand will be taken

Break into my head so I can awaken

Decrypt the few words spilling from my mouth

A spiral view of an earth heading south

Somehow I land on a balanced platform

In the shape of a hug coming from you

And now I stand within a subdued storm

Thin light dims and vibrates the view

The result: a face sculpted from serenity

The perfect remedy for my situation

An invitation from a friendship effigy

Psychology embedded in a carnation

Restoration applied, I have motivation

On my own I will move on

The energy transmitted emitted… Inspiration

Not the Only One

2009-10-11T09:09:00.000-07:00

Carissa Hernandez

Carissa Hernandez was born on April 30,1995 in the city of Orange, California. She is the eldest of two girls. In her early pre-teen years she discovered that she enjoyed writing because it was a way to express herself. She is currently a freshman at Segerstrom High School and Key Club member in Santa Ana, California. Other than writing she enjoys acting, talking and having a good time with friends. Her dreams consist of attending New York or Yale University with goals to become a published author and the best actress in the world.

Pre-reading Questions:

Do you remember your first day of middle school? What did you feel?
How did your life change? How will it change when you go to high school or even college?
Can you imagine what your parents felt your first day of school?
Why do you think they get emotional? What do you think your little brother or sister were thinking?________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Mom’s gonna start crying, watch.” Alexia chuckled into my ear. “Five dollars she doesn’t do it while I’m in the car,” I whispered back. “No deal,” she muttered.

We were sitting in the back of my mom’s 2003 Honda Accord. My dad was driving, my mom sat in the passenger seat and my little sister and I sat in the backseats. As they turned onto Graham Street my mom gave me a good luck kiss. Being the “grown up” I was, I wiped it off with my sleeve. With that single move, tears filled her eyes.

I sighed, “Huhhhh.” Why did she have to cry, why couldn’t she be normal and not care that I was going to my first day of school. I mean come on it was middle school it’s not like I was changing states to go to college. "She needs to calm down," I thought.

As we pulled up across the street of the side of the school I looked out and saw dozens of kids getting out of their cars.

“Are you fine crossing the street instead of being dropped out in front,” my mom questioned. “Yeah,” I whispered back. I stepped out of the car, the sole of my new black vans hitting the damaged concrete.

I stuck my head through my mom’s window, “Bye you guys,” I said with a cracked voice. “Bye Carissa, have a good day.” They said in unison as though they had rehearsed it for days. As my mom rolled up her window, I saw a trail of tears slide down her face.

I walked to the corner of the street, waiting for the crossing guard. My breath began to get heavier as the seconds passed by. More kids surrounding me. Cars swept pass me seeming as though they were going faster than the fifteen miles per hour speed limit. Finally the crossing guard signals for me to walk, I stepped into the street and began a new chapter in my life.

As I walked down the school steps, I looked behind me and saw more cars than earlier. Each one shared a relevant part of my experience. A parent or two in the car with the younger children in the back, each mother of a sixth grader with tears swelling up in their eyes. Trying not to cry in front of their younger ones so that their feelings could be hidden behind a mask. I'm not sure why they were crying, but I guess they thought they were making it easier for their younger children or maybe they were just trying to be strong for us, like I was being for my mom.

Barrio Writers New Logo y Mas!

2009-10-01T11:48:00.000-07:00

Latest News from Barrio Writers!

We have a new logo! Our great sponsors have helped us exist and continue sharing our writing.

As of today, you can pre-order our book at Calacas on 4th in Santa Ana or email us at barriowriters@gmail.com!

Follow us on Facebook: Barrio Writers and twitter: BarrioWriters

Our official website (http://www.barriowriters.org/) will be launched this Sunday, Oct. 4th while we participate at the OC Children's Book Festival! But if you can't view it, please be patient, it will be up soon enough! We hope to meet you at the book festival!

On Sunday, you will also be able to pre-order our books and donate to our program at the booths or through our new website. Please help us share our writing and empower teens throughout the nation! Next summer we have scheduled to establish new chapters in Hawthorne, CA and Austin, TX!

Pre-order the 1st Edition of Barrio Writers Today!
Calacas, Inc.
324 W. 4th St. #B
Santa Ana, CA 92701
Tel. 714.662.2002

Meet Barrio Writers at the OC Chidlren's Book Festival this Sunday!

Please visit the Department of Education & Author's Den Booths!

Barrio Writers 1st Live Reading on Garden Grove Channel 3!

2009-09-07T10:18:00.000-07:00

The Barrio Writers 1st Live Reading on August 23, 2009 was covered by Garden Grove Channel 3! The news piece was aired on September 1, 2009 and featured throughout local channels in Orange County the same week!

A follow up segment is in the works! We will keep you posted on upcoming live readings and media. Enjoy!

2009-08-17T09:45:00.000-07:00

Germayn grew up in the streets of Santa Ana, the city in which he was born under an autumn moon on October 27, 1989.

He was, virtually, raised by families other than his own with loneliness and art as his brother and sister. With no mother or father figure to guide him, Germayn would innocently help other human beings through emotional crisis and/or general labor in the hopes of sharing emotional happiness; Germayn would help people both physically and mentally. These experiences transformed Germayn into a genius of a psychologist and philosopher of life. Since then Germayn began to express humanity through various forms of art using his genius traits.

By the time Germayn reached 3rd grade he was recognized for his work and sent to art school. At that school, Germayn did not produce one single piece of art work because the world of art Germayn was brought up in was not the same as the world he currently found himself in. In this world, art was not self expression; it was a profession because you were told how to do art and master it. Art is the expression of human emotion through crafted display or simply creativeness, not labels or privileges given to chosen individuals. Germayn dropped out and went back to the 4th grade.

Since then Germayn continued to express and play with art. To this date Germayn is a musician, composer, song writer, film writer, actor, poet, artist in the sense of drawing, painting, spray-painting, and sculpting. Germayn is a martial artist practitioner of a black belt caliber, a philosopher, and psychologist. Germayn is an artist.

Germayn is currently in a successful band called “Bipolar Disorder” and gives self-defense and guitar lessons. In the future Germayn hopes to continue to be involved in music, martial arts, philosophy, and psychology. Germayn also plans to be a naturalist doctor so he studies anatomy and botany on his free time. Germayn loves to eat food with Dr. Pepper. He is the Germayn.

Escape
by Germayn

Forget your fortune, forget your sorrow
Forget today, forget tomorrow
Forget your name and who you are
What you did, forget it now
Release your love, release your hate
Release your worries, end your fate
Release your stress upon your chest
And give rest to all the tests
Express your feelings with extremity
Relieve your soul with nature’s remedy
Unleash your mind, let loose your dignity
Ignore ignorance and positive negativity
Forget your fortune, forget your sorrow
Forget yesterday, the time you borrowed
Forget your name and who you are
Forget it all, forget it now…
...Escape

2009-08-03T16:42:00.000-07:00

We have attached a videoblog by Val Alaniz, she caught a moment of us thinking about our future as Barrio Writers! (please imagine a "Beep" when the "H" word is used.) :-)

2009-07-31T23:38:00.000-07:00

A 17 year-old teen from Mexican decent, Natalie was born in Anaheim, CA. After her parents seperated when she was 10 years-old, Natalie dedicated her life to writing her feelings. The spectrum of her writing varies from the difficulties of living with a sister with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), to the current day's weather.

Apart frm reading and writing, she likes to collage, dance, act, yoga, sing and have deep conversations with people. She currently lives in Costa Mesa, CA with her mom, sister, guinea pig and turtle.

“You get what you put into it,”
has become one of my favorite quotes, thanks to Sarah Rafael Garcia. She is one of the most plain-and-simple brilliant women I have ever meet in my 17 years of life.

I always seem to get so much out of her messages and they really stick to me. I know that I’m not necessarily obligated to come to the classes, but I’m hooked. I feel okay with saying that I use writing as a way to vent.

The term, “throwing up on paper” (another phrase I hear her say repeatedly) has entered my vocabulary of common words because that is exactly what I do almost every single day. I have realized that the best way to learn about writing strategies is to read. The research I look for is in me and in the words of wonderful authors. It’s like a treasure waiting to be discovered. I am getting to know teens that have to go through what I have to, labeled and re-labeled according to how we speak, write and dress.

Not only are we experimenting with the wonderful words that English and Spanish have to offer, but we are re-writing history.

We are making sure that our voices are heard loud, because as nature implies the storm must end some day. Then all that is left is sunshine.

A barrio writer intro

2009-07-22T21:40:00.000-07:00

Ello, well I'm Valeria Alaniz and I am proud to say that I'm a Barrio Writer.

I guess ill start out with telling you about myself for my first blog. YAY ME!!!!!!

Hmm I guess I'm a nerd and i dont really mind it. I love comic books and I can't live with out video games. I can't be with out a story to help me escape my reality that is life. Ahh, my mother just recently left my dad and moved to Colorado. My father has two jobs but sadly I can't say i have any respect for the man. Its ok some people have it worse than I do. On a happy note my sisters boyfriend just got here. He will be living with us, he's pretty cool in my book. Just as long as my sister is happy and safe.

The way I write (scratching my head), well my writing is pretty dark most of the time, kind of funny because I'm a really happy girl when you meet me in person, so you would never know (shifting my eyes) haha, any who i guess I'll just show you a clip of the poem I'll turn in this Saturday.

"With my final breaths left of my life.

All the thoughts that run through my mind,
some bad some good.

Why did this happen to me is it that no one loves me?
That all hate me and thats why he raped me?

I can't move can't see, wow this is really the it for me.
I smell the blood and feel the pain its all the same.
The same pain and smell but only this time I can tell, I wont live."

Hope you liked it so far, but im not done yet! This is it for my first blog, I guess. ^_^

We are Barrio Writers!

2009-07-07T18:13:00.000-07:00

Hola Amigos & Fellow Writers,

I am writing to share with you our trials and triumphs in our first weeks of being Barrio Writers. We launched our first workshop on Wednesday, June 24, 2009. Since then we have had some issues collecting supplies, having a key to our classroom which led to having our workshop in a hallway and conflicting scheudles with staff, students and guest lecturers.

We have spent afternoons reading Pat Mora, Malcolm X and Frank LaPena. We were honored to hear Sandra Lopez read from her book Esperanza after giving us advice on writers block. We marched down Main Street united as writers to explore the free cultural arts offered in our community.

But our biggest accomplishment has been sharing the works from our new voices in Santa Ana. Just to give you an idea of what makes up Barrio Writers, here are some excerpts:

"I will not do that I will not change.
My life is mine, not yours to rearrange.
I hope one day that you will see
This isn't a phase. I'm being me."

"When I finally reach the end of my food journey I should be able to leave the house a few pounds lighter and with self-assurance that I’m not that tubby girl people make fun of. I’m the girl people are in awe about because she lost weight and seems so much more confident then when they first met her. "

"I am a writer because...when I write it helps me breath."

Now, we still have a long ways to go, but we have 28 talented teens - from bright redheads with artisitic makeup and piercings to shy ones with more words to share on paper than any famous public speaker - each spending at least 2 days a week finding a way to express themselves. I hope you will read what we have to share throughout the upcoming weeks. Our next workshop is Wednesday, July 8th at Libreria Martinez!

Please Save the Date: 3-6pm Sunday, August 23, 2009 @ Libreria Martinez - Barrio Writers Live Reading!

Con mucho orgullo,
Barrio Writers

PS - Special Thanks to El Centro Cultural de Mexico, Libreria Martinez, OC Children's Book Festival and OC Image Xpress for supporting Barrio Writers!