An Evening of Book Readings by FlowerSong Press!

Masks Required.

Chevalier's Books presents four poets and authors from FlowerSong Press: Matt Sedillo (Mowing Leaves of Grass and City on the Second Floor), Fernando Albert Salinas (Toxic Masculinity: The Misadventures of a Barrio Boy), Natalie Sierra (Charlie Forever and Ever), and David A. Romero (My Name Is Romero).

Collectively, these poets and writers have performed their poetry around the world, sold thousands of copies of their books, had their work published in dozens of literary journals and newspapers, performed at hundreds of colleges and universities, have been taught at dozens of colleges and universities and have engaged in powerful work to uplift and transform their communities.

The FlowerSong poets and authors are on a mission to put Latinx authors and their allies on the map and to catch the attention of the many institutions: New York and Chicago-based publishing houses and Los Angeles literary and cultural centers, that would deny them opportunities and recognition.

FlowerSong Press:

Based in McAllen, TX, FlowerSong Press nurtures essential verse from, about, and through the borderlands. The voices of those from Latin America, the U.S.A. and all over the world. We are Literary, Lyrical, Boundless, and we welcome allies that understand and join in the voice of people of color and our struggle, truth, and hope. www.flowersongpress.com

Matt Sedillo has been described by journalists and historians alike as, “the best political poet in America” as well as “the poet laureate of the struggle.” His work has drawn comparisons in print to Bertol Brecht, Roque Dalton, Amiri Baraka, Alan Ginsberg and countless other legends of the past. Sedillo was the recipient of the 2017 Joe Hill Labor Poetry Award, a panelist at the 2020 Texas Book Festival, and a participant in the 2011 San Francisco International Poetry Festival, the 2022 Elba Poetry Festival. Sedillo has appeared on CSPAN, been featured in the Los Angeles Times, Axios, the Associated Press, NPR for the Southwest, the Kenyon Review, the Pacifica Network, the Canadian Broadcast Corporation among many other publications and broadcasts. Sedillo has spoken at Casa de las Americas in Havana, Cuba, at numerous conferences and forums, such as the National Conference on Race & Ethnicity in American Higher Education, the National Association of Chicana/Chicano Studies, the Left Forum, the US Social Forum, the Left Coast Forum, the Worker Cooperative National Conference, the Association of Writers and Writing Programs and at over a hundred universities and colleges, including the University of Cambridge. Matt Sedillo is the author of Mowing Leaves of Grass (FlowerSong Press, 2019) and City on the Second Floor (FlowerSong Press, 2022), both of which are taught at universities throughout the country as coursework.

Born in Los Angeles County, Fox Hills, California, Fernando Albert Salinas received a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing with an emphasis in Entertainment from Full Sail University and a Bachelor of Arts in English at California State University, Channel Islands. He is on the Board of Directors, the Ventura County Area Coordinator, and a Master Poet-Teacher for California Poets in the Schools. He is an award-winning educator and has taught poetry workshops in over 25 schools throughout California. He is also an Adjunct Professor of English at Ventura College, the Ventura County Area Coordinator and a recitation coach for the California Arts Council’s Poetry Out Loud program, and the Editor-in-chief for Spit Shine Publishing. As Literary Arts Program Coordinator for the Ventura County Arts Council, he focuses on enhancing the presence and appreciation of poetry and the literary arts, raising awareness of the power of literature, poetry, and the spoken word. In 2012, Salinas initiated the Groundswell Committee: a small collection of local poets, with the support of the Ventura County Arts Council, and created Ventura County’s poet laureate program. In 2018, he implemented a youth poet laureate program for the county. His written poetry has appeared in several publications, including Askew Poetry Journal, Solo Poetry Journal, Miramar, and Lummox Press. The Misadventures of the Barrio Boys of Guadalupe, a collection of chapters presented monthly through Patreon, was released in September 2021. Toxic Masculinity, his book of poetry, was released in October 2021 by FlowerSong Press. He has performed his spoken word internationally. This year, he has been nominated for California Poet Laureate.

Natalie Sierra (she/they) is a first generation Latinx author and poet. Natalie is the author of two collections of poetry, Nadine: Love Songs for Demented Housewives (2015), and Medusa (2020, DSTL Arts Press), for which her poem ‘Medusa is My Sister’ was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She has also written two collections of short stories; Temblors (2016), and Strangelove: Tales of Love and Lust (2019). Her work has been featured in dozens of publications, including Dryland, South Broadway Ghost Society, Medium, and the Los Angeles Times. In addition to her own poetic endeavors, Natalie is the Editor-In-Chief of Disquiet Arts, a Gothic literary magazine that publishes work from BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities, seeking to change the narrative on gothic & erotic content and the ownership thereof. www.pandorademise.com

David A. Romero is a Mexican-American spoken word artist from Diamond Bar, California. Romero is the author of My Name Is Romero (FlowerSong Press, 2020), a book reviewed by Gustavo Arellano (¡Ask a Mexican!), Curtis Marez (University Babylon), and founding member of Ozomatli, Ulises Bella. Romero has appeared at over seventy-five colleges and universities in thirty-three states in the USA. Romero's work has been published in literary magazines in the United States, England, and Canada. Romero has opened for Latin Grammy winning bands Ozomatli and La Santa Cecilia. Romero’s work has been published in anthologies alongside poets laureate, Joy Harjo, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Luis J. Rodriguez, Jack Hirschman, and Tongo Eisen-Martin. Romero has won the Uptown Slam at the historic Green Mill in Chicago, the birthplace of slam poetry. Romero’s poetry deals with family, identity, social justice issues, and Latinx culture. Romero offers a scholarship for high school seniors interested in spoken word and social justice: “The Romero Scholarship for Excellence in Spoken Word.” www.davidaromero.com

Notes on parking in Larchmont Village:

Chevalier's does not have any parking, but there is paid meter parking on the street, a paid lot next to the bank, and free street parking parallel the Larchmont Blvd. on Lucerne Blvd.