Books & Poems

Books & Poems

LEFT BEHIND

LEFT BEHIND This life  ain’t a treat  if you trick me into selling my soul  of a woman in order  That I survive I didn’t want to leave you  I didn’t want to go Behind was a little girl  with her mother I will be back  I promise So we can all eat This life  ain’t a treat  if you trick me into selling my soul  of a woman in order  That I survive She needs me So I’ll be back  Her mom does *that I understand the plight  because it’s known as a cunning delight Leading many down a swirling staircase just to hit rock bottom  Hoping to survive But it makes ’em feel more alive I say it again This life  ain’t a treat  if you trick me into selling my soul  of a woman in order  That I survive For freedom, i must go  I left that girl behind  but  I will be back! Read More From This Writer All Post Business Culture Entertainment Food Government Health Interviews Lower West Side Business & Economic Development Medical Military & Veterans Our Community Peace People Sports LEFT BEHIND July 24, 2021/No Comments POST TITLE (CAPITAL) Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus Read More sPeCiAL ApRiL – CeLeBrAtInG pOeTrY April 24, 2021/No Comments sPeCiAL ApRiL – CeLeBrAtInG pOeTrY April marks the celebration of poets and poetry being recognized as National Poetry Month celebrating Read More WOMEN, YES YOU CAN! March 24, 2021/No Comments WOMEN, YES YOU CAN! The most courageous act a woman can take is to feel good.”, Heather Chauvin This month’s Read More Load More End of Content.

Books & Poems

sPeCiAL ApRiL – CeLeBrAtInG pOeTrY

sPeCiAL ApRiL – CeLeBrAtInG pOeTrY April marks the celebration of poets and poetry being recognized as National Poetry Month celebrating its 25th Anniversary! What a monumental moment. Poetry is an art form of expression used to convey messages through words, rhythm, rhyme, and of course different styles. Poetry is not just an art form but also it is a craft. The enjoyment of literature in its various forms dates back thousands of years as early as 20BC. Most scholars recognize its beginnings in 13 BC when Sonnets were introduced. But there are poems from the Restoration society and the satirical verses of the 17th Century with poets such as John Dryden (English Poet) but noted there were Spanish poets such as Joan Baptista Aguilar, amongst many others.  There are three writing forms such as prose, spoken poetry and of course different types of poems, itself. Prose tends to include the following characteristics: Most everyday writing is in prose form; The language of prose is typically straightforward without much decoration; Ideas are contained in sentences that are arranged into paragraphs; There are no line breaks; Sentences run to the right margin; The first word of each sentence is capitalized; And lastly, Prose looks like large blocks of words.  Spoken word poetry is poetry that is written on a page but performed for an audience. Because it is performed, this poetry tends to demonstrate a heavy use of rhythm, improvisation, free association, rhymes, rich poetic phrases, wordplay, and slang. Types of poetry include the following qualities: Poetry is typically reserved for expressing something special in an artistic way; The language of poetry tends to be more expressive or decorated, with comparisons, rhyme, and rhythm contributing to a different sound and feel; Ideas are contained in lines that may or may not be sentenced; Lines are arranged in stanzas; Poetry uses line breaks for various reasons—to follow a formatted rhythm or to emphasize an idea; Lines can run extremely long or be as short as one word or letter; And, traditionally, the first letter of every line is capitalized, but many modern poets choose not to follow this rule strictly; Furthermore, the shape of poetry can vary depending on line length and the intent of the poet. Poetry’s art form is a literary space where all people can benefit as the audience and writer. Go write your poem and submit it to the Buffalo Latino Village. Editor’s Note: We need more Puerto Ricans/Latinos to discover the beauty of poetry.  Visit your local library, go online, go to the bookstore, and discover our great poets: Julia Alvarez, Pedro Pietri, Isabel Allende, Victor Hernandez Cruz, Julia de Burgos, Sandra Cisneros, Nancy Mercado,  Jesus Papoleto Melendez, and many more. Just type “Latino poets” and a treasure of our Latino poets pops up.  To begin, go to www.poetry.org, and learn about the beauty of Poetry. Read More From This Writer All Post Business Culture Entertainment Food Government Health Interviews Lower West Side Business & Economic Development Medical Military & Veterans Our Community Peace People Sports sPeCiAL ApRiL – CeLeBrAtInG pOeTrY April 24, 2021/No Comments POST TITLE (CAPITAL) Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus Read More WOMEN, YES YOU CAN! March 24, 2021/No Comments WOMEN, YES YOU CAN! The most courageous act a woman can take is to feel good.”, Heather Chauvin This month’s Read More In honor of Black History Month: A CALL FOR LIBERTY February 24, 2021/No Comments In honor of Black History Month: A CALL FOR LIBERTY President Gerald Ford, the 38th president of the United States, Read More Load More End of Content.

Books & Poems

TINO MEJIA WORKS ON THE BOOK “GALLARDO”

Tino Mejia is presently writing an introduction to the book, “GALLARDO”, to be published by the Buffalo Latino Village by the end of the year. The book is a collection of Ramon Gallardo’s monthly columns which were featured in the Latin Journal. Both were active members of the Lackawanna Mexican Club. Tino was the one that introduced and suggested that Ramon should write for the Latin Journal, which provided him a platform to write about his perspective on the Puerto Rican leaders and on elected officials at the time. He did not hesitate to address the lack of leadership, public and private corruption, and the lack of support from the local Puerto Rican/Latino community. His writing had an impact that people picked up the journal only to read his columns, and the local press, like the Buffalo News, caught his attention and did a whole page spread on him. The Journal publisher, Alberto Cappas, received a call from the editor of the Buffalo News, and immediately Alberto thought they wanted to do an article about the journal.  “No”, said the Buffalo News editor, “We are interested in interviewing one of your writers, Ramon Gallardo, we heard he’s an excellent and unique writer for your publication.” Tino Mejia was a member of PODER, and he was also the founder of UB’s Chicano Student Union (1970). He also was a lecturer with UB’s Puerto Rican Studies Department. A migrant advocate, with the help of Alberto O. Cappas, founder of PODER, WBFO-FM Latino programming, and PRCC, Tino was able to organize a group to assist and work with the migrant workers in Dunkirk and North Collins, who at the time, were facing racism and hardship and problems in finding decent housing. Tino was able to invite Cesar Chavez, an American labor leader & civil rights activist, to Buffalo where he spoke to UB students about the migrants and their working conditions in America. Under Dr. George Rivera, a Mexican American professor, together they wrote a paper on migrant workers in  New York State, at the time, the people had little information about migrants working on farms in western New York, mostly in Dunkirk and North Collins. The workers came from Puerto Rico, Mexico, and the south. Both the Chicano Student Union and PODER used some of their student budget or funds to help the migrant workers. Later, Tino went on to host the Mexican hour with WBFO, and worked with the BUILD organization, at the time, the only advocate and civil rights group in the Black Community. The book, “GALLARDO”, is scheduled for publication at the end of the year. To reserve or purchase a copy email latinovillage1@gmail.com. Read More From This Writer All Post Art Books & Poems Business Community Education Entertainment español Food & Culture Health Interviews Military & Veterans Peace People Politics Sports LATINO COLLEGE STUDENTS FACE INEQUALITY AND CULTURAL ISOLATION AT THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK at BUFFALO March 25, 2023/No Comments LACK OF COLLEGE SERVICES FOR LATINO STUDENTS: This is in response to a story by UB Spectrum reporter, Kayla Estrada, Read More “GETTING VERY LITTLE FOR THE WHOLE,  BUT GETTING A LOT FOR THE FEW” WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN 2023 January 25, 2023/No Comments While I might appear to be biased and selective, I strongly feel the four people in the photo are the Read More The Isaías González-Soto Branch Library (formerly Niagara Branch) is a member of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library System December 25, 2022/No Comments When the Hispanic Heritage Council (HHC) moved to rename the Niagara Branch Library several years ago, with the support of Read More Load More End of Content.

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