Sublime Sculpture Setting For Sublime Poetry

Studio 347: What's In A Name?
Michael Sedano

The poster arrives like many other posters; a line-up of poets, a date and time, a place. An unobtrusive nearly transparent image holds the background. “Poetry  Salons” the title says, and the names: John Martinez, Natalie Sierra, Matt Sedillo, Margaret Elysia Garcia, Francisco Letelier, Yasmin Cardona. 

Juan Carlos Muñoz Hernandez, curator of the Graham archive, offers a message of welcome

Through an Hernandez sculpture with magenta colored eyes

That’s a sublime lineup of some of Southern California’s premier voices. The afternoon’s reading proves exactly that. Letelier opens the reading—he leaves for another event. 

Francisco Letelier

John Martinez not only reads, he's brought tamales and birongas--and water for gente who prefer cool clear water.

John Martinez reads in Spanish and others in English.

MC Matt Sedillo calls the readers in the order listed on the poster.  Natalie Sierra, Poet Laureate of Pomona, Califas, reads from her novel, Beyond the Grace of God (link). 

Sedillo pulls a surprise out of his hat—maybe Matt knows there’s extra time on the event since Cardona is not in attendance—and he invites selected audience members who are poets to come up and share something impromptu.

It’s a delightful twist on the standard poetry reading. All the surprise invitees perform with aplomb and find warm welcome from the audience. Indeed, the gente gathered today are good friends and the spirit of camaraderie infuses the readings with love for poetry and one another.

Thelma T. Reyna, La Bloga's Friday columnist with Melinda Palacio.

Thelma T. Reyna, Altadena Poet Laureate Emerita, ever the consummate professional, hasn’t brought her poetry and recites a Shakespearean sonnet from memory. Roberto Leni steps up, he’s brought a few pages from a work in progress. Abel Salas arrives after the readings have started. Sedillo calls him to the front. Matt’s partner in publishing, David Romero, works from memory. A seasoned performer a la brava, Romero provides thoughtful amusement.

Margaret Elysia Garcia's dynamic reading is a highlight of the afternoon 

Margaret Elysia Garcia—La Bloga’s newest Bloguera who takes the Saturday/Weekend edition—offers an understatement by way of prologue, “You know I have a sense of humor?” 

Litotes has never been higher! 

Matt Sedillo is CEO of El Martillo Press

As Sedillo winds up an introduction to the next poet, audience members protest, “Dude, you’rek introducing yourself?” And David Romero seizes the lectern and gives Matt Sedillo a formalish introduction. Romero and Sedillo are partner publishers of El Martillo Press. The readers today are El Martillo authors.

David Romero performs for university audiences across the nation. 

Sedillo wows ‘em, reciting from memory and doing what speech coaches recommend, don’t get stuck behind the lectern. Sedillo leaves the mic and steps into the space between listeners and speaker. It’s a dynamic way to own the platform entirely. It’s clear Matt has done this before. It’s a sublime move to cap off the wondrous event in this wondrous space.

Abel Salas

Roberto Leni

From the street outside, the anonymous building appears unremarkable. But inside, ay de mi. The space, Studio 347, houses sculptor Robert Graham’s maquettes and a few finished gems.  

Los Angeles landmarks and Graham’s work are synonymous. The male torsos that adorn the peristyle of the Los Angeles coliseum hang from the ceiling. Elements from Graham’s Mary door at the LA Cathedral, figures featured on the plaza of the Music Center. 

In bronze, this torso greets visitors to the LA Coliseum 

A marian figure installed at the cathedral. Not all Marys are Guadalupe.

Several lucite sculptures and a brass assemblage are work of the gallery curator and Graham’s mentee Juan Carlos Muñoz Hernandez. Juan Carlos greets the visitors, invites them to photograph the sculpture, including a multicolored assemblage he completed just in time for these visitors. Hernandez’ brightly colored work provides an interesting counterpoint to Graham’s subdued tonalities.

One woman, Corrina Corrina, shares her enthusiastic review of the afternoon’s writing:

Corrina Corrina

“All the poets rocked. The women had a personal voice that spoke to me with a soft feminine tone that spoke so softly loud from Shakespeare to punk Rock Band and sexy head wrap cleavage vanilla cream colored feminine touches ! I love how boldly soft they spoke . So much sweeter than I remember from 70’s-90’s female poets. Very pleasing, like watermelon.”

Watermelon-eaters Sedillo, Michael Sedano, Thelma T. Reyna, David Romero

News & Notes

La Bloga welcomes guest columnists and is happy to share information on upcoming events in your region, such as this announcement from the venerable LA Poet Society: 

https://www.lapoetsociety.org/

Click on the fotos of Blogueras Blogueros at the top of the column to email La Bloga Editor Michael Sedano with your ideas and announcements.