We are excited to bring Joaquin Zihuatanejo, and icon of performance poetry and Dallas, Texas' first poet laureate to Modesto in celebration of his newest collection: Occupy Whiteness, which includes poems, short essays and micro essays about Latino life.

About Joaquin, Rudolfo Anaya, author of Bless Me, Ultima, writes, “Joaquín, your poems are like a satisfying summer rain replenishing a thirsty landscape. They are engrossing, thoughtful, deep with knowledge, and rich in poetic rhythms. You represent a new generation of multicultural poets.”

Bio: "Joaquin Zihuatanejo is a poet, spoken word artist, and award-winning teacher. Born and raised in the barrio of East Dallas, in his work Joaquín strives to capture the duality of the Chicano culture. Sometimes brutal, but always honest his work depicts the essence of barrio life, writing about a youth that existed somewhere between the streets of the barrio and the dream wanderings of a boy who found refuge in a world of stories and poems. Joaquin is a poet who is a uniquely inspiring and articulate teacher that energizes students and adults to discover their voices and share their stories. He’s been called, “one of the most dynamic and passionate performance poets in the country, melding equal parts comedy, poetry, and dramatic monologue into a crowd-pleasing display of verbal fireworks… always thrilling, Joaquín’s hilariously manic presentation is full of compassion and nuance, never sacrificing substance for style.” Joaquin was a National Poetry Slam Finalist, a Grand Slam Spoken Word Champion, and HBO Def Poet, performing at universities, conferences, and poetry slams all over North America and Europe. Even with all of this, he’s still essentially a man with two passions in his life: his wife, Aída, and poetry, always in that order."

Joaquin was the 2008 Individual World Poetry Slam Champion,

2009 World Cup of Poetry Slam Champion in Paris, France,

Joaquin has shared a stage with Billy Collins, Saul Williams, E. Lynn Harris, Alicia Keys, and Maya Angelou among many others.

Joaquin will be joined by Modesto poets Vielka Solana, founder of “Poesia y Arte Curando el Alma" and Angela Drew, ILL LIST Champ!

This will be an unforgettable evening.