Yesika Salgado

Yesika Salgado is a Los Angeles based Salvadorian poet. Her first book Corazòn contemplates heartbreak.[1]

Corazón

Published by Not A Cult on October 12, 2017, Corazòn consists of 67 poems categorized into the following five stages of romance: The Hunger, The Fruit, The Bruising, The Ache, and The Return.[2] The cover art was the inspiration for the titles of the chapters—though they had been already separated in the manuscript process. Salgado frequently mentions fruit throughout the book, specifically mangoes, and the cover of the book reflects this theme. Corazòn was listed on Amazon's best seller list.[3]

Career

Salgado first posted her work anonymously online at HipHopPoetry.com. The founder of this organization encouraged Salgado to read at the Da Poetry Lounge.

Her first ever poetry slam was performed at Inkslam, a Los Angeles poetry festival produced by Da Poetry Lounge (DPL) and Greenway Theatre. She thus got her start with Los Angeles' DPL (which has been identified as the countries largest open mic).[4] She had performed for over eight years at the venue.[3] In 2014, Salgado performed at the National Poetry Slam for the DPL. She later qualified for the 2016 Da Poetry Lounge Slam Team, but placed 6th and did not get the spot—after a few months, the poet who narrowly beat Salgado dropped out and Salgado did get a spot on the DPL Slam Team. She was on the same team as, Alyesha Wise, Aman Batra, Lem Saint Gonzalves and Kito Fortune. The team was coached by Javon Johnson and Shihan Van Clief. During this same time, Salgado frequently shared her work on Instagram—she continues to do so and she received large amounts of views and notoriety due to her social media presence.[5]

Later, Salgado and a friend Angela Aguirre started a feminist poetry organization titled: Chingona Fire.[6] The organization hosts frequent open mic/performance nights for women identified poets of color to share their work.[3]

Early life

Salgado's parents immigrated from El Salvador and she grew up in LA.[7] Salgado has stated she had self-esteem issues due to her weight and she now identifies as a "fat fly poet." Her father abused/hit her mother, and he suffered from alcoholism. Her father also had diabetes, and Salgado had to frequently care for him.[8]

Salgado's father instilled in her a passion for reading.[9]

References

  1. ↑ Reichard, Raquel. "This Poet's Words Are Exactly What You Need To Read If You're Getting Over A Breakup". Bustle. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
  2. ↑ "What poet Yesika Salgado knows". Public Radio International. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
  3. 1 2 3 "Meet Fat, Fly, Salvadoran Poet Yesika Salgado". Vibe. 2016-08-30. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
  4. ↑ "Welcome - Da Poetry Lounge". Da Poetry Lounge. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
  5. ↑ "This Instagram Queen Is Calling Out Misogyny And Her Online Harassers And It's Beautifully Savage". fierce.wearemitu.com. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
  6. ↑ "How I Made It: Yesika Salgado's Love Poem to Los Angeles - Latino USA". latinousa.org. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
  7. ↑ "Amidst Political Tumult, Salvadoran Artists Across The Country Discuss Their Work". NPR.org. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
  8. ↑ "In One Year, Poet Yesika Salgado Left Her Day Job and Became the Author of Buzzy New Book". Remezcla. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
  9. ↑ Reichard, Raquel. "Woman Crush(ing the Patriarchy) Wednesday: Yesika Salgado". Latina.com.
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