San Antonio Poets Interview Collection (SAPA-001)
Wendy Barker. Interview by Jessica Germain.
Vincent Cooper. Interview and materials gathered by Joshua Alfaro.
Fernando Esteban Flores. Interview and materials gathered by Dylan Martin.
Dino Fox. Interview and materials gathered by Ben Longoria.
Jason "Shaggy" Gossard. Interview by Joshua Alfaro.
Laurie Ann Guerrero. Interview by Leah Smylie.
Victoria Garcia-Zapata Klein. Interview and materials gathered by Isabel Aguilar.
Bryce Milligan. Interview by Brandon Bombadier.
Naomi Shihab Nye. Interview and materials gathered by Heather Orchard.
Laura Van Prooyen. Interview by Sarah Burchett.
Gerard Robledo. Interview and materials gathered by Sarah Burchett.
Andrea "Vocab" Sanderson. Interview and materials gathered by Melissa Croom.
Carmen Tafolla. Interview and materials gathered by Isabel Aguilar.
Natalia Trevino. Interview by Heather Orchard.
Jacinto Jesus Cardona. Interview by Ben Longoria.
Author-Donated Collections
SAPA-002: Milo and Vivian Kearney Collection
SAPA-003: Fernando Esteban Flores Collection
SAPA-004: Naomi Shihab Nye Collection
SAPA-005: Darby Riley Collection
SAPA-006: Bryce Milligan Collection
SAPA-007: Laurie Ann Guerrero Collection
SAPA-008: Martha Saenz Collection
SAPA-009: Roberto Bonazzi Collection
SAPA-010: Via Poetry on the Move Collection
SAPA-011: Voices de la Luna Collection
SAPA-012: Jenny Browne Collection
SAPA-013: Carmen Tafolla Collection
Recent donations
Carol Coffee Reposa
Tom Keene
Founder of Latitudes Press, Roberto Bonazzi wrote and edited many books and managed the literary estate for John Howard Griffin, author of Black Like Me. For many years he published a column in the San Antonio Express-News and reviewed books for World Literature Today. His 2007 Maestro of Solitude: Poems & Poetics was a finalist for the Texas Institute of Letters Poetry Award. Bonazzi was an active member of the San Antonio poetry community, a regular presence at many area events, offering encouragement and guidance to fellow writers. Bonazzi passed in 2020, and his family donated a portion of his literary collection to the San Antonio Poetry Archive at Palo Alto College. (Pen to Paper participant 2017)
Through afterschool programs like Urban Smarts and in the college classroom, Jenny Browne spent years dedicated to teaching that tumultuous self-discovery can safely be experienced within the poem. She learned this first hand on an undergraduate trip to Sierra Leone, West Africa, where poetry helped her sort through the confusion of self and surroundings. Her work is described as from “memory and narrative, thought and feeling,” oscillating readers between her unpredictability and that feeling of being wrapped in a familiar blanket.
Browne earned her Master in Fine Arts from the James Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas at Austin. She has accepted multiple fellowships in creative writing including from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Texas Writers League, and the Poetry Society of America. As an active community member, she’s worked with organizations such as the San Antonio Housing Authority, Gemini Ink, and the Good Samaritan Center. She is currently an associate professor at Trinity University and the Poet Laureate of San Antonio. (Pen to Paper participant 2017)
Jacinto Jesús Cardona is the author of two poetry books, Pan Dulce and Amapolasong. In juxtaposing English and Spanish words, like libro-breath and chavalón bones, he celebrates growing up Tex Mex in Alice, the Hub of South Texas. A graduate of Texas A & I College in Kingsville, Texas, he taught English at San Isidro, Texas, I.S.D. and in San Antonio at John F. Kennedy High School from 1974 to 2000. From 1985 to 2000 he was a Palo Alto College evening adjunct instructor and was awarded a University of Texas NISOD Excellence Award for Adjunct Faculty. Cardona is the recipient of 5 National Endowment for the Humanities visiting scholar awards to various universities, including a 1983 Harvard award. In 2016 his poem “Bato Con Khakis” was selected for performance as part of New York City Symphony Space writing program. (Pen to Paper participant 2024)
Anthony "The Poet" Flores is a 3-time San Antonio Grand Slam Poetry Champion & has represented our city in competition on six different occasions at the National Poetry Slam. He has performed his work all over the United States, from local schools & community centers to H.B.O.'s Def Poetry Jam to the famous Lincoln Center in New York City. He is a co-founder of Fresh Ink Under-21 Youth Poetry Slam, the only on-going poetry slam & open-Mic for teenagers in San Antonio, & he is also a judge for S.A.'s La Voz City-Wide Spoken Word Competition. Anthony The Poet has also recently completed his 6th year of serving as a judge for the San Antonio Public Library's Young Pegasus Poetry Contest for kids & young adults. Just 2 years ago, he founded The University Of The Spoken Word, a collective of spoken word artists that has performed at some of the city's most high-profile cultural events, including Una Noche En La Gloria, Luminaria, & the touring Matisse & Pablo Picasso Tapestries exhibits at the San Antonio Museum of Art, to name a few. He is a full-time poet who lives & works on the Southside. (Pen to Paper participant 2017, 2018, 2022)
Fernando Esteban Flores believes that “a writer should utilize all tools to him” and seeks to fuse both the power of art with that of poetry so that an encounter with the written word provokes a multi-sensory and cinematic experience. A native Tejano from San Antonio, Flores returned to the city after graduating from UT in Austin and taught writing at various secondary schools until 2013. Flores’ community contributions and writings have earned him a spot as a judge for San Antonio Public Library’s Pegasus poetry anthology, local awards in teaching excellence and community service, and a nomination for a coveted Pushcart Prize. Flores has declared himself committed for life to poetry, a commitment from which San Antonio will continue to reap the benefits. (Pen to Paper participant 2017)
Laurie Ann Guerrero was born and raised on the Southside of San Antonio and attended Palo Alto College for a short time before transferring and completing her B.A. degree at Smith College, followed by a MFA from Drew University. Guerrero’s complex narratives savor her experiences as a granddaughter, mother, Chicana, and feminist, earning her several honors, including the Panhandler Publishing Award, the Rosemary Thomas Poetry Prize, and the 2012 Andres Montoya Poetry Prize. In 2014 Poets & Writers Magazine named her one of its top 10 emerging poets. She leaves her role as San Antonio’s second Poet Laureate at the end of March 2016 and begins a new chapter as the 2016 Texas State Poet Laureate in April. (Pen to Paper participant 2016, 2017)
A San Antonio son, Tomás Julián aka Rayner Shyne seeks to speak to the constant mix of life's joys and woes through the lens of an assimilated Latino millennial seeking to recapture his heritage. He is a lover of dogs, butterfingers, and Los Spurs and was crowned PuroSlam Grand Slam Poetry Champion in 2013, 2016 and 2022. (Pen to Paper participant 2023)
Mandy Lynn is a Poet and Theatre Artist with Louisiana roots transplanted and grown in San Antonio, TX. She currently works through both Gemini Ink and Teatro Audaz to help our community members bring their own stories to life. She is co-founder of Raise the Whisper, a poetry and arts group focused on healing the effects of sexual trauma. She is a member of the PuroSlam poetry team representing San Antonio in national competitions from 2018 - the present. Her recent written work has been featured in La Prensa Texas and TPR's Worth Repeating. (Pen to Paper participant 2022, 2023)
Born and raised in San Antonio Diamond Mason, aka the Rainbow Goddess of South Texas, is a performance poet and teaching artist who likes good books, belly laughs, and spinning in circles excitedly. Since they started performing poetry competitively in 2011 as a founding member of SA's only Youth Slam, Fresh Ink, Diamond has earned spots on their local nationals teams for the last 10 consecutive years. In 2016 Diamond was one member of San Antonio's first ever team to share the title of Grand Slam Champions and since then won back to back Grand Slam Champion titles in 2018, 2019. They have touched stages from the Bay Area, to the East Coast - even as far as Brisbane and Sydney, Australia, and hopes to continue their pursuit of knowledge through poetry for as long as possible. (Pen to Paper participant 2023)
Mecca Miles
Mecca Miles, a San Antonio native has been in the poetry scene for almost 6 years but has been writing poetry since she was 9 years old.
She has represented San Antonio at both the Southern Fried Poetry Slam as well as Women of the World Slam where she took 17th place in 2021. She has been published in several local anthologies to include Voices Along the River, and Voices De La Luna and hopes to be able to expand and be able to share her writing with the world. (Pen to Paper participant 2022)
Ollie McCrary (he/him/his) is a 17 year old writer. He enjoys poetry and comedy and hopes his work sheds light on what the entertainment industry can be. Recent credits include: # in the Public Theater's "A Beautiful Day... Lakes", PBS' "The Importance... Poetry", and YoungArts' internationally awarded "Dear God, Are You a Boy or a Burden". (Pen to Paper participant 2023)
Chibbi Orduña
M.R. “Chibbi” Orduña is a Mexican-born, Texas-raised queer poet and spoken word artist, Editor in Chief of The Mixtape Literary Magazine, and director and co-host of the Words and Shit video podcast. He has self-published 2 books, was a finalist for the 2021 Wax Nine Chapbook Competition, and the co-editor of the anthology Contra: Texas Poets Speak Out (Flowersong Press, 2020). His work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Texas Review, Wax Wing, Los Angeles Poet Society, Allium, Cosmonaut Avenue, The Acentos Review, The Latino Book Review Magazine, Buzzfeed, We are Mitu, Button Poetry, Write About Now, and elsewhere. He travels the country performing his work in hopes that audiences feel empowered to embrace their identity, each other, and share their stories. You can find him on IG @gemineyes and on Twitter @gemineyespoetry. (Pen to Paper participant 2022)
DaRell Pittman aka “Da Green Lantern” is a performance poet who resides in San Antonio, Texas. He has won competitions that named him the “City of San Antonio PuroSlam Champion,” “San Antonio Erotic Slam Champion” and “Haiku Death Slam Champion (twice).”66 of his literary works have found their way into publications. This husband, father and grandfather believes in the power of words to change the world. "They can calm and soothe. Arouse and stimulate. Devastate and demolish … OR … inspire and elevate. Words are the vehicles that move civilizations and directs humanity. The written word is the closest thing we have to making ourselves immortal. And that," says DaRell Pittman, "is a powerful concept." (Pen to Paper participant 2023, 2024)
Aida Felicitas Rodriguez Barrera
Aida Felicitas Rodriguez Barrera also known as Cuppycake is a Afrolatinx, Genderfluid writer and spoken word poet born in Texas, raised in Chicago. They started at Laredo Border Slam and are now currently part of San Antonio's Puro Slam team for 2023 and represented Puro Slam for the Women of the World Poetry Slam in Baltimore at the end of March 2023. Their work has appeared in Write Art Out's The Mixtape Literary Journal volumes 2 and 3 and Panochazine. Their chapbook Cake will be launched soon as well with Bottlecap Press. They plan to continue to break cultural stereotypes, homophobic teachings and expose toxic, generational upbringings with their writings. More of their pieces can be seen on Cuppycake Writings and Poetry on Facebook. (Pen to Paper participant 2023)
Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson, is San Antonio's 5th Poet Laureate Emeritus, serving a term from 2020-2023. She facilitates workshops throughout the U.S. Vocab authored, She Tastes Like Music, FlowerSong Press 2020. She is an Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellow, and was voted Best Local Poet 2023 and 2021 by The SA Current. She has had the distinct honor of opening up for Dr. Cornell West, Phylicia Rashad, and Nikki Giovanni. See her next theater production co-commissioned by The Carver and Art2Action, starring Lubana Al-Quntar, The Seasoned Woman, which premieres May 3rd at The Jo Long Theater. (Pen to Paper participant 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2024)
Naomi Shihab Nye began writing poetry as a child, publishing her first poem at the age of 7. Born to a Palestinian father and American mother, Nye moved to San Antonio as a teenager, graduating from Robert E. Lee High School, and later, Trinity University. Her poetry is often referred to as “transcending boundaries,” illuminating diverse perspectives and different cultures. Nye’s writings earned her many awards and recognition, including four Pushcart Prizes, a Jane Addams Children's Book Award, a Paterson Poetry Prize, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and a Lannan Fellowship. While she considers herself a “wandering poet,” it’s San Antonio that she calls her home. (Pen to Paper participant 2017)
Eddie Vega is a poet, spoken word artist, storyteller, and educator recently named San Antonio's 7th Poet Laureate. His poetry has been displayed on VIA Buses and downtown San Antonio buildings. His first full-length collection of poetry, Chicharra Chorus, was published in 2019 by FlowerSong Press and he is the 2021 recipient of the Literary Arts Grant from the Luminaria Artist Foundation. Vega writes about food, Tejano culture, social justice, and the intersections thereof. Known as the Taco-Poet of Texas, he can be found at an open-mic, slam, or taqueria on any given, non-quarantine evening anywhere throughout South Texas. (Pen to Paper participant 2022)