4th Annual Rio Grande Valley International Poetry Festival & 5th Annual Poetry Pachanga!! April 28--May 1, 2011

 . . . With a plethora of international poets!

2010 VIPF Registered Poets: Teachers: invite poets to read at your campus and see related links.)

REGISTERED POETS

Jay Alvarez (Brownsville, Texas)

I’m one of those almost obsolete poets, still messing with rhyme and metric, the classic style. It is always a challenge to write a poem this way and that is what I like about it. I have published a poetry book, Fantasias, besides six more books in different subjects: history, adventure, biography, humor, etc. I also do oil paintings and like to sing boleros accompanied by my guitar.

!Vanessa Brown! (Mission, Texas)

Vanessa Brown, author of Twiffler, (El Zarape Press, 2009) grew up in Peñitas. She has been writing poetry in earnest since attended college at Texas A & M University Kingsville. She draws inspiration from being a wife, teacher, mother and observer of the world. Her most important influence is the family of loving and unique individuals she has been blessed to have surrounding her.

Julieta Corpus, a.k.a. Julieta La Poeta (Weslaco, Texas)

“Poetry is my attempt at encapsulating fleeting moments all around us. It allows me to breathe. It is largely confessional, but my confessions are mirrors for other souls as well.”

Diana Dominguez (Brownsville, Texas)

Diana Dominguez is a professor of English literature and writing at The University of Texas-Brownsville/Texas Southmost College and has published both scholarly and creative work in print and online journals and presented both scholarly and creative work at national and international conferences. Her poetry springs from the same well as her women’s studies research activities; in both cases her aim is to tell the stories of those who history and literature have made silent or invisible. “I believe poetry is the art of giving voice and making the invisible visible.”

Lauren Espinoza (McAllen, Texas)

Lauren is an undergrad at the University of Texas-Pan American and likes to eat spaghetti, pet kittens, drink beer with salt and lime, and write poems. Lauren currently reads Harry Potter to escape stress.

Daniel García Ordaz (Mission, Texas)

Daniel García Ordaz, a.k.a. The Poet Mariachi, teaches English at McAllen Memorial High School and is the author of You Know What I'm Sayin'? from El Zarape Press. He is a former journalist and is also a founder of the Rio Grande Valley International Poetry Festival. He has been called “the voice of the Rio Grande Valley” by The Monitor’s book critic. Daniel was one of five writers and the only poet selected to participate in the Texas Latino Voices project in 2009. Ladies and gentlemen, get ready for “the most dangerous poet south of the chorizo plant in San Manuel!” The Poet Mariachi, Daniel García Ordaz.

Meliton Hinojosa (Harlingen, Texas)

Meliton Hinojosa, Jr. has a BA and an MA in education from Texas A & M-Corpus Christi. He teaches automotive mechanics at San Benito High School. He was born in El Sauz, Texas to Meliton Hinojosa and Guadalupe Hinojosa in 1948. He and his family migrated in the 1960's to California to pick grapes and do other type of field work.

Katie Hoerth (Edinburg, Texas)

Katherine Hoerth is the author of Among the Mariposas and the winner of the Nuestra Voz poetry prize from Mouthfeel Press. Her poetry and fiction have also appeared in several literary magazines including Borderlands: Texas Poetry Review, Texas Journal of Women Writers, and is forthcoming in Clean Sheets. She is an MFA scholar at the University of Texas Pan American and holds a B.A in English. She lives in Edinburg, Texas with her soulmate and her many cats.

Ken Jones (Houston, Texas)

Ken Jones earned an MA in English/Creative Writing from the University of Texas at Austin and is a full-time faculty member at the Art Institute of Houston. He is the author of three published poetry collections, was a finalist for the 2008 West Chester Poet’s Prize and a Pushcart Prize nominee. He has published hundreds of poems and given readings of his work widely for over 25 years.

Lady Mariposa (Sullivan City, Texas)

Lady Mariposa is Veronica Sandoval, a spoken word junky, street-smart poet, preacher’s kid from Sullivan City. Former old school chola and new Americana poet, Lady has been hosting and reading poetry in the Rio Grande Valley, for over eight years.

Brenda Nettles Riojas (Harlingen, Texas)

The Pilgrim Poet, Brenda Nettles Riojas, is a mother, writer, and creative spirit, who grew up on the border of South Texas and Mexico. Brenda's itinerant tendencies keep her in route to different destinations, exploring the world and capturing some of these experiences in her poetry. She is currently the editor of a new quarterly magazine, El Peregrino. She is also pursing a M.F.A. in creative writing. She authored a book about the history of the Catholic Church in the Rio Grande Valley, and has presented nationally on the subject of creativity. Brenda is also a founder of the Rio Grande Valley International Poetry Festival.

Alan Oak (Brownsville, Texas)

Alan Oak accidentally became a poet in high school by writing haikus as an “easy” way to get through a creative writing assignment. After weeks of writing, rewriting and workshopping, those first poems were published in a national magazine. He’s been addicted to the writing life ever since. Alan’s poetical work ranges from formal to free verse, sarcastic and light to emotionally poignant. Currently he is a graduate English student at UTB/TSC and serves as senior editor in the university’s Offices of Marketing and Communication.

Juan Manuel Pérez, a.k.a. The Maroon Knight of Zavala County (La Pryor, Texas)

Juan Manuel Pérez, a Mexican American poet, is the author of Another Menudo Sunday (2007) and O Dark Heaven (2009, Onda Press) and six poetry chapbooks. He is also a public school history teacher and lives in La Pryor, Texas. He is currently entering rehab for his comic book addiction.

Laura Reagan-Porras (Edinburg, Texas)

Laura Reagan-Porras is a sociologist and the executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of McAllen, Texas. She is a published technical writer but also enjoys writing a regular column in the “RGV Town Crier” called “Simply Make A Difference,” about youth development and mentoring. Her first published poem appeared in Boundless 2009, the anthology of the Rio Grande Valley International Poetry Festival. Laura lives on the Texas-Mexico border in Edinburg, Texas, with her husband and two daughters. Her first poetry collection, La Familia Entera: Borders and Beyond (The Whole Family) will be published soon.

Linda Romero (Harlingen, Texas)

I’m originally from Harlingen, TX and have a BA in Journalism from UT-Pan American. Though I consider myself a newfound poeta, I am constantly learning about writing, and what it takes to delve deep to make my poetry resonante with others' emotions—allowing a familiarity with our collective experiences.”

Arturo Saldaña (Port Isabel, Texas)

Arturo Saldaña is the proud son of María López Saldaña and Agustín Cisneros Guillen. Born in McAllen, Arturo sauntered through life as a Chicano activist, an agricultural migrant worker, a student with three degrees, a truck driver, a United States Army veteran, and mucho mas things. Suffice to say, Arturo enjoys life with his wife, Dina, and as necessary, casts images with the spoken word while his wife elocutes with painting.

Mona D. Sizer (Harlingen, Texas)

Mona Sizer has written 36 books, including a book of poetry: Before The Wind. Her newest book is Glory Guys: Story of the U.S. Army Rangers. She belongs to Western Writers of America and Writers League of Texas. In 2006 she edited and contributed to Valley Byliners’s successful anthology, Tales Told At Midnight Along The Rio Grande. She speaks to schools and organizations Valleywide and handles publicity for RGV Birdfest. Her next proposed book for Rowman Littlefield Publishing Group is The Bombardiers. She and her husband of 48 years have traveled recently to the Galapagos, Peru, and Ecuador.

Lina Suárez (McAllen, Texas)

Priscilla Celina Suárez, co-author of the Texas State Library’s Bilingual Programs Chapter, is a native to the Rio Grande Valley and has had a great experience writing poetry for children. She is the author of Hija of the Valley and Mestiza Grill, and is a past recipient of the MexiCasa Writing Fellowship. Lina was also a presenter during the Cool Teen Programs panel at ALA 2009, where she presented a programming chapter she wrote for young adults.

Virginia Torres (Edinburg, Texas)

Virginia Torres was born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley. She is currently an MFA student in the Creative Writing Program at The University of Texas-Pan American, where she writes anything from poetry to screenplays. This will be her first time presenting as a registered poet for VIPF, and she is honored to be a part of this event.

Kenneth “Bluetown” Treviño (Port Isabel, Texas)

Ken "Bluetown" Treviño is a husband and a father who teaches English at Port Isabel High School. He is a poet and playwright. Bluetown is a member of the Narciso Martínez Cultural Arts Center Writers Forum and a co-founder of the Laguna Madre Writers Forum. His passions include poetry, music, and surfing. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Incarnate Word College and an Associate of Arts in Behavioral Sciences from San Antonio College. He is most proud of his wife Susy and his two daughets: Otilia Doralee and Kendra Susset.

Rolando Villafuerte (Edinburg, Texas)

Originally from the State of Illinois and now living in Texas. Happily married and with children. I have had many experiences in my life and have been blessed, I think, with a gift of being able to form words together and my mission, I believe, is to reach those that think they cannot be touched and be a voice to those who can’t seem to say how they feel!!!

¡Vanessa Brown!
Jay Álvarez
Alejandro Cabada Fernández
Christopher Carmona
Julieta Corpus
Jon Davis
Diana Domínguez
Lauren Espinoza
Daniel García Ordaz
Olivia Gatwood
Irma Guadarrama
Meliton Hinojosa
Katherine Hoerth
Ken Jones
Corey Mangan
Lady Mariposa
La Erika
Kaitlin LaMoine Martin
Brenda Nettles Riojas
Gene Novogrodsky
Alan Oak
Juan M. Pérez
Laura Reagan-Porras
Linda Romero
Kathy Trenfield Raines
Arturo Saldaña
Mona Sizer
Lina Suárez
Virginia Torres
Kenneth Treviño
Lori Vermaas
Edward Vidaurre
Rolando Villafuerte
Sarah E. Williams
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[2011 Registered Poets] [2011 Featured Poets] [2011 Schedule of Events] [2011 Venues] [2011 Poetry Pachanga] [2011 Sponsors & Sponsorship Opportunities] [2011 Volunteer Opportunities] [2011 Youth Poetry Slam] [2011 Adult Poetry Slam] [2011 Registration] [Boundless 2011 Anthology Submissions] [2011 VIPF Home]