Episode 241 with Antonio Lopez, Passionate Poetician, Author of the Award-Winning Gentefication, and Transmitter of Beauty and Pain Through His Creative, Heartfelt, and Wordsmithy Words

Notes and Links to Antonio Lopez’s Work

 

   For Episode 241, Pete welcomes Antonio Lopez, and the two discuss, among other topics, his bilingual and multicultural childhood in East Palo Alto, E-40 Fonzarelli, his experiences with bilingualism, formative and transformative reading, the greatness and timelessness of James Baldwin, seeds for Gentefication in the rhythms and cultures and camaraderie of home, his life as a politician and working together with the community towards a stellar achievement, and salient themes in his collection like faith, gentrification and attendant outcomes, grief, trauma, joy, the power of art, and youthful rage and passion.

 

   Antonio López is a poetician working at the intersection of poetry, politics and social change. He has received literary scholarships to attend the Community of Writers, Tin House, the Vermont Studio Center, and Bread Loaf. He is a proud member of the Macondo Writers Workshop and a CantoMundo Fellow. He holds degrees from Duke University, Rutgers-Newark, and the University of Oxford. He is pursuing a PhD in Modern Thought and Literature at Stanford University. His debut poetry collection, Gentefication, was selected by Gregory Pardlo as the winner of the 2019 Levis Prize in Poetry. He recently won a Pushcart Prize for his poem “Our Lady of the Westside.” As district representative for California State Senator Josh Becker, he served as the liaison for the Latinx, veteran, and Muslim communities of State District 13. Antonio has fought gentrification in his hometown as the newest and youngest council member for the City of East Palo Alto, and he is now the city’s mayor. 

Buy Gentefication

 

Antonio's East Palo Alto Mayoral Page

 

KQED Interview 

At about 3:00, The two discuss the diversity of the Bay Area

At about 4:20, Antonio speaks about “education as a pillar of [his] life” and his relationship with languages and the written word and nurturing schools in East Palo Alto

At about 7:15, The two sing the praises of PBS as an educational force, and Antonio recounts an amazing 3rd grade story involving the great Levar Burton

At about 11:50, Antonio details some of his favorite texts from childhood, including The Hatchet!

At about 13:20, Antonio responds to Pete’s questions about ideas of representation in what he read and how he was educated, and Antonio expounded upon the interesting ways in which he grew up in an under resourced school and in the Silicon Valley

At about 17:30, The two discuss the huge gap in wealth between Peninsula cities

At about 20:00, Pete quotes from the book’s Acknowledgements in asking Antonio about his “origin story”; Antonio talks about the personal gaze and gaze from outside East Palo Alto

At about 22:25, Antonio reminiscences on the visual and aural feasts, including the music, of his community and the ways in which English was “malleable” and formational for him

At about 26:20, The two discuss the ways in which East Palo Alto achieved a huge change, culminating in zero homicides in 2023

At about 30:30, Antonio reflects on the idea that “all art is political”

At about 32:25, Pete highlights impressive and creative verbs and language Antonio uses

At about 34:50, Pete asks about the pronunciation of the poetry collection and Antonio details the significance of the title

At about 37:10, Pete quotes from the book’s Prologue from Pardlo and asks Antonio about an early reference in the collection to James Baldwin; Antonio expounds upon the “mill”

At about 41:25, The two discuss a memorable line about school reading that didn’t feel familiar for Antonio and other resonant lines about education 

At about 44:15, Antonio responds to Pete’s question about “the borderlands” referred to in the collection 

At about 47:45, Antonio gives background on a powerful poem, “Las Chacharas” and its sequel, as well as ideas of relativism as seen in the writing 

At about 50:40, Antonio talks about a “narrative wrapped around [him]” and his pride and ambivalence

At about 54:15, The two explore ideas of gentrification and losses and beautiful gains that come with immigration, as featured in the collection, including a true story involving Antonio’s paternal grandparents  

At about 57:20, Pete compliments the poem from the collection that is a sort of tribute to his mom, and Pete wonders about the usage of “Usted” and “Tú” 

At about 1:00:25, The two discuss coming-of-age themes in the collection, and Antonio expands upon ideas presented in a four-part poem

At about 1:02:15, E-40 (!) and youthful and chaotic energy are the topics of discussion-Antonio reflects on the word “hyphy”

At about 1:04:25, The two discuss religion and Catholicism/Christianity’s links to colonialism and Antonio’s beginnings with Muslim communities

At about 1:08:40, Antonio talks about the importance of hadiths and a memorable poem from the collection-a letter written to a hate crime, the murder of Nabra Hassanen

At about 1:12:45, DBQ’s are highlighted and unique grading rubrics, as rendered in Antonio’s work

 

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    Please tune in for Episode 242 with Santiago José Sánchez, a professor of English and a queer Colombian American writer whose writing has appeared in McSweeney’s, ZYZZYVA, Subtropics, and Joyland and been distinguished in Best American Short Stories. They are the recipient of a Truman Capote Fellowship from the University of Iowa and an Emerging LGBTQ Voices Fellowship from Lambda Literary.

   The episode will go live on July 10 or so. 

   Lastly, please go to ceasefiretoday.com, which features 10+ actions to help bring about Ceasefire in Gaza.