San Benito County is about to get cultural with a series of poetry readings and artistic performances in the locally owned El Epazote Restaurant in downtown Hollister.
The readings, set to start Dec. 9 in the restaurant at 35 Fifth St., are organized by Rachelle Escamilla. She is an award-winning Hollister poet who returned to the area after almost a decade of being in and out of the county as she pursued bachelor and master degrees and spent some time in China.
“One of the things I’ve seen different from 10 years ago is there seems to be a cultural growth in Hollister. People seem to be more interested in what San Benito has, and one of the things I feel is lacking is a place to perform poetry and a place to promote local business,” Escamilla said. “I want to bring the arts to Hollister.”
The first reader in the series will be Texan-born Samuel Ramos. Escamilla calls him a “local hero” of sorts after he used poetry to share his thoughts during the Measure J campaign. Ramos taught in the Hollister School District for more than 30 years and is known for his love of dramatic poetry.
“I think if I were to talk about Samuel’s work, it’s very spoken-word poetry. It’s about the people,” said Escamilla, who notes Ramos focuses on the Latino culture. “It’s also about sort of having a voice and speaking out when you feel something is not right in your world.”
For Escamilla, Ramos represents the “old school” Latino poetry, which is very performative and “deeply culturally based.” Escamilla describes her own work a more “artsy” and “contemporary.”
Escamilla plans to do her own reading during the open mic section of the event, where anyone in the audience can sign up for a two-minute slot and take the stage. It’s a moment where anything goes – from amateur poetry to unplugged guitar solos.
“If you want to come up and stare at the audience for a minute, that’s all right,” Escamilla said.
Escamilla recently returned to San Benito County after living in China, where she co-founded Sun Yat-Sen University’s English Language Center for creative writing, the first program of its kind in China. She wrote her first book, Imaginary Animal, which won a Willow Books Prize in literature and will be on bookstore shelves in April 2015. Escamilla is also the founder of The Poets and Writers Coalition at San Jose State University.
“Every time I have a poetry reading I have to drive all the way to San Francisco or Santa Cruz to do it,” Escamilla said. “Here, it’s coming home.”
Open mic sign-ups will be available from 7:20 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The featured reader will share work at 7:30 p.m. The open mic will begin between 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
