Lunada Literary Lounge & Free Me Fast

Featuring Mireya Ixchel A.K.A. ‘Lil’ Deya, Aleja Cobarruviaz, Joey B. Gomez, singer/songwriter Astu, and Special Guests. Open Mic sign-up at 7:15pm.

At the height of Spring, under the full moon, Galeria de la Raza presents Lunada Literary Lounge in collaboration with Free Me Fast, for an evening of youth spoken word & community Open Mic, featuring:

LUNADA’s OPEN MIC invites poets, emcees, musicians, storytellers, laureates and first-timers to share their voices under the lunar spotlight. SIGN-UP 7:15PM: 8 spots on the list, 5 min. ea.

Hosted & curated by Sandra García Rivera & Maddy Clifford

Also featuring DJ Chris “L7” Cuadrado providing the musical backdrop, and artwork and free posters by fine artist and illustrator Ozi Magaña. 

LUNADA is the Bay Area’s only full moon bilingual literary ritual & performance gathering devoted to spoken word, música, song, and story. Located in the heart of the Mission District at Galería de la Raza, and guest curated by some of the Bay Area’s most dynamic word slingers and artists, each LUNADA features community poets, local legends, visiting mystics, and other mero meros of the stage. Voted Best Literary Night of 2016 by the SF Bay Guardian.

FREE ME FAST is a project that highlights the voices and visions of incarcerated youth. Students at the San Francisco Juvenile Justice Center strengthened their writing skills in weekly literary arts workshops led by teaching artist MADDY CLIFFORD, a WritersCorps Teaching Artist in Residence* grant recipient. Inspired by the students’ poems, visual artist OZI MAGAÑA created unique paintings, which resulted in a poster series that celebrates the bravery and creative imagination of youth. Free Me Fast honors the arts as a vital resource that stretches our imagination, whether inside concrete walls or within our communities.  (@freeme.fast on Instagram)

*The San Francisco Arts Commission’s WritersCorps Teaching Artist in Residence (WCTAIR) grant program supports teaching artists in community settings to teach free creative writing workshops to youth.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Mireya Ixchel, A.K.A. ‘Lil’ Deya, is a 14-year old singer, rapper, and songwriter, born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. She uses her music as a way to spread messages of hope to her people and express the experiences in her life. Mireya has been a featured performer for the Xicana Moratorium, The Courage Awards- Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice (CURYJ) 5-Year Gala, Reclaiming Cinco de Mayo, and the California Alliance for Youth and Community Justice Convening. She thrives to help build a better community around her and for future generations.

Home grown in the Bayview, Aleja Cobarruviaz is an 11th grade Queen in training. She finds solace in writing, rhyming, and producing. She is also a published author in two different publications.  Her passions include: reading comic books, rapping, mixing and producing music as well as being a participant in the Artists as Activist Class at her high school. She is founder and co-leader of the Hip Hop is Culture Club at the Bay School of San Francisco. She wants to be a scriptwriter, director, and actor for DC Comics.

Joey B. Gomez is an 18 year-old aspiring artist. He’s in search of new opportunities in order to create a better way of living.  He was born and raised in San Francisco and wishes to share past experiences with those who have faced similar situations. Making a difference in at least one person’s life is his main priority.

MADlines aka Maddy Clifford is a rapper, educator and activist. She has been teaching poetry workshops at the San Francisco Juvenile Justice Center for the past four years.  She is also part of a band called FR333 and is co-founder of BrujaLyfe, a curatorial platform that throws concerts, leads workshops and facilitates healing forums.  madlinesinfo.com

Ozi Magaña is a Bay Area fine artist and illustrator. He draws upon the energy, experience and aesthetic of his environment and community to create imaginative pieces. His work has appeared in galleries in Denver, Oakland and San Francisco. ozimagana.com

Chris “L7” Cuadrado is a poet, MC, hip hop producer, photographer, graphic artist, director, and community organizer from Inglewood CA, currently based in Santa Cruz, CA. L7 centers his community and oppressed people’s within his work and seeks to challenge and dismantle structures/systems of power that reproduce our oppression. Follow: Lsiete.tumblr.com & https://soundcloud.com/lsiete