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Looking Back at the Week: April 12-18

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Compiled by Brent E. Beltrán

This week’s edition of Looking Back at the Week features articles, toons and poetry by San Diego Free Press and OB Rag regulars, irregulars, columnists, at-large contributors, sourced writers and poets on National Poetry Month, the fight for $15, Equal Pay Day, CivicSD, the answer is love, PLACAS, literary giant Eduardo Galeano’s passing, barrio dancers, school districts hoodwinked by Wall St., SDLFF wrap-up, corporate water hogs, and a sandcastle full of beach news from OB.   [Read more…]

Playwright Paul S. Flores’ PLACAS: The Most Dangerous Tattoo is Coming to San Diego

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Part Two of a Two Part Interview with the Former Chula Vistan and UCSD Student

By Brent E. Beltrán

For Part I of the interview please visit.

In this second installment of my two part interview with playwright Paul S. Flores he discusses the founding of Los Delicados, what poetry means to him, his novel Along The Border Lies, what attracted him to theatre, his play PLACAS: The Most Dangerous Tattoo, the casting of Culture Clash’s Ric Salinas in the lead role, the outreach for the play, him being named a Doris Duke Artist, and what advice he’d give to fledgling minority writers.   [Read more…]

Playwright Paul S. Flores Brings PLACAS to San Diego

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Part One of a Two Part Interview with the Former Chula Vistan and UCSD Student

By Brent E. Beltrán

Writer Paul S. Flores grew up in Chula Vista and attended UCSD. He moved to San Francisco to pursue his Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. While there he immersed himself in the Bay Area arts/activist scene, helped found Youth Speaks, co-founded the irreverent poetry troupe Los Delicados, wrote an award winning novel, Along The Border Lies, wrote and performed his original plays, had children, and was recently named a Doris Duke Artist. His play PLACAS: The Most Dangerous Tattoo is touring California with a stop in San Diego April 23-25.

I met Paul, along with his Delicado compatriots, at a Floricanto Festival in San Jose in 1999 while publisher of the grassroots literary publishing house Calaca Press. In 2000, Calaca Press produced the spoken word CD anthology, Raza Spoken Here 2, which featured their poem Presente! In 2001 Calaca released their full length CD, Word Descarga. Since then Paul has gone on to do some tremendous literary work.   [Read more…]

This is for…

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By Brent E. Beltrán

This is for those that came before
The ones that paved the way
Blazed the trail
And beat the path

This is for he, she
You, me
Everybody in this neighborhood
         We

This is for the park builders
The pillar painters
Sculpture makers
Cactus garden caretakers   [Read more…]

Looking Back at the Week: April 5-11

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Compiled by Brent E. Beltrán

This week’s edition of Looking Back at the Week features articles, toons and poetry by San Diego Free Press and OB Rag regulars, irregulars, columnists, at-large contributors, sourced writers and poets on right wing bigots, Todd Gloria’s next race, police murder in SC, TPP, Russian roulette with water, Chavez photo murals, Extreme Weather Watch, Alliance SD supporting president on immigrants, Mexicali Chinese, plus lots of goodies from OB and literature for National Poetry Month.   [Read more…]

Photo Murals Honoring Cesar Chavez Installed in Barrio Logan

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What could have been an ugly structure will now become an important part of the community

By Brent E. Beltrán

This week photo murals depicting late labor leader Cesar Chavez have gone up on a new parking structure in Barrio Logan. The structure, located on the corner of Cesar Chavez Parkway and National Avenue, will be fitted with eight different photo murals “reflecting and honoring the life and work” of the United Farmworker co-founder.

Carlos LeGerrette, activist, photographer and originator of the Cesar Chavez Service Clubs, was instrumental in making the photo murals a reality through his historic and extensive photo collection of Cesar Chavez and the UFW.

“We worked with LeGerrette and other community members through a series of collaborative meetings to determine which images of Cesar Chavez should be displayed on the facility,” said Rudy Kastelic, Interim President at San Diego Continuing Education. “We have been serving the Barrio Logan community since the 70s and we’ve had ‘good neighbor’ relationships with Barrio Station, Cesar Chavez Service Clubs and other organizations in the community that we wanted to include in our building process.”   [Read more…]

Looking Back at the Week: March 29-April 4

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Compiled by Brent E. Beltrán

This week’s edition of Looking Back at the Week features articles by San Diego Free Press and OB Rag regulars, irregulars, columnists, at-large contributors, sourced writers and poets on National Poetry Month, Steve Kowit, Indiana’s religious freedumb law, Sea World going Scientology, Cali’s drought, the fight for $15, baseball, needing empathy, Lena Horne, Ayotzinapa march, nuclear news, and lots of articles from/for our friends in OB.   [Read more…]

SDFP to Commemorate National Poetry Month Throughout April

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Hail Pachuco! by raúlrsalinas Kicks It Off

By Brent E. Beltrán

April is National Poetry Month and us litera-locos y locas at San Diego Free Press are celebrating by, once again, posting poetry and poetry/spoken word videos throughout the month.

I have been tasked with curating this internet exhibition of verse. I don’t consider myself a poet (though I confess I’ve written a few poems) but I do know many through my days of publishing while co-owner of Calaca Press.

Calaca published dozens of mostly Latino poets and writers over 13 years. Among those published were Chicano literary icons such as alurista, Francisco X. Alarcón, Abelardo “Lalo” Delgado and my mentor, raúlrsalinas, as well as local scribes like the Taco Shop Poets, Francisco J. Bustos, Michael Cheno Wickert, Ken10 and Viet Mai. Recently I’ve helped North County writer Sonia Gutierrez and LA scribe Iris De Anda self publish their first tomes of poetry.

Though not schooled in the literary arts literature has always been near and dear to my heart. Being able to artistically sling words together is a true craft that must be honed like any other.   [Read more…]

Looking Back at the Week: March 22-28

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Compiled by Brent E. Beltrán

This week’s edition of Looking Back at the Week features articles by San Diego Free Press and OB Rag regulars, irregulars, columnists, at-large contributors and sourced writers on the “Death for Gays” initiative, marijuana legalization, easier voting, Civic San Diego, evil SD Bay monster, Obamacare hypocrite Ted Cruz, an ode to the Surfing Madonna, the criminal HBSC, California’s drought, Zurbarán and Sorolla, Uptown Planners hating on cyclists, Donna Frye on open government and a tsunami of Ocean Beach news.   [Read more…]

Looking Back at the Week: March 8-14

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Compiled by Brent E. Beltrán

This week’s edition of Looking Back at the Week features articles by San Diego Free Press and OB Rag regulars, irregulars, columnists, at-large contributors and sourced writers on the GOP’s march to madness, SD spring activism, Bonnie’s Law, Pi Day, corporate Dems going after progressive Dems, oversight of Civic SD needed, frat boys toon, barrio bakeoff, searching for local progressive history, Freep Maria Garcia honored, Caravan 43, and a half dozen pieces for our hippy friends in OB.   [Read more…]

Looking Back at the Week: March 1-7

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Compiled by Brent E. Beltrán

This week’s edition of Looking Back at the Week features articles by San Diego Free Press and OB Rag regulars, irregulars, columnists, at-large contributors and sourced writers on K-Faulc’s mediocre first year, UT buyers, climate change battles, unlikely new stadium, the Mayor’s infrastructure fantasy, The Bibi & Boehner Show, breaking the Chicago machine, deadly oil trains, SD Latino Film Festival, Civic San Diego’s roadshow, and a pierful of OB news and views.   [Read more…]

Looking Back at the Week: Feb 22-28

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Compiled by Brent E. Beltrán

This week’s edition of Looking Back at the Week features articles by San Diego Free Press and OB Rag regulars, irregulars, columnists, at-large contributors and sourced writers on the Chargers leaving narrative, crime and punishment roosting at home, gas prices on the rise, Corey Briggs, CPAC wingnuttery, Barrio Bits, adjunct profs getting screwed, Gandalf vetoes XL, Perry’s Café review, slow renewable energy conversion, happy talk Newt, the best medicine, the origins of institutionalized racism and lots of news nuggets from OB.   [Read more…]

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