Taco Shop Poets
Encyclopedia
Taco Shop Poets is the name of a poetry
and spoken word
collective
formed in 1994 at a Poetry Series, Taco Shop Poetry',' hosted by Adolfo Guzman-Lopez at the Centro Cultural de la Raza
in Balboa Park, San Diego. It grew to a collective of over 30 poets, band members and performance artists based at El Campo Ruse on 16th St. in Downtown San Diego's East Village.
and hip-hop influences. The collective's legacy is recognized worldwide and has spawned numerous copy-cat groups across the USA.
In 2002, members of the Taco Shop Poets and other like-minded individuals collaborated to create an artistic space to house and develop art. This developed into the non-profit organization, Voz Alta Project
. Although the poets as a collective are no longer active on Voz Alta's board, most members participate in the Voz Alta movement as it continues to host events and artists.
The Taco Shop Poets are inactive as a collective, however each of the members are involved with performing or educating throughout the USA or abroad.
by the same name featuring performances of some of the writings contained in the book was also released that year by Calaca Press. In 2004, a second compact disc featuring offerings from Raul R. Salinas and José Montoya
titled Intersections was released.
In addition, many members have ventured out and have releases on their own. Among these are:
Adrian Arancibia
:
- "Atacama Poems" - Paperback Release (2007, Sunbelt)
Bennie Herron under the alias of Eclipse Heru:
- "Microcrusifiction" - Audio CD (1994. FDI)
- "Bak 2 Tha Future" - Audio CD (1995, FDI)
- "Seed-n-Soil" - Audio CD (circa 1999(?), Independent Release)
- "Churches and Liquor Stores Vol. 1" - Audio CD (2003, On1Ent)
Paul Phruksukarn under the alias of ThaiMex:
- "Intuition is the Key" - Audio CD (1999, Infinite Shades Music)
- "Blind Issues" - Audio CD (2000, Infinite Shades Music)
- "No Luciano Just a Drum and a Piano" - Audio CD (2001, Infinite Shades Music)
- "Brand New Starts" - Audio CD (2009)
Tomás Riley:
- "Message From the New For Real" - Audio CD (2002, Independent Release)
- "Mahcic: Selected Poems" - Paperback Release (2005, Calaca Press)
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
and spoken word
Spoken word
Spoken word is a form of poetry that often uses alliterated prose or verse and occasionally uses metered verse to express social commentary. Traditionally it is in the first person, is from the poet’s point of view and is themed in current events....
collective
Collective
A collective is a group of entities that share or are motivated by at least one common issue or interest, or work together on a specific project to achieve a common objective...
formed in 1994 at a Poetry Series, Taco Shop Poetry',' hosted by Adolfo Guzman-Lopez at the Centro Cultural de la Raza
Centro Cultural de la Raza
The Centro Cultural de la Raza is a non-profit organization with the specific mission to create, preserve, promote and educate about Chicano, Mexicano, Indigenous and Latino art and culture...
in Balboa Park, San Diego. It grew to a collective of over 30 poets, band members and performance artists based at El Campo Ruse on 16th St. in Downtown San Diego's East Village.
History and work
The Taco Shop Poets are often credited with single-handedly reviving, redefining, and revolutionizing spoken word . They employed a very aggressive style of guerilla poetry noted for its improvisational nature and combining punkPunk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and hip-hop influences. The collective's legacy is recognized worldwide and has spawned numerous copy-cat groups across the USA.
In 2002, members of the Taco Shop Poets and other like-minded individuals collaborated to create an artistic space to house and develop art. This developed into the non-profit organization, Voz Alta Project
Voz Alta Project
The Voz Alta Project is a multi-disciplinary art space in San Diego, California, USA, originally founded in 2002 by the Taco Shop Poets. The Taco Shop Poets aimed to create a venue that would help in cultivating the next wave of Latino, Mexican, Chicana/o and border region artists...
. Although the poets as a collective are no longer active on Voz Alta's board, most members participate in the Voz Alta movement as it continues to host events and artists.
The Taco Shop Poets are inactive as a collective, however each of the members are involved with performing or educating throughout the USA or abroad.
Releases
A compilation of selected writings was released in 1999 by the Taco Shop Poets titled Chorizo Tonguefire. A compact discCompact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
by the same name featuring performances of some of the writings contained in the book was also released that year by Calaca Press. In 2004, a second compact disc featuring offerings from Raul R. Salinas and José Montoya
José Montoya
José Montoya is a poet and an artist from Sacramento, California. He is one of the most influential Chicano bilingual poets. He has published many well-known poems in anthologies and magazines...
titled Intersections was released.
In addition, many members have ventured out and have releases on their own. Among these are:
Adrian Arancibia
Adrian Arancibia
Adrián Arancibia is a poet, writer, educator and, along with Adolfo Guzman-Lopez and Miguel-Angel Soria, a founding veteran of the seminal Chicano spoken-word collective the Taco Shop Poets....
:
- "Atacama Poems" - Paperback Release (2007, Sunbelt)
Bennie Herron under the alias of Eclipse Heru:
- "Microcrusifiction" - Audio CD (1994. FDI)
- "Bak 2 Tha Future" - Audio CD (1995, FDI)
- "Seed-n-Soil" - Audio CD (circa 1999(?), Independent Release)
- "Churches and Liquor Stores Vol. 1" - Audio CD (2003, On1Ent)
Paul Phruksukarn under the alias of ThaiMex:
- "Intuition is the Key" - Audio CD (1999, Infinite Shades Music)
- "Blind Issues" - Audio CD (2000, Infinite Shades Music)
- "No Luciano Just a Drum and a Piano" - Audio CD (2001, Infinite Shades Music)
- "Brand New Starts" - Audio CD (2009)
Tomás Riley:
- "Message From the New For Real" - Audio CD (2002, Independent Release)
- "Mahcic: Selected Poems" - Paperback Release (2005, Calaca Press)
Poets
- Adolfo Guzman-Lopez
- Adrian ArancibiaAdrian ArancibiaAdrián Arancibia is a poet, writer, educator and, along with Adolfo Guzman-Lopez and Miguel-Angel Soria, a founding veteran of the seminal Chicano spoken-word collective the Taco Shop Poets....
- Tomás Riley
- Miguel-Angel SoriaMiguel-Angel SoriaMiguel-Angel Soria is a Chicano community artist–activist from San Diego, California. He sometimes goes by the pen-name osokodiako. Raised a few blocks from Tijuana's Avenida Revolucion, he and his family eventually arrived on the U.S. side and settled in the San Ysidro–Nestor area of San...
- AluristaAluristaAlurista is the nom de plume of Alberto Baltazar Urista Heredia , a Chicano poet and activist.-Youth and education:...
- James WattsJames WattsJames Watts may refer to:* James Watts , Wales international rugby union player* James Watts , Conservative Member of Parliament for Manchester Moss Side 1959–1961* James W...
- Waldo Lopez
- Karleen Pendelton-Jimenez
- Manuel Mancillas
- Lin Romero
- Zopilote
- Esmeralda Jimenez
- Victor Payan
- Jahsun Edmonds
- Pat Payne
- Felicia Fahey
- Bennie Herron aka Eklipse
- Paul Phruksukarn aka ThaiMex
Musicians
- Kevin P. Green
- Michael Figgins
- Angel Nevarez
- Lenon Honor
- Skip Howlette
- Paul Hernandez
- Nick Carvajal
- Cameron Jasper
- Bourbon LeMond
- Andy Burton
- Bob Green (percussionist)
- Anthony Rock McGinty (percussion)
- Dante Mejia (percussion)
Notable Collaborations
- Los IllegalsLos IllegalsLos Illegals is an American Chicano punk band from Los Angeles, California.- History :The band struck a deal with the local order of radical Catholic nuns to open & run the legendary Club Vex at the Catholic Youth building where they booked & introduced Eastside to Westside groups Los Illegals is...
- Quincy TroupeQuincy TroupeQuincy Thomas Troupe, Jr., , is a poet, editor, journalist-Early life:The son of Negro League baseball catcher Quincy Trouppe , Troupe Jr. attended Grambling State University on a baseball scholarship...
- Raul R Salinas
- José MontoyaJosé MontoyaJosé Montoya is a poet and an artist from Sacramento, California. He is one of the most influential Chicano bilingual poets. He has published many well-known poems in anthologies and magazines...
- Lalo AlcarazLalo AlcarazLalo Alcaraz is an Mexican-American cartoonist. He is most known for being the author of the comic La Cucaracha, the first nationally syndicated, politically themed Latino daily comic strip. Launched in 2002, La Cucaracha has become one of the most controversial in the history of American comic...
- Willie PerdomoWillie Perdomo-Overview:Willie Perdomo is a prize-winning Nuyorican poet and children's book author. He is the author of Where a Nickel Costs a Dime , Postcards of El Barrio , and Smoking Lovely , which received a PEN American Center Beyond Margins Award...
- The B-Side Players
- Agua Dulce
- DJ Buddha (Husky Boy All Stars)
- Fran IlichFran IlichFran Ilich is a Mexican writer and media artist who principally works on the theory and practice of narrative media. During the early 1990s he co-founded the Contra-Cultura collective and was involved in the independent media scene in Tijuana -- mainly the cyberpunk scene -- where he was known to...