Yosimar Reyes Explained

Yosimar Reyes
Birth Date:22 September 1988
Birth Place:Guerrero, Mexico
Occupation:Poet, Performer, Activist, Public Intellectual
Language:English, Spanish
Alma Mater:San Francisco State University
Notableworks:For Colored Boys Who Speak Softly, Prieto
Years Active:2004 - present

Yosimar Reyes (born September 22, 1988) is a Mexican-born poet and activist. He is a queer[1] undocumented immigrant who was born in Guerrero, Mexico, and raised in East San Jose, California. Reyes has been described as "a voice that shines light on the issues affecting queer immigrants in the U.S. and throughout the world."[2]

Reyes centers queer, working class, and immigrant themes in his work. He has been a guest speaker at numerous universities, community organizations, and cultural institutions including Stanford University, UCLA,[3] Princeton University,[4] the San Francisco Public Library, the Park Avenue Armory,[5] the Aspen Institute,[6] the University of Pennsylvania,[7] Harvard University,[8] and the North American Literary and Cultural Studies department at Saarland University in Germany.[9]

As of 2024, Reyes is the inaugural Performing Artist in Residence at Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana (MACLA), where he curates "performing arts programs [that uplift] the work of contemporary Chicanx/Latinx artists,"[10] Border Futures Artist at the Center for Cultural Power,[11] Creative Ambassador for the City of San José,[12] and 2024-25 Santa Clara County Poet Laureate.[13] [14] From 2016 to 2018, he served as Arts Fellow at Define American,[15] a media and culture organization founded by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas which "uses the power of stories to [...] shift the conversation around immigrants, identity and citizenship in a changing America." He also previously served as Public Programs Coordinator at La Galería de la Raza[16] in San Francisco.

Early life and education

Reyes was born on September 22, 1988, in Atoyac de Álvarez, Guerrero, Mexico. At age 3, he migrated to the United States with his family.[17] Raised in East San Jose,[18] he came out to his family and community at the age of 16.[19]

Reyes attended Latino College Preparatory Academy, where he was awarded his high school diploma in 2006.[20] After briefly attending Evergreen Valley College, he received a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University in 2015.[21]

Career

Reyes began performing his poetry at 16 years old[22] upon realizing the power of language after being called “joto,” a derogatory Spanish term used to refer to gay men.

Reyes' first publication was the result of his winning first place in a writing competition in San Jose.[19] At age 17, he won the title for the 2005 South Bay Teen Grand SLAM Champion, repeating his win in 2006.[19] In 2007, he was featured in a Youth Speaks documentary titled 2nd Verse: the Rebirth of Poetry.[23]

In 2009, he self-published his first chapbook, For Colored Boys Who Speak Softly, which garnered national and international acclaim. Musicians Carlos Santana and Harry Belafonte were early champions of Reyes' work.[24]

He has been anthologized in the collections Mariposas: A Modern Anthology of Queer Latino Poetry (Floricanto Press); Queer in Aztlán: Chicano Male Recollections of Consciousness and Coming Out[25] (Cognella Press); and Joto: An Anthology of Queer Xicano & Chicano Poetry (Kórima Press), and Somewhere We Are Human: Authentic Voices on Migration, Survival, and New Beginnings (HarperCollins).[26] [27] He and his work have also been featured in The Atlantic,[28] the Huffington Post,[29] Medium,[30] Remezcla,[31] VICE,[32] and Teen Vogue.[33] [34]

In June 2016, Reyes premiered a solo staged reading of Prieto, his first autobiographical play, in collaboration with Guerrilla Rep Theater, Galería de la Raza, and Define American.[35] In Prieto, Reyes recounts his younger self's understanding of his dual queer and undocumented identity.[36] Prieto premiered at the Brava Theater in San Francisco in September 2022[37] and later toured to Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana (MACLA)[38] and the Chicago Shakespeare Theater.[39]

Reyes was awarded an Undocupoets fellowship by Sibling Rivalry Press in 2017[40] and an Emerging Writers' fellowship in playwriting by Lambda Literary in 2018.[41] Reyes' poem "Paisa" was featured in the eponymous short film directed by Dorian Wood and Graham Kolbeins in 2019.

During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Reyes launched his virtual #YosiBookClub and IG Live Writers' Series wherein he interviews prominent Latino authors in an effort to demystify the creative process. Among interviewees have been celebrated Mexican-American journalist Maria Hinojosa, playwright and USC professor Luis Alfaro, Vida TV series creator Tanya Saracho, National Book Award finalist Kali Fajardo-Anstine, BuzzFeed contributor Curly Velasquez, former Goldman Sachs executive Julissa Arce, and noted poets Yesika Salgado, Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, Walter Thompson-Hernández, and Javier Zamora.[42] [43]

In addition to his literary practice, Reyes has curated or participated in multidisciplinary art exhibitions, including Homegirrlz: Demos and Remixes, Migrating Sexualities: Unspoken Stories of Land, Body and Sex,[44] We Never Needed Papers to Thrive,[45] #UndocuJoy,[46] In Plain Sight[47] and Creatives in Place.[48] [49] In 2020, Reyes was awarded a $25,000 Catalyst for Change grant from the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC) to undertake Writing Home, a collaboration with 15 undocumented artists and advocacy organizations that "seek[s] to shift the public, citizen imagination around undocumented individuals."[50] In 2021, he was the recipient of a $10,000 MACLA Cultura Power Fellowship, which supports "Latinx artists who are actively working to advance a more just and equitable society through their art making practices."[51] In 2022, the San José Museum of Art acquired Yosi con Abuela, a portrait of Reyes and his grandmother by artist Rafa Esparza, for its permanent collection. [52]

In summer 2024, Reyes traveled to México for the second time under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Advance Parole program for DACA recipients. There, he was recognized by the LXI Legislature of the Congress of the Free and Sovereign State of Puebla “for his contribution and commitment to the challenges faced by women [and the promotion of cultural identity, global governance, migration, and international affairs.”]

As a co-founder of La Maricolectiva,[53] [54] a grassroots performance community, Reyes created a platform for queer, undocumented poets and creatives. He is also associated with DreamersAdrift.[55]

In solidarity with the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, Reyes educated the US Latino and undocumented communities on anti-blackness and systematic racism in Spanish via Univision and radio programs.[56]

Reyes has been recognized as one of "13 LGBT Latinos Changing the World" by The Advocate[57] as well as a member of the OUT100[58] by Out Magazine.

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. News: Queer Undocumented Poet Yosimar Reyes Doesn't Care About Impressing Racists. 2018-08-09. Vice. 2018-12-02. en-us.
  2. http://evolutionaryproductions.com/behind_the_scenes/for-colored-boys-who-speak-softly/ For Colored Boys Who Speak Softly
  3. Yessica Frias http://www.studenteventfinder.com/event.php?e=506651762722273 “Guelaguetza” ‘’Student Event Finder’ June 2, 2013
  4. Web site: Documenting Joy: Shifting Narratives in Undocumented Storytelling with Yosimar Reyes. LGBT Center — Princeton University. en-US. 2017-09-13.
  5. Web site: 2017 Conversation Series : Program & Events : Park Avenue Armory. Park Avenue Armory. 2017-12-07.
  6. Web site: Yosimar Reyes Aspen Ideas Festival. Aspen Ideas Festival. en. 2017-12-07.
  7. Web site: Dolores Huerta Lecture in conversation with Yosimar Reyes Latin American and Latinx Studies Program. 2020-09-24. lals.sas.upenn.edu.
  8. Web site: Yosimar Reyes. 2020-06-15. dacaseminar.fas.harvard.edu. en.
  9. Web site: Amerikanistik: Events. 2020-06-15. www.amerikanistik.uni-saarland.de.
  10. Web site: MACLA . Join us in welcoming MACLA's first ever Performing Artist in Residence (PAIR), Yosimar Reyes! . May 24, 2023 . May 24, 2023 . Instagram . en.
  11. Web site: Instagram . 2024-01-19 . www.instagram.com.
  12. Web site: News City of San José . 2024-01-18 . www.sanjoseca.gov . en.
  13. Web site: 2024-01-25 . Yosimar Reyes Appointed Santa Clara County Poet Laureate by Board of Supervisors for 2024-25 . 2024-01-26 . sccld.org . en-US.
  14. News: Holtzclaw . Barry . New Poet Laureate: Yosimar Reyes . February 1, 2024 . . January 31, 2024.
  15. Web site: Our Team. www.defineamerican.com. 2016-03-31.
  16. Web site: Galería de la Raza: Rentals. galeriadelaraza.org. 2016-03-31.
  17. Web site: The Immigration Ruling Is Another Hit Against Queer Latinos. 2016-06-27. 2016-06-27.
  18. News: A Barrio dreamer's poetry: S.J. man's verse has caught attention, but can it pay bills?. April 21, 2009. San Jose Mercury News. 10 June 2013.
  19. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AAbUewEBRw Yosimar Reyes entrevista para Rutas Creativas
  20. Web site: 2009-04-16. Rodriguez: Poor, brown and gay: Poetry makes Reyes' day, can it pay?. 2021-06-02. The Mercury News. en-US.
  21. Web site: Marquez. Stacy. 2018-03-21. UndocuQueer artists tackle media representation and empowerment. 2021-06-02. The Daily Aztec.
  22. Web site: Finding Life's Poetry with Yosimar Reyes. Savard. Molly. 2018-07-10. Shondaland. en-US. 2018-12-10.
  23. Web site: 2nd Verse, the rebirth of poetry. 2ndversefilm.com. 2018-03-15.
  24. Web site: 2009-04-16. Rodriguez: Poor, brown and gay: Poetry makes Reyes' day, can it pay?. 2020-06-16. The Mercury News. en-US.
  25. Book: Queer in Aztlán: Chicano male recollections of consciousness and coming out. Del Castillo. Adelaida R. Güido. Gibrán. 2014-01-01. Cognella Academic. 9781621318057. [San Diego, CA]. en. 875186264.
  26. Web site: Somewhere We Are Human . 2022-06-18 . HarperCollins . en.
  27. Web site: Yosimar Reyes Bio. Things I'll Never Say. 2016-03-31.
  28. News: What Mentorship Can Mean to Undocumented Immigrants. O'Donnell. B.R.J.. The Atlantic. 2017-12-07. en-US.
  29. News: This Spoken Word Poem Is A Beautiful Love Letter To 'Undocumented People'. Herreria. Carla. 2017-09-03. Huffington Post. 2017-12-07. en-US.
  30. Web site: Goodwill Trucks. Reyes. Yosimar. 2016-09-02. Yosimar Reyes. 2017-12-07.
  31. News: 10 Up and Coming Latinx Poets You Need to Know. Remezcla. 2017-12-07. en-US.
  32. Web site: Nunez. Yazmin. 2018-08-09. Queer Undocumented Poet Yosimar Reyes Doesn't Care About Impressing Racists. 2020-06-15. Vice. en.
  33. News: Undocumented People Are MUCH More Than the Stories You're Told About Them. Reyes. Yosimar. Teen Vogue. 2017-12-07. en.
  34. News: In a "Nation of Immigrants," Who Chooses Who Belongs?. Reyes. Yosimar. Teen Vogue. 2018-03-15. en.
  35. Web site: Galería de la Raza globalgalleryguide.saatchigallery.com. 2016-06-15. www.saatchigallery.com. 2016-06-18.
  36. Web site: INTO: A Digital Magazine for The Modern Queer World. www.intomore.com. en. 2018-12-02.
  37. Web site: Prieto . 2022-09-30 . Brava for Women in the Arts . en-US.
  38. Web site: Prieto at MACLA - MACLA . 2022-10-21 . en-US.
  39. Web site: Chicago Shakespeare Theater: Prieto . 2024-01-18 . www.chicagoshakes.com.
  40. Web site: Undocupoets. 2020-06-16. Siblingrivalrypress. en.
  41. Web site: Yosimar Reyes Lambda Literary. 2020-06-16. en.
  42. Web site: Yosimar Reyes (@yosirey) • Instagram photos and videos. 2020-06-15. www.instagram.com. en.
  43. Web site: The Book Club Expanding the Latinx Literary Canon — One Conversation at a Time. 2020-06-17. KQED. en-us.
  44. Web site: Galería de la Raza: Exhibition: Studio 24 - Migrating Sexuality: Unspoken Stories of Land, Body and Sex. 2016-03-31. www.galeriadelaraza.org.
  45. News: Saldivar. Steve. 2017-03-05. At Boyle Heights arts show 'We Never Needed Papers to Thrive,' immigrants are the focus — and the stars. en-US. Los Angeles Times. 2017-12-07. 0458-3035.
  46. News: Flipping the Narrative of the Undocumented from Pain to Joy. en-us. KQED Arts. 2018-02-16.
  47. Web site: Yosimar Reyes - #XMAP: In Plain Sight. 2020-07-09. Yosimar Reyes - #XMAP: In Plain Sight. en-US.
  48. Web site: Crawford. Iris M.. 2021-02-01. Creatives in Place asks: What do artists need to survive and thrive in the Bay Area?. 2021-02-02. San Francisco Chronicle. en-US.
  49. Web site: Yosimar Reyes. 2021-02-02. Creatives In Place. en-US.
  50. Web site: Program. Grants. 2020-11-18. Yosimar Reyes. 2020-11-23. NALAC. en-US.
  51. Web site: Artist Fellowship Program 2021 - MACLA. 2021-03-15. en-US.
  52. Web site: Evergreen: Art from the Collection . 2022-10-21 . San José Museum of Art . en.
  53. Web site: La Maricolectiva Student Of Color Conference 2010. 2016-03-31.
  54. Web site: Yosimar Reyes. 2018-12-02. dacaseminar.fas.harvard.edu. en.
  55. Web site: "The Ashes" by Yosimar Reyes DreamersAdrift. 2016-03-31. dreamersadrift.com.
  56. Web site: Univision. "Muchas veces se enfocan en lo negativo": escritor sobre el papel de los medios de comunicación en las protestas. 2020-06-15. Univision. es.
  57. Web site: 2015-09-28. 13 LGBT Latinos Changing the World. 2020-06-16. www.advocate.com. en.
  58. News: OUT100 2017. 2017-11-08. 2017-12-07. en.
  59. Web site: Mariposas. www.floricantopress.com. 2016-03-31.
  60. Web site: For Colored Boys Who Speak Softly. Goodreads. 2016-03-31.
  61. Web site: La Lunada : Marc David Pinate : 9781451577310. Depository. Book. www.bookdepository.com. 2016-03-31.
  62. Web site: Queer in Aztlán. Cognella. 2016-03-31.
  63. Book: King, Nia. Queer and Trans Artists of Color: Stories of Some of Our Lives. 2014-06-05. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. 9781492215646. Mikalson. Terra. en. Glennon-Zukoff. Jessica.
  64. Web site: Amorcito Maricon Author - Kórima Press. korimapress.com. 2016-03-31.
  65. Book: Fathers, Fathering, and Fatherhood: Queer Chicano/Mexicano Desire and Belonging. 2021. Palgrave Macmillan. 978-3-030-60876-7. Castillo. Adelaida R. Del. Palgrave Studies in Literary Anthropology. en. Güido. Gibrán.
  66. Web site: "Prieto", Autobiographical Solo Show by Yosimar Reyes. SF Weekly. 2016-06-20.

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