Poetry slam returns to Cal Lutheran

(THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – April 1, 2016) Mexican-American spoken-word artist David A. Romero and award-winning slam poet Matt Sedillo will co-host the return of the audience-participation Poetry Slam at California Lutheran University Thursday, April 21.

Poets will share their latest works from 5 to 7 p.m. in the William Rolland Gallery of Fine Art. Audience reactions will determine the winners and gift cards will be awarded as prizes.

All styles are welcome for the Poetry Slam, and the public is encouraged to attend and participate. Poets can read poems or recite them from memory, but they must be their own works. There is no fee to enter and no previous experience is necessary.

A resident of Diamond Bar, Romero has performed on many college campuses throughout the country including Arizona State University, Drexel University in Philadelphia and UCLA. He has appeared multiple times on KPFK 90.7 FM Los Angeles, has opened for Latin Grammy–winning bands Ozomatli and La Santa Cecilia, and was the second poet to be featured on the YouTube channel All Def Digital. He has won the Uptown Slam at the historic Green Mill in Chicago, the city where the poetry slam started in 1984.

Romero’s poetry deals with family, identity, Latino culture and social justice issues. His work was selected for Arte Latino Now 2015 at Queen’s University of Charlotte in North Carolina. A workshop created by Romero, “Last Words: Giving Victims a Voice,” was presented at the National Conference on Race & Ethnicity in American Higher Education 2014 in Indianapolis. He earned a bachelor’s degree in film and philosophy from the University of Southern California.

Sedillo is a two-time national slam poet, grand slam champion of the Damn Slam Los Angeles 2011 and the author of the 2010 book of poems “For What I Might Do Tomorrow.” His poetry has been published in anthologies alongside such literary figures as Amiri Baraka, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Jack Hirschman and Luis Rodriguez.

He writes from the vantage point of a second-generation Chicano born in an era of diminishing opportunities and a crumbling economy. His writing – a fearless, challenging and at times even confrontational blend of humor, history and political theory – is a reflection of those realities.

Admission is free. The gallery is located in William Rolland Stadium, which is north of Olsen Road near Mountclef Boulevard on the Thousand Oaks campus. It is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. For more information, contact curator Rachel Schmid at rollandgallery@callutheran.edu or 805-493-3697 or visit CalLutheran.edu/rolland.