By the People for the People.
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Happy National Poetry Month!
April is National Poetry Month! Celebrate by reading one (or all!) of these 12 poets and their collections. You can find their collections in store or online at Bookshop.org in our curated list.
Here Are the Tears I You We Didn’t Cry by Vianney Harelly
You Will Know Our Name by Gracie Azua
Santa Tarantula by Jordan Pérez
This is the Honey by Kwame Alexander
The Moon That Turns You Back by Hala Alyan
The Yearning Feed by Manuel Paul Lopez
Bluets by Maggie Nelson
Survival Takes A Wild Imagination by Fariha Róisín
Sage by Marilyn Chin
Promises of Gold by Jose Olivarez
Black Queer Hoe by Britteney Black Rose Kapri
Selena Didn’t Know Spanish Either by Marisa Tirado
For more poetry collections we love, check out our Bookshop.org list here!
Reading the Deck with Author Christopher Marmolejo: RED TAROT Book Launch
Basking in soft red lights and the glow of prayer candles, Libélula’s team hosted the book launch of RED TAROT: A DECOLONIAL GUIDE TO DIVINATORY LITERACY by Christopher Marmolejo. Readers and supporters of Marmolejo’s writing and practice gathered to eat vegan tamales (shoutout @setamales) and listen to readings connected to a thoughtful Q&A hosted by Jesi, co-owner of Libélula.
From the book’s description, RED TAROT is described as “a radical praxis and decolonized oracle that moves beyond self-help and divination to reclaim tarot for liberation, self-determination, and collective healing.” During the discussion, readers gained more insight into Marmolejo’s development of this praxis and their writing process: the ways they struggled to produce the text, the people and spaces they received affirmation and support, their ever-evolving research process. A large part of their praxis includes cultivating an anticolonial, antiracist, and anti-institutional perspective so that the divine and cultural work can come together. To do this, Marmolejo traced a lineage of liberation movements that shared those subversive roots, and paved the way for this type of text. Drawing from Toni Morrison, José Esteban Muñoz, bell hooks, Cherie Moraga, Gloria Anzaldua, Paulo Freire, and others, Marmolejo treats each card as an archive whose interpretations offer a new mode of literacy for those othered for their identity and perspectives.
An important question offered by Jesi was, “Why red?” To quote Marmolejo, red is an “Indigenous marker;” it not only signifies and signals the colonial rupture that drives a wedge between Latine folks and their own indigeneity, but it aspires toward the very transgression and resistance that will repair said rupture. RED TAROT seeks to expand our understanding of literacy, and who is considered literate. More than this, Marmolejo puts forth an innovative mode that requires us to look inward so that we may connect with one another in new spiritual ways.
RED TAROT IS OUT NOW! You can find a copy of RED TAROT in store at Libélula Books & Co., or order it through Bookshop using Libélula Books as your favorite bookstore.
Learn more about what Christopher Marmolejo is up to on their website and sign up for their newsletter, The Red Read.
Upcoming Events
LA TINY ART GALLERY PRESENTS: PANCA
Saturday, April 13th, 2024
12:00PM to 6:00PM
Join us for our next installation debut in La Tiny Art Gallery, featuring PANCA. Panca, or Paola Villaseñor is a first-generation local artist, muralist, and illustrator based in San Diego and Tijuana.
Learn more about their current and upcoming projects on their Instagram, @aypanca.
BARRIO ART CRAWL
Saturday, April 13th, 2024
ALL DAY!
Join the Barrio Art Crawl team and get to know Logan Avenue’s venues for art, music, and culture. Learn more @barrioartcrawl on Instagram.
CHICANO PARK FUNDRAISER
Aztlan Libre, 2076 Logan Ave, San Diego, CA 92113
Saturday, April 13th, 2024
3:00PM to 8:00PM
Support this fundraiser art show for the Chicano Park Steering Committee! Enjoy Barrio Logan’s arte, musica, y cultura, including music from local artists DJ Kuts, Skreemn Meme, and DJ Sholove. First 50 attendees get a free sticker!
LGBTQ+ CENTERED QUIT-NIC WORKSHOP
54TH CHICANO PARK DAY COMMEMORATION
INDIE BOOKSTORE DAY
SAN DIEGO BOOK CRAWL
Everything in the shop is for sale (except the cats!). Find your next favorite book, zine, art piece, or fun trinket during your first stop of the San Diego Book Crawl.
Miss out on our last post? Click here for last month's scoop!
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Thanks for reading,
dani