#spicybrown

"I just want to tell my experiences and how I see the world. Hopefully they change some points of view or at least make people think."

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Latinas- An ode to Sandra Cisneros and Chloe, my niece

What does a woman inherit that tells her how to go? What does a woman inherit that tells her how to go? It is intelligence wrapped in poverty. A Brilliant mind humbled by life. The birth of an art, With curves she can’t hide any less than the fire in her eyes, and the passion in her voice. Born in to a world that she is destined to FIGHT because they expect Goodness but all she can give them is Goddess. Because we are Latinas. We grow up in the barrios. We run bare foot on hot gravel, and laugh and play without a care. We carry dirt on our skin but clean dreams in our hearts. Dreams that sprout…… like the rosales in the gardens our mothers water everyday Because we too have been cultivated. To be proper, to be good and obedient. But some of us, the wicked ones, our desires, our calling, well we inherit our Destiny from Aztec Divinities. We burn from the inside out, and release ours sins onto the world. Somos las tercas, the ones with a trail of broken hearts, the ones who won’t hold our tongue . We are the ones that learn how to think before we learn how to cook. Somos las hijas buenas that find our way on a path of pain. Because we reject the tradition that is right for us in exchange for the dreams that WE write for us. So…. I’m sorry mom and dad if I am yet to be domesticated. You see I’ve been busy leading the revolution against the old ways. I’m breaking down walls so my niece doesn’t have to climb in through windows. So her generation won’t question why she does things just a little bit different and call her crazy. So she can grow up in a culture where being a strong woman is not a weakness. Not that she needs any help, from the day she was born I could see that she is meant for greatness. She has a stubborn will, dramatic personality, a relentless love for drawing on walls and complete disregard for the word NO. She is different. She is one of us, an artist and a verdadera Latina. And she has achieved all of this at a very mature age of THREE. Because Goddesses are not made. We are born.

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Name: Emily Marie Sanchez

Stage Name: Spicy Brown

Age: 37

Years Active in Slam: 4

Teams You’ve Been a Member of: 0

Place from which you are traveling to get to TGS: Del Rio, Texas via Laredo

Top 5 influential poets: Wow! I can't say that I have that many. I do however have favorite writers.

Edgar Allan Poe (He was also a poet. That counts right?)

Sandra Cisneros

Paulo Coelho

Emily Dickinson (yay! another poet. I was so afraid of sharing my poetry that I aspired to be just like her.)

Ernest Hemingway

Have you been to TGS before, & if so, what are you hoping is the same/different from your previous experience?

This will be my first time at TGS and I'm psyched about the upcoming experience.

If not, what are you most looking forward to at TGS this year?

I am looking forward to meeting other creative souls and possibly be inspired to continue to pursue this Slam business.

How would you describe your writing style?

Since I enjoy Sandra's Cisneros' work I have several bilingual poems that I love.

I also have a diverse range of topics with a special interest in social disparity, and cultural influences.

I also of course write about love and its many pitfalls.

Do you consider yourself more of a writer or a performer?

I definitely consider myself a writer.

Who are you looking forward to/nervous as hell to compete against?

I am deathly frightened of competing with everyone. My stomach hurts as I write this.

What is your goal for this competition?

I just want to have a good time and not puke on stage.

What is going through your head before you get on stage?

My mind is a blank and I try to focus on not rushing my

poem but not taking too long. I also try not to make eye contact.

In other words I'm a nervous wreck.

I loved this poem you sent me! Do you feel a specific responsibility to remind the women, and more specifically the young women around you that they are powerful with your poetry?

I've always written for the purpose of self expression. I had never really given it much thought until my niece was born. She and I have a special connection. For some reason she really likes me. I am somewhat different from the rest of my family. I'm the rebellious crazy one. Lol. They love me and I love them but I'm sure they don't always understand where I'm coming from. But that little girl gets me. I suppose I see a little of myself in her although I was a bit shy when I was a kid. When I wrote Latinas I had her in mind because I hope that her rebellious ways don't get her into too much trouble or that her parents can be more accepting of her personality. That poem was tougher to perform than to write. I remember when I started memorizing it, it made my voice crack and eventually I cried. No other poem I've written has made me do that so I guess it's a special poem. If it helps other women/girls to feel powerful then I am a happy poet.

What is it like for you to perform and compete with bilingual poems, poems that not everyone will understand every word of?

This is an excellent question because I have done all my slam poetry in Laredo, Texas, where practically everyone is bilingual. I've been thinking about how it's going to work outside of South Texas but I have to be real to Spicy Brown. She's bilingual. I have always written English poetry except for one or two for my mom. I started writing bilingual poetry when I joined Laredo Border Slam. Brainstorming ideas to have a new poem every week had me looking back into my past and I stumbled upon my roots. I think the reason I never wrote in Spanish was because I don't know proper spelling and grammar of the language but with slam poetry you don't show anyone your words. You just feel them. So my first bilingual poem was called Malinche and it focused on my attraction towards blond hair, blued eyed boys. A lot of people liked it and it always makes me laugh. Overall I have had non Spanish speakers tell me that they enjoy my poetry because they get the general idea of what my poems are saying. Some have even gone as far as to research Malinche out of curiosity. TGS will be the first place I compete with bilingual poetry (not all just a few if I make it that far) outside of South Texas. I guess we will both see how it goes for me.

What do you think could be a source of strength and courage for you at this competition?

I am going to give this one to my mother. She is the strongest woman I know both physically and emotionally. She doesn't really believe in showing fear or sadness. She is an old-school Mexican mother. She's a no nonsense woman. So I don't have a choice but to just do it! But I am doing this because writing is my passion and I want to see where it leads me. I don't want to regret not making time for something like this.

How have your influential writers affected the poems that you write? Is it on the line level, or is it more about what their work aimed to do?

Well, Mr. Poe and I go way back and he had me writing my darkest poetry ever. But then again I was a hormonal teenager so I'm glad he was there to guide my inner "emo" Ha. ha. I think I take only the fact that they wrote to tell a story, to express themselves and like Sandra Cisneros, to tell it how it was in her world. I just want to tell my experiences and how I see the world. Hopefully they change some points of view or at least make people think.