This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. San Antonio Poet Laureate Laurie Ann Guerrero explores the lessons we inherit-intentionally or unintentionally-from the communities into which we are born, including her own. Taking the time to acknowledge and share these lessons, through the process of writing, can serve to empower even the most underestimated and/or underserved.
San Antonio Poet Laureate Laurie Ann Guerrero was born and raised in the Southside of San Antonio and is the author of three collections: A Crown for Gumecindo (forthcoming, Aztlan Libre), 2012 winner of the Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize and an International Latino Book Award; A Tongue in the Mouth of the Dying (Notre Dame Press, 2013), winner of the 2007 Panhandler Chapbook Award; and Babies Under the Skin (Panhandler 2007). A CantoMundo Fellow and member of the Macondo Writers’ Workshop, Guerrero is also the recipient of numerous honors including the Academy of American Poets Prize from Smith College and fellowships from the Alfredo Cisneros del Moral Foundation and the Artist Foundation of San Antonio. Her work has been highlighted in the LA Review of Books, The Poetry Foundation/Harriet Blog, and Poets & Writers Magazine, in which she was named one of ten top, emerging poets in 2014. Guerrero's work has appeared in Huizache, Texas Monthly, Bellevue Review, Women's Studies Quarterly, Chicana/Latina Studies, Feminist Studies and others. Guerrero holds a B.A. in English Language & Literature from Smith College and an MFA in poetry from Drew University.
About TEDx, x = independently organized event In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)