Esteemed poet Jimmy Santiago Baca to speak at NNMC April 12, 2024. Photo by Gloria Graham

NNMC News:

ESPAÑOLA — The Nick Salazar Center for the Arts will present “An Evening with Jimmy Santiago Baca” on the Northern New Mexico College (NNMC) Española campus at 5 p.m., Friday, April 12, 2024.

“An Evening with Jimmy Santiago Baca” is sponsored by the Española Valley Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Regional Development Corporation (RDC) and will feature a car show by the Española Lowrider Museum Coalition, local artisan vendors, a youth dance performance by Moving Arts Española, music by Andrea Michelle Lucero and poetry readings by local renowned poets Adan Trujillo and Adan Baca followed by a one-hour reading by Jimmy Santiago Baca.

Doors will open at 5 p.m. and tacos will be served to the first 100 people by three-time Food Network champion Fernando Ruiz of Escondido. Performances begin at 6 p.m. This is a free, all-ages event.

The esteemed poet Jimmy Santiago Baca obtained his BA in 1984 and a Ph.D. in literature in 2004 from the University of New Mexico. Baca was born in Santa Fe in 1952. Abandoned by his parents, he ran away from an orphanage at age 13. Due to a drug conviction in 1973, he spent five years in prison where he learned to read and discovered his passion for poetry. As a writer whose focus is on social justice and marginalized communities in the American Southwest, he has won awards like the Pushcart Prize and the Hispanic Heritage Award. Moreover, he has spent over three decades teaching writing workshops in prisons, libraries, and universities. Baca also founded Cedar Tree in 2004 to support disadvantaged communities.

Don’t miss this opportunity to engage with a social activist poet, who has persevered through his hardships and is dedicated to giving back to his community and society.