Quién Es Tu Gente: The Poets of the RGV
Words by Nina Alegre
Edited by Abigail Vela
“¿Quién es Tu Gente?” is an article series highlighting people and organizations creating safe and inclusive spaces in the RGV. This series hopes to combat the all too common idea of “no hay nada aqui en el Valle ” and encourage our readers to go out and find their gente.
It is November, and the United States has been through a lot. With the announcement that former President Donald Trump won the election against Kamala Harris, some people in our country have undoubtedly felt a mix of emotions. While some have celebrated, others have continued to mourn and grieve for what is expected to come in January 2025.
You might wonder what politics has to do with poetry. It’s quite simple: Poetry has been used by poets and writers to express strong political beliefs and as a tool for social justice. Not everyone who cares about social justice topics is a poet, but every poet can take a stand on important social justice topics.
Poetry relates to this because many people posted their opinions on social media about the 2024 U.S. Election results the morning after Election Day. Although some accounts shared poems to express their emotions, other users talked about having no inspiration to write and simply wanting a system that did not want to strip them of their rights.
The Rio Grande Valley is home to a majority of Latine folk, and you don’t have to be the next Emily Dickinson to be able to write something that can move other people. All you have to do is be yourself and know that that is good enough. Daniel García Ordaz (he/him), Edward Viduarre (he/him) and Victoria Lopez (she/her) are only a few of the talented poets in the Valley—but there is an army of poets out there, waiting to be discovered.
The Poet Marachi: Inspiring the Next Generation of Poets
Daniel García Ordaz, a.k.a The Poet Mariachi (he/him), is a poet and educator in the RGV who teaches his students about poetry and other subjects. He shared that poetry is the oldest form of literature, so it permeates all other types of writing. García Ordaz started to consider himself a poet in 1999 when people started calling him that after he began sharing his poetry with the public. More than twenty years later, García Ordaz is now the 2023 and 2024 McAllen Poet Laureate who has written books including “You Know What I’m Sayin’?” and “Cenzontle/Mockingbird: Songs of Empowerment.”
In an interview, García Ordaz shared, “I feel like I’ve always been surrounded by poetry—from my father’s songs (mostly mariachi music) to my mother’s letter-writing, storytelling, and reading of the Bible to us from a young age.” All of these influences in his environment helped mold García Ordaz’s writing style, which he describes as “lyrical” and “musical.” García Ordaz is inspired by “our language, border identity, culture—anything from food to faith to flowers.”
As the McAllen Poet Laureate, García Ordaz aims to inspire the next generation of poets. Because of this, García Ordaz launched the 7 to 8 Project in 2023. García Ordaz said that 7 to 8 is a series of events, readings, workshops and outings aimed at eliciting the best of human creativity.
But 7 to 8 is not all that García Ordaz has done for the RGV. Together with Brenda Nettles Rioja, García Ordaz founded the Rio Grande Valley International Poetry Festival (VIPF), an annual four-day poetry festival that takes place on the last weekend of April. Since then, the festival has included an anthology launch, school readings, poetry slams and workshops. Typically the festival ends with the Poetry Pachanga and a visit to the cemetery of the late queer theorist and Chicana writer Gloria E. Anzaldúa. The festival is open to all ages and has even featured high school students.
García Ordaz talked about the creation of VIPF, “As a kid, I felt that there was not much to do in the Valley. As I grew in the writing world, there were tons of readings for fiction writers in the Valley but almost no events for poets. So, I knew that being an adult, I could do something about it now to help give a voice to people of all ages to share their work and to inspire the next generation of poets.”
The festival has a community of poets who help keep it going. People like Edward Vidaurre, with help from others, have been managing the festival’s workload.
FlowerSong Press: Publishing and Social Change
Edward Vidaurre (he/him) is the Publisher and Director of FlowerSong Press. Vidaurre is also the Director of Operations of VIPF. He has done a few workshops, but his most recent one has been on “duendes” with the Unfolded: Poetry Project.
Vidaurre says that he balances his role as both a poet and a publisher by designating time for his work when he has finished sending emails, editing and working on press issues, but if the “writing bug” hits him, he puts everything else on hold. This year, FlowerSong Press surpassed 100 publications. It will “close out” 2024 with over 125 publications and will publish a few anthologies with titles such as: “We Dissent. We Resist. We Persist: An Anthology of Our Human Rights” and “Anger is a Gift: Anthology of Resistance and Response Poems to the 2024 Election.”
As a publisher and director for such an essential book press in the RGV, Vidaurre says that he sees “more poetry of resistance, feminism […] and global understanding at the forefront of books emerging from independent publishers” and that “poetry is the megaphone of activism in letters.” Vidaurre strongly considers poetry a tool for social change and refers to an article he read on Medium written by Joshua Napilay titled: “The Power of Poetry for Social Change.”
Lastly, Vidaurre shared advice for aspiring poets from the RGV: “Write your truth, write of the beauty of your community. Know that you’re in a unique place like no other, and your words are history lessons for future generations.”
Always Remember: “You Are Worthy”
Victoria Lopez (she/her) is another incredible poet and author. She is the Executive Director of Unfolded: Poetry Project, a non-profit dedicated to making poetry accessible to everyone through free workshops, poetry challenges, open mics, and other community-centered events. She served as McAllen Poet Laureate in 2022 and is serving a second term in 2025.
Lopez said the name “Unfolded” reflects the idea of opening up and sharing parts of ourselves that might otherwise remain hidden, providing a platform for authentic voices and shared human experiences. Ultimately, Lopez believes in the transformative power of words and is passionate about building a space where creativity can thrive and connect us on the most human level.
Lopez says that her writing style reflects a kind of “urgency” and that she often writes about “surrender, hope and the introspective journey each of us undertakes.” Lopez also includes “rich imagery and sensory language to evoke reflection and connection, inviting readers to see themselves in [her] words.”
“In every poem, I try to create a space for readers to pause, to feel seen, and to reflect on their own paths. I hope my work inspires people to see the value in their own experiences and reminds them that they, too, are worthy,” she said.
Lopez also shared about her experience writing poetry for others through her personal project, “Poetry On Demand.” With this project, Lopez sets up her typewriter at events and invites the community to give her a word, topic, question, feeling, or thought. She then uses their responses as prompts to write them a poem on the spot.
“Sometimes, I’ll be out in public and recognize someone, remembering that I once wrote a poem for them. Each interaction felt like a small gift, a moment of shared humanity that reminded me of poetry’s power to build connections and heal,” Lopez said. Lopez wants to write more “Poetry on Demand.” Keep an eye out, as Lopez will soon set up her typewriter in a city near you.
Your Story Starts Here!
You must feel inspired and ready to write after reading about these three RGV poets and their work! Poetry helps us heal the wounds we have in our souls and express the sentiments we can’t always share aloud with friends and family. Poetry is something that only our pen and paper can hear. So, let the words flow out of you, and start writing the story you’ve been dying to tell!
We invite you to join Unfolded at their free workshops at the McAllen Public Library or to attend 7 to 8 with the Poet Mariachi. You should also consider submitting to the VIPF 2025. The festival is accepting submissions for Boundless until December 31, 2024. So, get your writing pen and start writing. You never know, your poetry might be accepted, and you could be published in the next edition of Boundless, the official anthology of VIPF!
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