Speaking Axolotl La Area Bahia’s long running monthly Latinx reading series happens the third Thursday of each month. Come gather and hear Decolonized Verses, Spanglish Poesia, Bilingual Chismes y Latinx Spoken Word.

!This month we are over la luna excited to have as our features Xavi Burgos and Elvira Prieto!

BIOS;

Xavi Burgos is a multidisciplinary artist, writer, organizer, and educator from New York City and Chicago, currently completing a PhD in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Elvira Prieto, Associate Dean of Students and Director of El Centro Chicano y Latino at Stanford University, was born and raised in California’s Central San Joaquin Valley working alongside her parents and siblings in the grape fields and fruit packing sheds of Reedley, CA and surrounding communities in Fresno County. She is the first woman in her family to attend college, receiving her B.A. in Psychology from Stanford University and an Ed.M. in Administration, Planning and Social Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Elvira has worked in higher education, student affairs, academic advising, policy analysis and implementation, and community-based education for almost 30 years. Elvira is a writer and poet who self-published a memoir-style manuscript about her journey: "An (Im)possible Life." Elvira began writing poetry and prose 25+ years ago, due in large part to the encouragement and mentorship of her dear friend and teacher, Renato I. Rosaldo, Lucie Stern Professor in the Social Sciences, Emeritus at Stanford University. Her writing is focused on the retelling of life recuerdos (memories) with the intention of creating spaces of light, love, and healing for individuals and community. Elvira has presented her poetry and prose in various community and academic settings such as floricantos, classrooms, conferences, and community events hosted across the country, including UT Austin, Stanford, USF, and SJSU.