About
Adriana has been writing poetry since high school. Her poem “Chanclitas” was the poem where she realized there was a purpose and one could have a positive impact when sharing poetry as an extension of our existence She believes words can form our world or destroy it. Poetry has always been her way of understanding the world.
Adriana grew up in Watsonville, California. A small agricultural town south of San Francisco. Her experiences growing up with 5 sisters, working the strawberry fields over the summers with her father and traveling the world with the United States Air Force after college paved the path to understanding the world poetically. She believes poetry can help shift mindsets and hearts for the better.
Her inspiration to write poetry derives from her early introduction to Francisco X. Alarcon. Adriana meet Alarcon while participating in a leadership summer camp for teens at the University of Santa Cruz, California. She was fascinated by his ability to speak both languages while reciting his poems and his strong voice carried strong confidence. “He was confident and Mexican so was I,” Adriana says, and this made her feel like she belonged and in a world where the “Mexicano” also has the confidence of a giant.
Alarcon also had children books where the characters look like her. Alarcon’ approach to writing poetry as fluid as possible and few words is something Adriana admires. Adriana agrees with Alarcon a Poet shares the poem, however, the “Lector cómplice”. (Readers becomes an accomplice) Poetry is a dance, a conversation, and a place.