HBO Def Poet Joaquin Zihuatanejo performs at Lourdes College

“In my classroom, I make my students press their pencils down hard when they write so as to make an impression on things that they were not intending to impress. In my classroom, I make my students ask the biggest question of all: why. And more importantly, I make them answer it.” – Excerpt from a poem by Joaquin Zihuatanejo

On Tuesday, September 22, 2009, Lourdes College is hosting a performance by spoken word artist Joaquin Zihuatanejo. Born and raised in a barrio of East Dallas, Joaquin infuses his Latino culture as well as his experience teaching inner city students in much of his poetry.

Joaquín Zihuatanejo

A National Poetry Slam Finalist, Grand Slam Spoken Word Champion and HBO Def Poet, Joaquin has performed at universities, conferences and poetry slams throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and México. As a professional performance poet, Joaquin has shared the stage with well-known artists Saul Williams, E. Lynn Harris, Alicia Keys, and Maya Angelou. 

Prior to committing to spoken word full time, Joaquin was an award-winning English and creative writing Teacher for ninth and eleventh grade students. As a teacher, he inspired his students to produce a collection of poems titled Stand Up and Be Heard.  Additionally, he has self-published two collections of written poetry, Barrio Songs and I of the Storm as well as a spoken word CD, Barrio Songs: A Spoken Word Collection.

Joaquin will perform in the Ebeid Student Center of Delp Hall at 4:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for the general public or free with a Lourdes College ID. For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact Becky Tobias, Program Coordinator of Student Activities and Recreation, at 419-517-8946.