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LA poet Vicky Vertiz shares her journey from Bell Gardens to literary acclaim, exploring how her queer Latinx identity has shaped award-winning poetry collections that center working-class immigrant experiences without translation or apology.

Step into the vibrant world of queer Latine poetry with acclaimed Los Angeles writer Vicky Vertiz as she shares her remarkable journey from the working-class neighborhoods of Bell Gardens to literary recognition. Growing up along the LA River to Mexican immigrant parents, Vertiz crafts award-winning poetry that refuses to translate or apologize for its bilingual, bicultural essence.

"There is no place you can go in Los Angeles without us," Vertiz asserts, speaking of immigrant communities that form the backbone of her writing. Her first collection, "Palm Frond with its Throat Cut," won the 2018 Pan America Award by centering working-class queer experiences in unapologetic Spanglish. Her newest work, "Auto Body," which earned the 2023 Sandeen Poetry Prize, explores repair across feelings, time, harm, and literal cars—a powerful metaphor for resilience in challenging times.

What makes Vertiz's story particularly compelling is her unconventional path to becoming a writer. Libraries were her sanctuary from childhood, but she never imagined herself an artist until witnessing other writers from her neighborhood succeed. "I had to see other people exactly like me from my neighborhood be artists in order for me to know that I could do it too," she reveals, after decades working in organizing, education, and public policy.

As both poet and educator at UC Santa Barbara, Vertiz approaches teaching with radical honesty about the political pressures affecting marginalized communities. She creates space for students to express fears while connecting them with resources and alternative perspectives. Her current memoir project serves as "time travel to repair the gaps I didn't have" growing up queer in Los Angeles.

For aspiring writers, Vertiz offers golden advice: read widely, especially works from outside the United States; document your stories without worrying initially about genre; and most importantly—share your work. "Writing only thrives and is nourished when you talk about it with your fellow writers," she emphasizes, highlighting how community sustains creativity.

• Born and raised in Bell Gardens to Mexican immigrant parents, Vertiz's second book "Auto Body" won the 2023 Sandeen Poetry Prize
• First poetry collection "Palm Frond with its Throat Cut" won the 2018 Pan America Award, described as a love letter to Los Angeles
• Found her path to writing through libraries and reading, seeing other writers from her neighborhood succeed
• Poetry centers working-class, queer life using both Spanish and English without translating
• Uses writing and teaching to counter white supremacy, homophobia, and transphobia
• Emphasizes the importance of reading widely, documenting your stories, and building community
• Currently working on a memoir in poetry about being queer and coming of age in Los Angeles
• Writing communities like Macondo, Canto Mundo, and her San Gabriel Valley Food Club sustain her creative practice

You can find Vicky Vertiz at vickyvertiz.com or on Instagram @vickyvertiz.

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Welcome to the RADIO QGLLU podcast, the show that TAKES A DEEP DIVE INTO WHAT THE QUEER, GAY, AND LESBIAN LATINE COMMUNITY IS TALKING ABOUT. Radio GLLU began in 1986, and now in its continued iteration, features dynamic stories from California and beyond.
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