Yesika Salgado
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Yesika Salgado | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1984 (age 41–42) |
| Occupation | Poet |
| Website | www |
Yesika Salgado (born 1984) is an American poet. She is the author of poetry collections Corazón, Tesoro, and Hermosa. She is also a co-founder of the poetry collective Chingona Fire.
Salgado's parents immigrated from El Salvador and she grew up in Los Angeles.[1] Her father encouraged her reading habits, but wanted her to become a teacher.[2] Salgado dropped out of John Marshall High School when she was 18 years old, and worked a series of retail jobs while writing her poetry.[3]
Career
In 2005, Salgado started posting her work online at HipHopPoetry.com, where she had created a false identity under the name Yesika Starr. After she was banned three years later for plagiarizing a Ricardo Arjona song, the site's founder encouraged her to read at the open mic night at Da Poetry Lounge, where she began performing under her own name.[3] In 2014, Salgado performed at the National Poetry Slam for the DPL. She later qualified for the 2016 Da Poetry Lounge Slam Team.[4] During this time Salgado frequently shared her work on Instagram, building a large social media following.[5]
Salgado's first book, Corazón, was published in 2017. Salgado frequently mentions fruit throughout the book, specifically mangoes, and the cover of the book reflects this theme.[6] Corazón was listed on Amazon's best seller list.[4] Her second book, Tesoro, was published in 2018. Its poems draw on Salgado's family history to examine women, Los Angeles, and identity.[3] Her most recent book, Hermosa, was published in September 2019 and deals with love, loss, and gentrification.[7]
Salgado and Angela Aguirre founded the feminist poetry collective Chingona Fire.[8] The organization hosts frequent open mic/performance nights for women-identified poets of color to share their work.[4]
