March marks the second installment of the Warrior Cross Culture Center’s collaborative book club! This month’s feature is from Yesika Salgado, a Salvadorian, Los Angeles based poet. Hermosa is a short collection of poetry that focuses on the experiences of a woman of color. Salgado explores intimate topics such as culture and family.

Part of the mission for this book club is to access enchanting works authored and produced by people of color. Hermosa is just one of many works by Yesika Salgado that have drawn the attention of major platforms. Her poetry has not only been featured in the Los Angeles Times, but also by other far-reaching publications such as the Huffington Post, NPR and TEDx. As a preemptive introduction to Salgado and her power behind mic and poetry, here you can listen to the very first poem featured in Hermosa.

Salgado had been a repeated member of Da Poetry Lounge, Slam Team and was selected as a finalist in the 2017 and 2018 National Poetry Slam. She also co-founds the Latina feminist collective, Chingona Fire and is an internationally recognized body positivity activist. If you’d like to engage more with Yesika Salgado and her content, she can be found on Twitter and Instagram.

Not only is Hermosa a fulfilling and meaningful read, but it addresses affairs and identities that are often overlooked in mainstream media. If you find yourself enjoying Salgado’s poetry featured in this month’s Social Justice Book Club, then we highly recommend bookmarking some of her other works. Tesoro and Corazón are similar reads to keep you company between school work and obligations or if you’re taking a much needed break this summer!
A gentle reminder for the upcoming (and final) installment of the spring semester for the Social Justice Book Club: Mark your calendar for April’s read that can be found here.
If you’re interested in this month or the next one, you can reach out to the WCCC to send you a copy of the books to be discussed! If you’re late to the punch that’s alright too, e-books and 2-day shipping are life-savers if you don’t want to miss out. You can also check out some of the other campus club activities on the Signal by just snooping around the Arts & Entertainment page!