Josiah Luis Alderete

Josiah Luis Alderete is a full blooded POCHO spanglish speaking poet from La Area Bahia who learned to write poetry in the kitchen of his Mama’s Mexican restaurant. He first began performing his poetry en La Mission in San Pancho at the now infamous Thursday night readings at Cafe Babar. In the 90’s he was a founding member of San Francisco's outspoken word troupe The Molotov Mouths (whose collected writings were published by Manic D Press in 2003). Over the years Josiah Luis has been featured at numerous Mission literary events including MAPP, Voz sin Tinta, Pan Dulce Poets, Acion Latina’s Paséo de Arte, as well as San Francisco poet laureat Kim Schuck’s series honoring Mission district poets. He has also been the featured reader in the East Bay at Lyrics and Dirges, Nomadic Press' First Fridays and GETLIT, as well as at BAMPFA’s Friday night reading series. In 2017 he was named an AIR New Voice Scholar and was also featured in BAMPFA’s “Wey Bay” exhibition. Josiah Luis is also a radio insurgente whose stories have appeared on KALW’s “Crosscurrents" and whose show “The Spanglish Power Hour” aired on KPFA. This year he was featured in the poetry anthology “The City is Already Speaking; the sounds of Calle Veinte Cuatro”. He also curate the Latinx reading series SPEAKING AXOLOTL in Oakland which happens every third Thursday of the month at Nomadic Press Studios Uptown. Josiah Luis Alderete currently resides somewhere in North Richmond where he is still waiting for Quetzalquatl to arrive.