Luis J. Rodriguez - Published works

My Nature is Hunger: Poems by Luis J. Rodriguez
A special edition of new poems published by the US Embassy, Berlin, for the Advanced English teachers at the “Re-writing America” conference in Blaubeuren, Germany, November 2004.

Seven and Two Women (with a Spanish version called Dos Mujeres,
translated by Jorge Martinez and Trini Rodriguez)
By Sher Zabaszkiewicz and Matt Cohen, C & C Press, Santa Barbara, CA; June 25, 2005, presented at Tia Chucha’s Café Cultural, Sylmar, CA. Three special collectors’ limited art books, with paper created out of Rodriguez’s T-shirts, hand-bound, letter-pressed using polymer plates and linoleum cuts. Only 50 copies made of each book, to sell for around $100. Several broadsides of the poems were also created, numbered and signed by Luis Rodriguez,
to sell for around $50.

The Republic of East L.A.: Stories
Rayo/HarperCollins; NYC; hardcover in April 2002 Short Story Collection. 2003 PEN Oakland Josephine Miles Book Award; Selected by the Los Angeles Times as one of the best books of the West for 2002; 2002 Book Sense selection for July/August; 2003 Book Sense selection (English paperback appeared March 2003; Spanish version, translated by Alfonso Gonzales, in March 2003; selected as Book of the Month for March for “Despierta Leyendo” segment of “Despierta America,” TV morning show, Univision International).

Hearts and Hands: Creating Community in Violent Times
Seven Stories Press, NYC; November 2001. Nonfiction Book Finalist for 2002 Independent Publisher Book Award in the Multicultural Nonfiction Category.

Power Lines: A Decade of Poetry from Chicago's Guild Complex
Edited by Luis J. Rodriguez, Julie Parson-Nesbitt & Michael War Tia Chucha Press; Spring 1999; Chicago, IL.

It Doesn't Have To Be This Way: A Barrio Story / No tiene que ser asi: una historia del barrio
Illustrated, bilingual children's book in August 1999 by Children's Book Press, San Francisco; artist: Daniel Galvez. 1999 Parent's Choice Approved Winner for Children's Books; 2000 Skipping Stones Magazine's Honor Award for Multicultural and International Literature; 1999 Americas Award Commended Title for Best Book for Children.

Trochemoche: New Poems
Poetry collection in June 1998 by Curbstone Press. 1999 ForeWord magazine's
Silver Award for Poetry Book of the Year.

América Is Her Name / Le llaman América
Children's book, English and Spanish versions, illustrated, in May 1998 by Curbstone Press, CT.; artist: Carlos Vasquez; translater: Tito Villanueva; winner of 1999 Paterson Books for Young People Book Award; 1999 Skipping Stone Magazine Honor Award; 1999 Bank Street List of Best Children's Books for 1998.

Always Running: La Vida Loca, Gang Days in L.A.
La vida loca: el testimonio de un pandillero en Los Angeles
Nonfiction memoir published by (hardcover) Curbstone Press, Willimantic, CT, February/1993; (paperback) Touchstone Books/Simon & Schuster; NYC; also published in Great Britain by Marion Boyars, February/1994; also a Spanish version, translated by Ricardo Aguilar Melantzon and Ana Brewington for Simon & Schuster in 1994 for the U.S. and Grupo Editorial Planeta in Mexico (under title “Siempre corriendo”). Winner: 1994 Chicago Sun-Times First Prose Book Award; 1994 Choice Magazine's Outstanding Academic Books List; 1993 Carl Sandburg Literary Award for Non-Fiction; 1993 New York Times Book Review Notable Book; 1994 New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age.

The Concrete River
Poetry collection published by Curbstone Press, Willimantic, CT, June, 1991 Winner: 1991 PEN West/Josephine Miles Literary; honorable mention, Patterson Poetry Awards.

Poems Across The Pavement
Poetry collection published by Tia Chucha Press, Chicago, IL, December 1989 Winner: 1989 Poetry Center Book Award, San Francisco State University (with Adrian Louis)

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Magazines & Newspapers:

Bello Magazine
September 2007; Santa Ana, CA,
Edited by Fernando Diaz Reportage: “Shin Miyata (the Japan/Chicano Connection)”

The Progressive
August 2007, Volume 71, Number 8, Madison, WI
Column piece: “A Model for Urban Peace”

Arizona Daily Star
Saturday, March 31, 2007, Progressive Media Project
Tucson, Arizona Op-Ed: “Honor Chavez's legacy with brown-black unity”

The Progressive
June 2007, Volume 71, Number 6, Madison, WI
Column piece: “Paths out of Addiction”

The Progressive
April 2007, Volume 71, Number 4, Madison, WI
Column piece (“Writing for America”): “Black-Brown Unity Now”

The Progressive
February 2007, Vol. 71, No. 2, Madison, WI
Column piece (“Writing for America”): “Ortega Returns”

The Progressive
December 2006, Volume 70, No. 12, Madison, WI
Column (“Writing for America”): “Prisons Can’t Solve Gangs”

The Progressive
December 2006, Volume 70, No. 12, Madison, WI
Participant in special section of “Our Favorite Books of 2006”

The Progressive
September 2006, Volume 70, No. 9, Madison, WI
Column ("Writing for America"): "Press 1 for English"

The Progressive
July 2006, Volume 70, No. 7, Madison, WI
Column ("Writing for America"): "A Single Movement"

Subaru Monthly (Tokyo)
February 2006, Tokyo, Japan
Story: "Las Chicas Chuecas"

Tribuno del Pueblo
Vol. 33, Number 2; Chicago, IL
Opinion: "LA Jail Riots Reflect Historical Strategies to Keep the Poor Divided and Weak"

Entertainment Today
July 7, 2006; Vol. 38, Number 39, Los Angeles, CA
Poem excerpt: “Old Woman of Merida.”

Curbstone INK: News, Excerpts, Interviews
Vol. 33, Number 2; Chicago, IL
Opinion: “LA Jail Riots Reflect Historical Strategies to Keep the Poor Divided and Weak.”

Tribuno del Pueblo
Fall/Winter 2005, Curbstone Press, Willimantic, CT
Poem: “Banned”

Social Justice: A Journal of Crime, Conflict & World Order
Vol. 32, No. 3; Winter 2005; San Francisco, CA.
Essay: “The End of the Line: California Gangs and the Promise of Street Peace.”

Los Angeles Times Book Review
Sunday, October 16, 2005; LA, CA.
Article and excerpts from poems: “The Rabbi and the Cholo,” “The Monster,” “Untitled,” “Si, Se Puede!/Yes, We Can!”

Poetry Daily (online)
Featured on October 8, 2005; Charlottesville, VA.
Article and excerpts from poems: “The Rabbi and the Cholo,” “The Monster,” “Untitled,” “Si, Se Puede!/Yes, We Can!.”

Contratiempo Magazine (Spanish language publication)
Numero 27, July 2005; Chicago, IL.
Poem: “The Wanton Life.”

Progressive Magazine
August 2005, Vol. 69, No. 8; Madison, WI.
IInterview: “Creatividad para renunciar a la violencia: Intrevista con Luis J. Rodríguez,” by Moira Pujols. Essay: “Laura Isn’t Enough: George’s gang policy shows the administration’s true colors.”

fRoots Magazine
July 2005, No 265, London, England
Interview with Luis Rodriguez by Garth Cartwright entitled “La Reconquista,”
East LA and the Music of the Chicano/Mexicano people there.

Progressive Magazine
May, 2005, Volume 69, No. 5. Madison, WI
Review: "Grace, Power, and Beauty: A profile of Lila Downs"

New York Times
March 28, 2005
Editorial: "A Gang of Our Own Making"

Bello Magazine: Redefining the American Paradigm
Issue 2, Spring 2005; LA, CA
Essay: “Great Characters, Imagined or Real, Have to Stand Out and Live”

English Journal
Vol. 94, No. 3, January 2005; National Council of Teachers of English, Urbana, IL
Essay: “Nemachtilli: The Spirit of Learning”

Los Angeles Times
By Tom Hayden and Luis Rodriguez. LA Times Opinion Section; October 28, 2004
OP-Ed: “A Skewed Call for New Police Funding”

Speakeasy: A Literary Look at Life
Fall 2004; The Loft, Minneapolis, MN Essay: Living with Fear: An Imaginative Response

Contratiempo
Numero 17, September 2004; Chicago, IL Interview with Luis Rodriguez:
“Desde las calles de Los Angeles, siempre corriendo,” by Joel Soto

Rock & Rap Confidential
No. 207, August-September 2004, LA, CA Interview: “One Blood” an interview with Lila Downs

Other Voices Anthology (online)
Vol. 9, August 2004 Poems: “My Name’s Not Rodriguez,” “Passersby,” “My Nature is Hunger,”
“Exiled in the Country of Reason,” “Mickey Mouse Pancakes,” “The Cockroaches I Married.”

Xispas Magazine (online)
Issues No. 1-3, March – September, 2004 www.xispas.com; Tia Chucha’s Cafe Cultural Interview: Lila Downs, History of Xicanos, and various opinion pieces

Long Shot Magazine
Volume 27, Spring 2004, Hoboken, NJ Poems: “Poems to Ponder in Times of War and Uncertainty”

Poets Against the War (online)
2003-2004 Poems: “Poems to Ponder in Times of War and Uncertainty”

Los Angeles Times
Opinion Section, March 18, 2004 Editorial: “The Redemptive Power of Art Isn’t a Frill”

Santa Clarita Valley This Week
January 22, 2004; Saugus, CA Poem: “Tia Chucha” (along with interview with Luis called
“No Longer on the Run: A Famous Author’s Evolution”)

Los Angeles Times Opinion Section
November 23, 2003 Opinion: “Pages of Power: Before you censor me, know this: Books can save lives”

Blackmailpress 7 (online)
New Zealand Poets on Line; Issue #7; June 2003 Poems: “My Name’s Not Rodriguez,”
excerpts from “Notes of a Bald Cricket,” “75 Years Exiled in the Country of Reason,” “My Nature is Hunger.”

Logos: A Journal of Modern Society & Culture (online)
Spring 2003; Volume Two, Issue Two Poems: Eight “Poems to Ponder in Times of War and Uncertainty”

The Nobody
Issue 11, Spring 2003, University of Washington, Pullman, WA Poem: “Piece by Piece,”
“Pedazo por pedazo”

Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles, December 19, 2002 Op-Ed Piece: “Could Today’s Gangbangers Be Tomorrow’s Heroes?
Just like the Irish, impoverished can make it with help.”

InsideOUT: Quarterly Review
Volume 1, Fall 2002 A division of the Alethos Foundation, Calabasas, CA Poems: “The Calling,” “Piece by Piece,” & transcript of talk to Central Juvenile Hall, Los Angeles youth, entitled “Poetry Saved My Life.”

Progressive Magazine
August 2002; Madison, WI Poem: “My Name’s Not Rodriguez”

NoHO LA
April 25, 2002; Vol. 4, No. 16; North Hollywood, CA Interview with Poem: “Cinco de Mayo”

K-Code: The Real Italian Lifestyle & Culture Magazine
No. 10, February 2002; Milan, Italy Poems: (in article “Eastsiders” by Flycat) “The Coldest Day,”
“My Name’s Not Rodriguez,” “City of Angels,” and “Chota.”

Political Affairs
July 2001; Volume 80, No. 7; NYC
Poems: “To the police officer who refused to sit in the same room as my son because he’s a ‘gang banger’”; “Every Road”

North Carolina Humanities
Spring 2001, North Carolina Humanities Council, Greensboro
Journal entries and poem “Praise to Shoes”

The Los Angeles Times
August 6, 2000
Opinion Piece: “The New Agents of Peace on the Streets”

North Coast Xpress
Summer 2000, Vol. 8, No. 3, Occidental, CA
Poem: “The News You Don’t Get At Home”

The Sun Magazine
April 2000, Issue 292, Chapel Hill, NC
Interview: "Urban Renewal: The Resurrection of an Ex-Gang Member"

Los Angeles Times
March 12, 2000; Opinion Section
Commentary: "The Police Aren't Only at Fault"

Chicago Tribune
March 9, 2000; Editorial Section
Commentary: "Consensus Hurts Police, Community"

North Coast Xpress
Spring 2000, Vol. 8 No.2, Occidental, CA
Poem: "Chota"

Rattle Magazine
Winter 1999; No. 12, Vol. 5 No. 2; Bombshelter Press, Los Angeles, CA
Interview & Poem: "Mickey Mouse Pancakes"

Lateinamerika Nachrichten
No. 303/304; September/October 1999;
German publication, published in Berlin. Essay: "Gelegentlicher SchuBwechsel: Latino-Gangs in den USA"
(Latino Gangs in the USA)translated by Martin Ling/Elisabeth Schumann-Braune"

Judicature Magazine
July-August 1999;
Vol. 83, No. 1; American Judicature Society, Chicago Reprint of Chicago Tribune piece:
"Don't Send Kids to Adult Prisons"

Chicago Tribune
August 5, 1999, Commentary
Opinion piece: "Adult Prisons Are Not the Place for Juveniles"

North Coast Express
Summer 1999; Vol. 7, No. 3; Occidental, CA
Poem: "Every Road" Speech: "Our Kids Are Dying"

North Coast Express
Spring 1999;
Vol. 7, No.2; Occidental, CA Poem: "Bethlehem No More"

Rock & Rap Confidential
No. 158; December 1998.
CD review: "¿No?, Lil' Rudy G. and the Chizmosos "

American Poetry Review
January/February, 1999;
Vol. 28, No. 1; Philadelphia, PA Poems: "This Could Have Happened,"
"Questions For Which You Are Always The Answer"

Men's Voices Magazine
Vol. 2, #0; Spring 1997
The WhiteRock Alternative; Seattle WA
Interview: "Gang Youth, Art & Soul" (by Bert H. Hoff)

Latina Magazine
January, 1999; New York City
Essay: "Behind La Vida Loca: How Stereotypes Perpetuate Violence in Our Boys' Lives"

ForeWord Magazine
August 1998; Volume 1, Number 3; NYC
Reprint of introduction from Trochemoche: "Poetry By the Laws of Nature"

The Magazine
Santa Fe's Monthly Magazine of the Arts, NM; September 1998
Poem: "Francisca"

Rock & Rap Confidential Newsletter
June 1998, No. 153; Los Angeles, CA
Reportage: "One Ocean Don't Stop No Show "

San Jose Mercury (Perspective section)
Sunday, June 14, 1998; San Jose, CA
Opinion piece: "Fighting Words: Censorship, not truth, is the real moral failing"

The Carolina Review
Vol. 50, No. 1; Fall 1997;
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Poems: "¡Yo Voy Ami!," "Civilization"

Another Chicago Magazine
No. 32/33, Fall 1997; Chicago
Essay: "Crossing Boundaries, Crossing Cultures: Poetry, Performance and the New American Revolution"

American Book Review
July/August 1997; Vol. 18, No. 5
Unit for Contemporary Literature; Normal, IL Review: "Voices of the Concrete"
(Review of two books by WritersCorps Youth)

Poetry In Motion
Placards for public transportation vehicles in Chicago December 1997;
Poetry Society of America, New York City Poem: (excerpt) "Heavy Tells A Story"

Paterson Literary Review
Issue No. 26; Spring 1997; Paterson, New Jersey
Essay: "Crossing Boundaries, Crossing Cultures: Poetry, Performance and the New American Revolution"

Long Shot Magazine
Volume 19; Spring 1997; Hoboken NJ
Poem: "The Feathered Warrior"

Men's Voices magazine
Vol. 2, #0; Spring 1997
The WhiteRock Alternative; Seattle WA Interview: "Gang Youth, Art & Soul" (by Bert H. Hoff)

Los Angeles Times Opinion Section
February 9, 1997
Op-Ed Piece: "Treating L.A's Gang Problem: We Need 'Root' Doctors"

M.E.N. Magazine
Vol. 7, No. 21 / Vol. 8, No. 1; December 1996 / January 1997
Seattle Men's Evolvement Network; Seattle WA Interview: "Gang Youth, Art & Soul" (by Bert H. Hoff)

TriQuarterly Magazine
No. 97; Fall 1996; Evanston, IL
Poem: "¡Seguro Que Hell Yes!"

Poetry USA Newspaper
San Francisco; Number 27, Summer 1996
Poem: "¡Seguro Que Hell Yes!"

Rethinking Schools: An Urban Education Journal
Summer 1996, Vol. 10 No. 4; Milwaukee, WI
Article (based on speech): "How Society Helps Some Kids Succeed and Others Fail:
'Our Kids Are Being Set Up'"

Hungry Mind Review: A Midwestern Book Review
St. Paul, MN; Number 37, Spring 1996
Essay: Steal This Book (On the State of the Book in America) Poem: The Calling

Crossroads Magazine
December 1995/January 1996; No. 57; Oakland, CA
Poem: "Piece by Piece" (& in Spanish: Pedazo por pedazo)

Hungry Mind Review: A Midwestern Book Review
St. Paul, MN; Number 35. Fall 1995
Essay: "On Macho"

Los Angeles Times Opinion Section
September 24, 1995
Op-ed: "The Price of Social Neglect: Too Many 3-Year-Olds Die"

Connections: Valuing Diverse Ways of Being
Premiere Issue/Spring 1995; University of Maryland, Baltimore
Essay: "It's Time to Value Young People Again"

Hyphen Magazine
Issue 10, Spring 1995; Chicago
Poem: "Fire (for Eduardo Galeano)"

Forkroads: A Journal of Ethnic American Literature
Volume 1, Number 1; Fall 1995; Spencertown, NY
Poem: "The Rabbi and the Cholo"

The Hungry Mind Review
Summer 1995, Number 34; St. Paul, MN.
Review: "Listen Up!" (review of book "Crews: Gang Members Talk To Maria Hinojosa
-Photos by German Perez)

Poets & Writers Magazine
Volume 23, Issue 1; January/Febuary 1995; New York, NY
Excerpt: "Always Running" (& from poem "The Blast Furnace") as part of article on Luis Rodriguez.

Long Shot Magazine
Spring 1995, Vol. 17; Hoboken, New Jersey
Poem: "The Rabbi and the Cholo"

Sonora Review
No. 29; Spring 1995; Tucson, AZ
Essays/Reportage: "Valle de San Quintin" & "Ojo de Agua"

Willow Review
Spring 1995; Vol. XXII; College of Lake County, Grayslake, IL
Poem: "to the police officer who refused to sit in the same room as my son because he's a 'gang banger'"

Grand Street Magazine
No. 52; Vol. 13, No. 4; New York City
Essay/Perspective: "The Endless Dream-Game of Death" (with photos by Donna DeCesare)"

Guild Complex Newsletter
Chicago; March/April 1995; Vol. 3, No. 2
Short essay: Always Running: The Young and the Future.

Rock & Rap Confidential
No. 121, January 1995; Los Angeles
Commentary: "Do You Wanna Dance?" (Banda Music in the United States)

The Hungry Mind Review
Number 32; Winter 1994-95; St. Paul, MN
Review: "The Tales We Don't Tell: Review of Greg Sarris's Grand Avenue: A Novel in Stories"

The Nation Magazine
November 21, 1994; New York City
Essay: "Throwaway Kids: Turning Youth Gangs Around"

Hungry Mind Review: A Midwestern Book Review
Fall 1994, Number 31; St. Paul, MN
Essay: "Race: Who We Are"

Prison Life Magazine
October 1994/New York City
Guest Editorial: "Writing Off Our Youth"

The Family Therapy Networker Magazine
September/October 1994; Washington DC
Personal Essay: "Homeboys: An inner-city father competes with a gang for his son's loyalty"

U.S. News & World Report
Washington D.C.; August 1, 1994
Personal Essay: "Letters to Our Children: Self Discipline"

Noetic Sciences Review
Summer 1994, No. 30; Albany, CA.
Unanimous Quote from Video Tape "Choice of a Lifetime"

Utne Reader
Minneapolis, MN; July/August 1994; No. 64
Essay: "Rekindling the warrior: Gangs are part of the solution, not part of the problem"

Los Angeles Times Book Review
Sunday, May 29, 1994
Poem: (In article "The Writer in the Sun") "The Village"

Los Angeles Times
Sunday, May 8, 1994
Opinion: "Los Angeles' Gang Culture Arrives in El Salvador, Courtesy of the INS"

Rock & Rap Confidential Newsletter
Los Angeles, CA; April 1994, No. 11
Essay: "A Tale of Two Cities" (Salvadoran gang youth in Los Angeles and San Salvador)"

Mothers Jones Magazine
San Francisco, CA; April 1994
Statement on Gangs in "Backtalk" Section

Nurnberger Zeitung (Literary Supplement)
Erlangen, Germany; January 22, 1994
Poem: "The Village" (translation in German)

For articles published by Luis Rodriguez from 1972 until 1994, please contact the author

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Video & Audio Recordings:

Poetica (online poetry page)
ABC National Radio, Australia, Spring 2007 Poem: “Somebody was Breaking Windows”

The Spoken Word Revolution: Redux CD
Narrated by Marc Smith and Kevin Coval, Spring 2007

Sourcebooks/Media Fusion, Naperville, IL
Poem: “My Name’s Not Rodriguez”

WordTheatre: Family Affairs, Volume 2
CD; November 2006, HarperCollins
Produced by Cedering Fox, WordTheater Story(read by actor Miguel Sandoval): “Finger Dance”

Bread and Steel: Illinois Poets Reading from their Works
Edited by Kevin Stein, Illinois Poet Laureate; 2006 (CD and Audio poetry project)
Poem: "Mother by the Lake"

Poets on Record: 98 Poets Read Their Work (1888-2006)
Spring 2006; Shout! Factory, Los Angeles
Poem: “The Concrete River”

The Face of Poetry
CD from the book “The Face of Poetry,” edited by Zack Rowow (2005: University of California Press, Berkeley).
Poem: “My Name’s Not Rodriguez.”

CD: LANGUAGE! The Comprehensive Literacy Curriculum
Edited by Jane Fell Greene, Sopris West Educational Services August 2005, Longmont, CO) Poem: “The Calling”

CD: Live at Beyond Baroque 2
Two-disc CD with Luis J. Rodriguez and Mark Eleveld, Marvin Bell, Mike McGee, Patricia Smith, Viggo Mortensen, Georganne Deen, Saul Williams, Regie Gibson; recorded at Beyond Baroque, Venice, CA, November 15, 2003 (LA: Perceval Press/EM Press, Fall 2004)

CD: Tia Chucha’s Centro Cultural Presents: From Earth to Sky, A Collection of Word and Song
CD recording of various spoken word poets, musicians, and singers to benefit Tia Chucha’s Centro Cultural, August 2004, Dos Manos Records, including re-release of Luis Rodriguez’ poem “Civilization”
recorded by Flycat in Milan, Italy, 1998.

VIDEO: PBS-TV: Beyond Brown: Pursuing the Promise
(50 Years after Brown vs. Board of Education)
Produced by Lulie Haddad, Directed by John Valadez, for Firelight Media; March 2004. Interview & filming of Luis Rodriguez at North Hollywood H.S.

PBS-TV: Matters of Race, Part II, “Race Is/Race Isn’t”
Produced by Orlando Bagwell and Lulie Haddad; Aired nationally on September 2003 Interview with
Luis J. Rodriguez, among others.

Poetics of Peace: Vital Voices in Violent Times
CD with Alice Walker, Luis Rodriguez, Michael Meade, Jack Kornfield, Orland Bishop; produced by Mosaic: Voices of Youth, Voices of Community, Seattle, WA; Fall 2003; Talk and poetry reading at Unitarian Universalist Church, San Francisco, CA; May 24, 2003.

Hearts and Hands
Talk by Luis Rodriguez, Recorded at the Venice Peace & Justice Book Fair, June 29, 2003, CD produced and
distributed by the LA Sound Posse; KPFK-FM

My Name’s Not Rodriguez: Poetry and Music from Luis Rodriguez and Seven Rabbit
January 2002; Ernie Perez, producer; Dos Manos Records/Rock A Mole Music CD
with ten poems and original music.

El Poeta
PBS-TV documentary for the “An American Family” drama series, aired nationally on February 27, 2002,
Los Angeles. Tom McMahon Producer/Director

The Genius of Mentoring: Youth, Mentors & Elders
With Michael Meade, Malidoma Some, Luis Rodriguez, Jack Kornfield & Orland Bishop; Mosaic Multicultural Foundation, Seattle, WA; November 2001 CD and Audiocassette: Original field recording.

La Plaza, WGBH-TV, Boston
Reading and interview with Ilan Stavans for PBS-TV April 10, 2001; aired

Sunsounds Audio Recording for the Blind
Interview at Sunsounds Studios, Flagstaff, Arizona March 31, 2001

Rites of Passage
Peach Arch Entertainment for the Learning Channel; Stan Feingold, Producer/Director; Spring 2002 Interview
on passage rites for gang youth and their significance

Discovery Health Network’s “Lifeforce”
MPH Entertainment, Inc. Los Angeles, CA; Stephanie Jenz, Director. Fifteen-minute profile on me for national cable TV network, First Aired February 15, 2001

The Arts of Community in Times of Chaos
February 2001, Mosaic Foundation events at Gershwin Theater, University of San Francisco, and Lone Mountain College, San Francisco (with Michael Meade, Malidoma Some, and Jack Kornfield).
Poetry and talks.

Dreaming Revolution: Interview with Luis Rodriguez
Spring 2001; People’s Tribune Radio, Chicago, IL Interview.

Second Chances: Juvenile Justice Centennial Initiative
Spring 2000, Washington DC. Video Recording

Always Running: La Vida Loca, Gang Days in L.A.
Volunteer Services for the Visually Impaired 1999 Milwaukee, WI.

La Vida Loca: Un testimonio de un pandillero en Los Angeles
Read by Jorge Galvan; Translated by Ricardo Aguilar Melantzon & Ana Brewington. Fall 1998; Audio Libros del Mundo, Inc., Valencia, CA Audiocassette recording of Spanish translation of Always Running

Una domanda alla risposta (A Question to an Answer)
CD & Vinyl recording by Italian Hip Hop artist Flycat and guest artists. A vinyl EP and CD that also used my poem "Civilization," with music & accappella; mixed by KAOS; produced and released by U.S.O.P / Skillz to Deal Milan, Italy; released September 1998; recorded May 1998 in Milan

Crossing the Bridge: A Multicultural Conference for Youth & Mentors
March 10-15, 1998 Camp Rancho La Scherpa, Southern California Recorded on multiple audio cassettes by Rick Chelow, Oral Traditions Archives with Micheal Meade, Luis Rodriguez & Malidoma Some

In Their Own Voices: A Century of Recorded Poetry
CD & cassette compilation by Rebekah Presson and David McLess for Rhino Records/Word Beat (including other poets); August 1996 Poems: "Tia Chucha Press," "The Concrete River"

Making Peace 4-part TV series (Soul Survivors)
Video program by ITVS and Moira Productions for PBS-TV; Fall 1996 (aired nationally early 1997); Tom Weidlinger producer; John Valadez director 1/2 hour profile on my work with my son Ramiro and Youth Struggling for Survival, including video diaries I did over a year-long period in 1995

The Choice of a Lifetime: Returning From the Brink of Suicide
Video by Noetic Sciences; Nila Broque producer/director; Spring 1996; San Francisco, CA; 53 minutes video, includes interview with me and other people

Social Workers and the Challenge of Violence Worldwide
Video and Follow-Along Information Packet for Teleconference from the University of North Carolina Center for Public Television, Chapel Hill, NC; February 6, 1996; Published by National Association of Social Workers. Interview & Poem: Bethlehem No More

Luis J. Rodriguez—Keynote Address
Network of Educators on the Americas Conference, August 1995 Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
Cambridge NEA Sound Cassette, Washington D.C.

A Snake In The Heart: Poems & Music by Chicago's Spoken Word Performers
CD produced by Chris Stewart and Greg Nakamoto with various artists. Summer 1994 by Tia Chucha Press,
Chicago Poem: "Palmas"

For video and audio recordings of Luis Rodriguez before 1994, please contact the author

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Children's Biography:

Contemporary Hispanic Americans: Luis Rodriguez (with photos)
By Michael Schwartz; January 1997; Raintree Steck-Vaughn Publisher;
Austin, TX; paperback August 1998. Short bio on my life up to 1995 for young adolescents

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Anthologies, Textbooks and Photo Books:

The History of Barrios Unidos: Healing Community Violence By Frank de Jesus Acosta, Foreword by Luis Rodriguez
Spring 2007, ArtePublico Press, Houston, TX

The Spoken Word Revolution: Redux Edited by Mark Eleveld, Spring 2007
Sourcebooks/Media Fusion, Naperville, IL Poem: “My Name’s Not Rodriguez”

Pepper Spray poems by Paul Martinez Pompa
Momotombo Press, University of Notre Dame, Indiana. Introduction by Luis J. Rodriguez

Be a Better Writer: Power Tools for Young Writers!
Edited by Steve Peha & Margot Carmichael Lester
Winter 2006; The Leverage Factory, Bend, OR Interview: “Be a Writer like Luis J. Rodriguez”

Mugshots: A Story about Breaking Out and Breaking In
Edited by Jonas Mohr, Photos by Jason Porath Ooligan Press, NYC, December 2006
Interview and Photos of Luis Rodriguez

Spilling the Beans in Chicanolandia: Conversations with Writers & Artists
By Frederick Luis Aldama, University of Texas Press, Austin; Fall 2006
Interview and Bibliography of Luis Rodriguez

Language! The Comprehensive Literacy Curriculum
Editor, Jane Fell Greene; 2005, Sopris West Publishers, NYC
Poem: "The Calling"

Mexico in Mind: An Anthology
Edited by Maria Finn, published by Vintage Books, NYC Spring 2006.
Poem: "The Old Woman of Merida"

Border Voices/The Poet’s Masque: Rhythms & Raptures for the 21st Century
Edited by Jack Webb, published by Border Voices, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, No. 13
Bio and Poem: “The Cockroaches I Married”

The Write Stuff (with Readings): Sentences to Paragraphs
Edited by Laurence Checkett and Gayle Feng-Checkett,
Fall 2005, Pearson-Longman, NYC
Excerpt from “Always Running”: “The Ice-Cream Truck”

Dream of a Word: The Tia Chucha Press Poetry Anthology
Edited by Quraysh Ali Lansana and Toni Asante Lightfoot,
Published by Tia Chucha Press, Fall 2005, Los Angeles
Foreword and Poems: “Tomatoes” and “The Monster”

The Face of Poetry
Edited by Zack Rogow, portraits by Margaretta K. Mitchell,
Foreword by Robert Hass (2005: University of California Press)
Poems: “My Name’s Not Rodriguez,” “Victory, Victoria, My Beautiful Whisper,”
“Meeting the Animal in Washington Square Park.”

Latino Boom: An Anthology of US Latino Literature
Edited by John S. Christie and Jose B. Gonzalez August 2005; Pearson Longman.

Mirando al Norte
October 15-November, 2005; California State University, Northridge Art Galleries.
Essay: “Mexico Singing in My Bones”

Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Class: The Sociology of Group Conflict and Change
By Joseph F. Healey, 2006, Pine Forge Press, Thousand Oaks,CA.
Excerpt from “Always Running.”

Conversations with Ilan Stavans
The University of Arizona Press, Tucson; 2005.
Interview with Luis Rodriguez (based on PBS-WGBH, “La Plaza: Conversations with Ilan Stavans,” April 17, 2001).

Reflections (Read On! Put Reading Mastery Under Your Control)
Spring 2006; Harcourt Achieve Publishers, Austin, TX.
Excerpt from “Always Running.”

Hand & Eye: Fifteen Years of the Dorothea Lang-Paul Taylor Prize
Fall 2005, Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina.
Reprint of NY Times editorial: “A Gang of Our Own Making.”

LANGUAGE! The Comprehensive Literacy Curriculum
Edited by Jane Fell Greene, Sopris West Educational Services August 2005, Longmont, CO (hardcover book)
Poem: “The Calling”

Red Hot Salsa: Bilingual Poems in Being Young and Latino in the United States
Edited by Lori Carlson, Introduction by Oscar Hijuelos
Henry Holt & Co., New York City, Spring 2005
Poem: “Tia Chucha,” “Piece by Piece”

California Uncovered: Stories for the 21st Century
Edited by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, William E. Justice & James Quay;
California Council for the Humanities/Heyday Books, Spring 2005 Story: “My Ride, My Revolution”

The Outlaw Bible of American Literature
Edited by Alan Kaufman, Neil Ortenberg & Barney Rosset;
Spring 2005, Thunder’s Mouth Press, NYC
Excerpt: “Always Running”

Tongue Tied: The Lives of Multilingual Children in Public Education
Edited by Otto Santa Ana NYC: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2004
Excerpt from "Always Running"

Approaching Literature in the 21st Century
Edited by Peter Schakel and Jack Ridl, Bedford/St. Mark’s NYC, August 2004
Poem: “Running to America”

Some of my Best Friends: Writings on Interracial Friendships
Edited by Emily Bernard, Amistad/HarperCollins, Fall 2004
Essay: “Battlefields, or is Friendship Greater than the Colonial and Dominating Race Ideologies
of Hundreds of Years?

Molotov Mouths: Explosive New Writing
Manic D Press, San Francisco; Fall 2003
Introduction: Luis J. Rodriguez

Writing on the Edge: A Borderlands Reader
Edited by Tom Miller (Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2003)
Excerpt from “Always Running”

Poets One 2003: Heidelberg Anthologie (World Poetry Festival)
Deutsch-Amerikanishes Institut, Heidelberg, Germany, October 2003
Poem “Francisca”

Social Work Practice with a Difference: Stories, Essays, Cases, and Commentaries
Edited by Alice Lieberman & Cheryl Lester McGraw Hill, New York City; Spring 2004
Excerpt from "Always Running"

American Contexts: Multicultural Readings for Composition
Audrey B. Joyce, editor, Longman Publishers/Pearson Education, Inc., Summer 2002
Essay: "Turning Youth Gangs Around" from The Nation, 11/21/94

A Poet’s Truth: Conversations with Latino/Latina Poets
By Bruce Allen Dick (Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2003)
Interview with Luis J. Rodriguez, among others.

Write Ahead: A Student Handbook for Writing and Learning
Edited by Dave Kemper, Patrick Sebranek & Verne Meyer; Illustrated by Chris Krenzke;
(Wilmington, MA: Great Source Education Group, Spring 2003)
Excerpt from “Always Running”

The Write Start with Readings: Sentences to Paragraphs
Edited by Lawrence Checkett & Gayle Feng-Checkett
(New York: Pearson-Longman, Spring 2004
Excerpt from “Always Running”

Patterns of Reflection: A Reader (Fifth Edition)
Edited by Dorothy U. Seyler (New York: Pearson-Longman, Spring 2004)
Excerpt from “Always Running”

Are You Experienced? Baby Boom Poets at Midlife
Edited by Pamela Gemin; University of Iowa Press, Spring 2003
Poem: “The Bull’s Eye Inn”

From Totems to Hip-Hop: A Multicultural Anthology of Poetry across the Americas, 1900-2002
Edited by Ishmael Reed; Thunder’s Mouth Press; 2003, NYC.
Poem: “Hungry”

The Spoken Word Revolution: Slam, Hip-Hop, and the Poetry of a New Generation
Edited by Mark Eleveld and Marc Smith April 2003; Sourcebooks, NYC
Essay: “Crossing Boundaries, Crossing Cultures: Poetry, Performance, and the New American Revolution”

Poetry in Motion from Coast to Coast: 120 Poems from the Subways and the Buses
Edited by Elise Paschen & Brett Fletcher Lauer Spring 2002; W.W. Norton Publishing, New York
Poem: Excerpt from “Heavy Tells a Story”

Gang Nation: Delinquent Citizens in Puerto Rican, Chicano and Chicana Narratives
Monica Brown; Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press, 2002
Poem: “Mean Streets” and several citations from “Always Running.”

Under the Fifth Sun: Latino Literature from California
Edited by Rick Heide; Heyday Books, Santa Clara, CA Winter 2002
Essay: “The Twenty-Ninth” Poem: “Watts Bleeds”

Si, Se Puede!/Yes, We Can!: Janitor Strike in L.A.
Children’s book by Diana Cohn, illustrated by Francisco Delgado Cinco Puntos Press,
El Paso, Texas, Fall 2002
Poem: “Si, se puede/Yes, We Can!” and essay, “A Woman of Struggle, a Woman of Hope.”

Illinois Voices: An Anthology of Twentieth-Century Poetry
Edited by Kevin Stein and G.E. Murray Urbana & Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2001
Poems: “Reflection on El Train Glass,” “Rant, Rave & Richochet,” “To the police officer who refused to sit in the same room as my son because he’s a ‘gangbanger.’”

Art on the Line: Essay by Artists about the Point Where Their Art and Activism Intersect
Edited by Jack Hirschman, Winter 2002, Curbstone Press, Willimantic, CT.
Essays: “Poetry and the Politics of Difference”(reprinted from LetterEx, 1991) and Text of Presentation at the University of Paris Conference, December 1991

Opening Doors: English as a Second Language Workbook
Editors: Kristin Sherman & Frances Hawthorne. Charlotte, NC:
Main Street Rag Publishing, Fall 2002.
Poem: “The Monster”

Sweet Jesus: Poems about the Ultimate Icon
Edited Nick Carbo & Denise Duhamel; Fall 2002
Anthology Press, Los Angeles Poem: “Jesus Saves”

Si, se puede!/Yes, We Can!
Children’s book by Diana Cohn; illustrated by Francisco Delgado Fall 2002;
Cinco Puntos Press, El Paso, TX
Poem: “Si, Se Puede/Yes, We Can” Essay: “Woman of Struggle, Woman of Hope”

Experiencing Poverty: Voices from the Bottom
Edited by D. Stanley Eitzen and Kelly Eitzen Smith Winter 2003;
Published by Thomson/Wadsworth, Belmont, CA
Used excerpts from “Always Running”

Cantos Al Sexto Sol: An Anthology of Aztlanahuac Writings
Edited by Cecilio Garcia Camarillo, Roberto Rodriguez, and Patrisia Gonzalez;
Wing Press, San Antonio, TX; Spring 2002
Poem: “My Name’s Not Rodriguez”

Like Thunder: Poets Respond to Violence in America
Edited by Virgil Suarez and Ryan G. Van Cleave University of Iowa Press,
Iowa City; Spring 2002
Poem: “Rainfall Piano”

Bum Rush the Page: A Def Poetry Jam
Edited by Tony Medina and Louis Reyes Rivera NYC; Three Rivers Press, Fall 2001
Poem: “My Name’s Not Rodriguez”

Growing Up Poor: A Literary Anthology
Edited by Robert Coles & Randy Testa with Michael Coles; NYC, The New Press, Fall 2001
Poem: “Night Shift at St. Regis”

Rio LA: Tales from the Los Angeles River
By Patt Morrison, Photos by Mark Lamonica Fall 2001; Angel City Press, LA
Used Excerpt of poem “The Village.”

Soul Talk: Luis Rodriguez in North Carolina
NC Literary Consortium/NC Arts Council, Raleigh; Fall 2001
Poems: “The Object of Intent is to Get There,” “Praise” Essay: “Poet in Motion” Interview
(by Bruce Dick and Gabriella Motta-Passajou): “A Conversation with Luis Rodriguez”

Writing the World: Reading and Writing About Issues of the Day
Edited by Charles R. Cooper and Susan Peck McDonald 2001, Bedford St. Martin’s, NYC
Excerpt from “Always