“HeartSpeaks” Healing Circles offer writing and poetry workshops on strength, resistance and resilience.
Friday September 2, 2022 | Arts & Cultural Affairs
Photos clockwise from upper right: Lupe Castillo reading with Brijh Howell on drums, El Colegio students, Lupe Castillo (center), El Colegio student, Teresa Ortiz & Lupe Castillo.
Lupe Castillo, and Teresa Ortiz’s HeartSpeaks Healing Circles LatinX centered poetry workshops focus on how young writers can deepen their self-awareness and sense of power and purpose through activities that include culturally relevant traditional healing.
In June of 2022 the City of Minneapolis’ Arts & Cultural Affairs announced funding through the Creative Response Fund for 12 artist-led teams for projects providing creative healing and support to Minneapolis communities that continue to be directly impacted and affected by the stress and trauma of 2020.
One of these projects, HeartSpeaks Healing Circles, will offer facilitated healing spaces for under-resourced LatinX/BIPOC youth and families. These workshops are facilitated by Lupe Castillo and Teresa Ortiz, co-founders of Palabristas.
Palabristas is a collective of poets, spoken word artists, and writers of ChicanX/LatinX heritage from Minnesota, Indiana, New York, and Northern California and co-founded 20 years ago by Lupe Castillo, ‘La Poetress’, Teresa Ortiz and four other colleagues. Lupe’s background as a cultural arts connector utilizes practices of ritual and ceremonial celebration in the Latinx community, specifically with Danza Azteca. Teresa is a writer, spoken word poet, and educator. Teresa writes in English and Spanish to honor her ancestors and her loved ones. The longstanding collective uses the power of words to engage, agitate and build community.
Rajine Williams, an independent writer, interviewed Lupe and Teresa about their work as poets, their plans for HeartSpeaks Healing Circles and celebrating 20 years of poetry. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
“As poets, writers and spoken word artists, we present our words to the universe.” — Lupe Castillo
Nezahualcoyotl as depicted in the 16th century Codex Ixtlilxochitl
Tlatoani (pronunciation) means “one who speaks, ruler.” Nezahualcoyotl (pronunciation) (1402 – 1472) was a scholar, philosopher (tlamatini), warrior, architect, poet and ruler (tlatoani) of the city-state of Texcoco in pre-Columbian era Mexico. Best remembered for his poetry, he was respected as a “great speaker.” Inspired by the Tlatoani (of which there were several over time), modern day poets like the Palabristas seek to present their words as bridges to identity, lineage and understanding. The Palabristas bring people and community together as a way to engage citizens to improve the world. “ ‘Palabras’ means words, and ‘palabristas’ means those that speak the words. As poets, writers and spoken word artists, we work and present our words to the universe,” Lupe says.
Lupe also created HeartSpeaks Healing Circles, which are poetry and spoken word-driven collaborations within her community. HeartSpeaks mission is to create an affirming environment where writing and journaling can come to life. Writers, both experienced and newly evolving, can express their truths, and strengths. Individuals participating in the circle can be witnessed and bear witness to each other opening the path to healing.
Teresa Ortiz, Lupe Castillo
“Our inspiration for HeartSpeaks was to create consensus and harmony in our communities most impacted by racism and systemic barriers to well-being. It's not about who's right or wrong, rather it's about listening intently so everyone feels heard and witnessed; to be part of the community,” affirmed Lupe and Teresa.
Lupe’s connection to the LatinX community in Minneapolis is expansive. “I've been in Minnesota since I was four. My family migrated from Texas to greater Minnesota— it was not always easy being a brown girl in a predominantly white town.” Lupe says reflecting, “There wasn’t a lot of validation or support. So it’s my vision and quest to create that wherever I go,” Lupe added. “South Minneapolis has my heart, where I’ve lived for most of my adult life since 1992. La cultura (the culture), Lake Street, Midtown Global Market, is and will always be a part of me.
“I am a Mexicana, and I refer to myself as Mexicana Minnesota, because I have lived in Minnesota for so many years that I consider myself a person that is now part of this land,” Teresa states. “Although this is not my land, just like it is not the land of so many people that claim it to be their land—it is really native land, just like my land in Mexico,” she continues, “but I try to honor the earth as I live in it,” says Teresa. “When I started working on Lake Street, it was the early 2000s, and it was somewhat of a reconnection because prior to this time, the LatinX community was sparse and spread out — and I myself felt foreign or different,” she recalls. “I have worked on Lake Street on and off for many, many years. As an educator, many of my students and the people that I really like and love are here.”
“It’s all in the name, HeartSpeaks; the body is drumming and the words are rhythmic—so including drumming is just incredible. It’s a way of saying to the community, we are here. We are these beating drums, like a beating heart.” — Lupe Castillo
Lupe was a recipient of this year’s Creative Response Fund (CRF) grant. The CRF aims to mobilize the unique and specialized skills of artists and designers to engage with and expand the impact of healing and community support.
“When I found out about the Creative Response Fund, I had a short amount of time to get pen to paper to articulate my dreams and wishes of what this fund could possibly do for HeartSpeaks,” explains Lupe. “I immediately thought of inviting my dear friend Teresa to journal what new ideas we could bring to this opportunity.” Lupe and Teresa didn’t have to think long about how they would implement their ideas. “We have been doing this work with Palabristas and HeartSpeaks for 20 years come September 9th.” Teresa says, “with the Creative Response Fund, we're able to bring these circles to two charter schools in Minneapolis, El Colegio being one of them.” El Colegio is a small public high school serving English and Spanish students since 2000. “I've had a long relationship with El Colegio and Katie Groh de Aviña, the executive director. The staff are genuinely committed to their students, focusing on LatinX teachings and acknowledgment. When I presented the idea of HeartSpeaks Healing Circles to Katie, she enthusiastically supported it and other programs for the students.”
Before bringing HeartSpeaks into the schools, the Palabrista’s engaged with stakeholders to determine need and if there was any, as well as space to hold the writing circles for students. “We received a resounding ‘yes’ from stakeholders, leadership, staff and the community,” says Lupe. “We need this and we need more of this they told us—and shared that if only more individuals would offer these types of programs, they would give their heart and soul to them.”
“We took time to reflect, looking at the grade levels that were being taught in these schools and if the students would have an ongoing interest in palabras, poetry, journaling, and spoken word, which was all part of the preparation,” Lupe remarked.
“The essence and purpose of our activities, workshops, and the poetry of our spoken word are to heal ourselves,” says Lupe. “We tell stories about terrible things that happen, but we also tell beautiful stories.”
El Colegio will celebrate ¡Palabristas! 20-year anniversary of the collective’s founding on September 9th at El Colegio. Featured will be HeartSpeaks poets, Lupe and Teresa.
Lupe and Teresa include drumming in the healing circles when the students present their verbal art pieces. “It’s all in the name, HeartSpeaks; the body is drumming and the words are rhythmic —so including drumming is just incredible,” Teresa beamed. “It's a way of saying to the community, we are here. We are these beating drums, like a beating heart. Our words are collectively helping the people in our community. Creating resilience and resistance through palabras, not just surviving but thriving,” Lupe adds.
Lupe and Teresa have already hosted several sessions of HeartSpeaks with the students of El Colegio and the community. They use language and prompts of their belief system of Danza Azteca and spirituality to ignite creative sparks in the participants. The response they have garnered from youth who have borne their souls in these healing circles has been moving. “I was blown away by this young woman who joined the healing circles to feel connected to her father; to understand the culture in which her father was reared because she never knew him,” Lupe expressed. In these healing circles, we never know what is touching someone, but the stories stay with me forever.”
Palabristas and HeartSpeaks will ‘go on forever’, as a reflection of Lupe and Teresa’s dream. They aim to lead the way for the next generation of palabristas, ‘word slingers’, and spoken word artists to carry on the tradition of storytelling. They do this by continuing to maintain a strong presence in the LatinX community, showcasing HeartSpeaks Healing Circles in presentations and events.
“We will continue to work with El Colegio to deepen our connection, relationship, and trust,” says Lupe. “We're also working with El Colegio and Palabristas to celebrate the 20-year anniversary of the collective’s founding on September 9th,” Lupe adds. “Along with the HeartSpeaks workshops, but we're adding other resources to continue and strengthen El Colegio in every way we can.”
All are invited to ¡Palabristas! 20 Year Anniversary Celebration.
Friday, September 9, 2022 | 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
El Colegio, 4137 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis MN 55407
6:30 pm: Welcome with Mexican bread and chocolate
7:00 pm: Poetry readings
To learn more about Palabristas visit: https://www.facebook.com/somospalabristas.
Publisher's Note: The name, "The Office of Arts, Culture & the Creative Economy" has been updated on August 13, 2023 where it appeared within the content of this article to "Arts & Cultural Affairs" to reflect its new name as a department of the City of Minneapolis.