When we were reading submissions for our July show, we couldn’t get these lines out of our head: “I spell colour with a u because I’m worried I’ll seem simple if I don’t. He uses words like ain’t, because he can.” Lorena Landeros’ “Moving Parts” is rich in language and lovely in its detail. We’re really looking forward to performing it this Tuesday at San Jose’s St. James Park.

Lorena is a writer, photographer, wanderlust. She taught Middle School English and Special Education in the South Bronx, and is currently a program director for an arts education organization in San Francisco. Her classroom experience and deep love of the arts compel her to work towards social justice and educational equity. She earned a B.A. in English from San Francisco State University, an Ed.M from Hunter College, and is a Teach for America alumnus.

What inspired you to participate in Play On Words?
I met Julia in a writing lab and was always moved by her words and work, and thus inspiration struck.

Which writers or performers inspire you?
These lists are always incomplete. Junot Diaz, Toni Morrison, Sandra Cisneros, Michael McCourt, Charlie Kaufman, and Alan Ball open up my heart. But there are so many more.

I was so lucky to behold Philip Seymour Hoffman as Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman.

Name a book or performance that fundamentally affected you.
Woman Hollering Creek was the first book that gave me permission to tell my stories, and write in mixed languages.

This is made possible through the generosity of The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, in partnership with the San Jose Downtown Association.