Tulsans didn’t see a space for Spanish poetry. At their monthly meetups, they create one. 

“Yes, you know well that your place is here with me 
And without you I can hardly understand 
How your absence makes the night so long
Yes, there are so many things I have to tell you
When desire and passion subside
I still need you to be by my side”

Giovanna Castro recites the words from Roberto Carlos’ song “You Already Forgot Me,” or “Usted Ya Me Olvidó” in Spanish, in front of a crowded room full of diverse creatives in east Tulsa.

“It’s night, my love, 
The cold entered the room that was yours and mine
Through the open window where I waited
Hopeful, but you didn’t show up
“You already forgot me”

She continues on. 

Castro and Isabel Alvarez-Sancho were frequent visitors to poetry nights in downtown spaces. But the two of them didn’t feel seen and thought they wouldn’t be truly heard if they did stand at the microphone. 

“We talked and said, ‘Wouldn’t this be great if it existed in Spanish?’” Castro said as she recalled the early conversations between her and Alvarez-Sancho. 

The duo created their own space for diverse communities with Voces y Versos, an organization that meets monthly for multilingual poetry and music. Its next meeting will be hosted at 6 p.m. Nov. 11 at the Sofia Event Center, 5021 S. 78th E. Ave. They meet on the second Wednesday of each month.

Poetry is a way for people to express themselves, Castro said. 

“We later decided to expand and include English,” she said. “We’ve had people recite in Russian, too.”

There is always a mixture of people of different nationalities and ages coming together. While poetry is in the roots of the meetups, it is a place where creatives can share their talents, whether they are DJs, singers, dancers or an author presenting their upcoming book, Castro said. 

There are people who don’t know Spanish yet enter the space and perform in the language, she said. The space is cultivating relationships among different communities.

“We want to create a safe space where there isn’t discrimination, not from age or from disability,” she said. “and obviously, all sexual orientations, all nationalities, tongues and languages.”

David Casas, another coordinator, said the space has welcomed individuals who are professionals in poetry and music, while also welcoming folks who are not. They all do it from the heart. 

“We want people to share from their hearts and feel full in doing so because they know they’ll be received well,” Casas said. 

Alvarez-Sancho said a fundamental part of the night is the open mic section, where anyone can stand up and express themselves. It’s part of the show where they don’t ask people to translate their poems or songs.

“Sometimes people want to express themselves in the language they identify with the most,” she said. 

Poet Juan De La Cruz spent his time in downtown and surrounding areas before the opportunity arose to venture east. This summer he attended Voces y Versos for the first time and performed his poem “The land of the free” during open mic.

“The other day I told my brother-in-law
My plan to hide our family
A contingency to keep the ones we love
From experiencing a tragedy.
“Afraid that if it came down to it; I’d exercise
The 2nd right of this “land of the free”.
Never did I ever think I’d have to have
A conversation ripped from Anne Frank’s diary.”

De La Cruz felt at home, he said, even if it was a new space for him.

“I thought it was fantastic,” he said. “I loved seeing and hearing Spanish speakers showing their work.”

This article was produced as part of a partnership between the Tulsa Flyer and La Semana, a Tulsa-based bilingual Spanish-English newspaper serving Latino communities in Oklahoma. 

News decisions at the Tulsa Flyer are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.