31 Aug The Power Went Out For Three Days by Julio Montalvo Valentin
and no one died.
and the bodegas fed everyone.
and we used the supplies for Y2K.
and the drum fires sang us to sleep.
and the fiends shared their childhood memories.
and the sirens went silent.
and the zombies kept watch.
and litter didn’t float in the sky.
and no one had to sell their food stamps.
and we all sipped on the goodnight juice,
and we didn’t have curfew.
and all the stars appeared in the Bronx.
Fifteen years ago,
Grandma cooked all the rice in the neighborhood
and no one died.
About the Poet
Julio Montalvo Valentin (they/his) is the author of three chapbooks, the most recent being Those Who Pray to Rice (NightBallet Press, 2019), and is a member of Los Artistas del Barrio Buffalo (LADB). Julio received their Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Writing and English literature from SUNY Buffalo State University, where they also received two research fellowships, one for their second coast-to-coast poetry tour and another to study poetry curated on the Stonewall Nation Radio Program.
Julio was a guest editor for Mutata Re, Portrait, Coffin Bell Journal, Variety Pack, and co-founder of the former Cringe-Worthy Poets Collective. Their work has been published in Thimble Literary Magazine, Cavity, Bangor Literary Journal, and Aisthesis: The Interdisciplinary Honors Journal, and more. Their work has been anthologized in Boricua en la Luna: An Anthology of Puerto Rican Voices, A Flash of Dark, Mansion, My Next Heart: New Buffalo Poetry, and the Silkworm Anthology, Volume 13. Julio worked on creative writing experiences with the TimeSlips: WNY Tele-Stories Project, the Buffalo Public School’s “Woke Words” program (“Freedom” poetry mural at Freedom Park, formerly known as Broderick Park), and the inaugural Teaching Artist Mentorship Program with the New York City Arts in Education Roundtable.
Julio has taught youth writing workshops as a Teaching Artist at Just Buffalo Writing Center.
Related Event
- The Literary Café Series at the CFI will feature poets Julio Montalvo Valentin and John Rigney reading from their work on Wednesday, September 3rd at 7:30 p.m. at The Center for Inquiry, 1310 Sweet Home Rd. in Amherst, NY. Ryki Zuckerman is the curator and host of the series. The event is free and open to the public.
The Poem of the Week feature is curated by literary legacy awardee R.D. Pohl.