HYBRID EVENT

Join us for the release of Estela Victoria-Cordero's Huitzilopochtli

Book preorders available with ticket purchase.

Purchase virtual tickets to join via Zoom or join us in person at:

Sims Library of Poetry

2702 W Florence Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90043

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Hosts:

Hiram Sims

Guest Poets:

Conney Williams
Andy Sanchez
Jessica Wilson
Lupe Montiel
David Morin
Brenda Vaca
Alex Petunia

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About Huitzilopochtli:

At fourteen, Estela Victoria-Cordero’s dying mother told her she’d become a hummingbird to keep Estela safe throughout her life. Named after the hummingbird warrior guide that led the Mexicas to Tenochtitlan, present day Mexico City, Huitzilopochtli is a beautiful journey of discovery — of self, of what her mother wanted for her, of hope through emotionally strenuous times and, finally, of triumph. This debut collection of poetry is a testament to the profound guidance and faith that has shaped her life. It is about cultura and familia from both sides of the Mexican border. About being a survivor of parental alcoholism and becoming a caretaker prematurely in life. About surviving never-ending loneliness. About being a wife and mama. This book is for all and any who need something to believe in. It is encouragement to never stop searching for what’s meant to be.

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Praise for Huitzilopochtli:

“Huitzilopochtli is the Mexica/Aztec energy for willpower—to overcome, to insist and resist, following the ever-rising sun, which regularly overcomes the dark shadowy almost deathlike grip of night. This book of poems carries that same energy against the dark powers that try to stop our own rising, to end our ‘sunlight,’ to destroy the spirit to outlast. Thank you, Estela Victoria-Cordero, for persisting.”

—Luis J. Rodriguez, author of The Concrete River and Borrowed Bones

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"Huitzilopochtli, Estela Victoria-Codero’s book of poetry, is a heroine’s journey. Written in the first-person narrative, words and images seem to fuse together with a cinematic quality. This is the story of the poet guided during her growing years by the spirit of her deceased mother who transforms into Huitzilopochtli. She suffers many hardships and heart breaks, including moving back and forth between two countries her heart torn between both places. Despite her trials, she keeps faith in Huitzilopochtli and her ancestors to guide her. 'I looked for your flight/the gentle hum of your wings/small bird of the Aztecs/messenger of your maternal love.' The poet in the end transcends all obstacles through her faith and endurance. This book is an inspiration to the strength and will of the human spirit."

—Lara Gularte, author of Fourth World Woman

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About Estela Victoria-Cordero:

A married mother of four, Estela Victoria-Cordero was born and raised in the hillside neighborhood of El Sereno/Lincoln Heights area of East Los Ángeles. She's a dental hygienist, graduate of USC and an entrepreneur. Estela published her first poem in the Coiled Serpent Anthology by Los Angeles Poet Laureate Luis Rodriguez and Tia Chucha’s Press in 2016. She subsequently has been published in the anthology Los Angeles Poets for Justice by Los Angeles Poet Society Press and in Drylandla’s Hombre Lobo Stories by Ponte Las Pilas Press. Estela has also translated several children’s books to Spanish, including The Big Scary Virus by B.Me.Media, released in Summer 2020. She's an alum of the Community Literature Initiative, through the Sims Library of Poetry.