Café Libro: RSA boasts the longest running literary venue in the city of Austin. Continuing the multi-decade tradition of open-mike series such as the Eastside/Southside Poetic Action and Canto Libre, Café Libro provides a forum for emerging and established proponents of spoken word. These readings feature talented writers ranging in ages from 9 to 80. Café Libro offers local writers/artists an opportunity to build self-confidence and performance skills by presenting their work to the communities of Austin.

Tejana poet and playwright Amalia Ortiz appeared on three seasons of Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry on HBO. NBC Latino named her book of poetry, Rant. Chant. Chisme. one of “10 Great Latino Books of 2015,” It was awarded the 2015 Writers’ League of Texas Poetry Discovery Prize. Amalia was chosen to speak at TEDx McAllen 2015. She was awarded the Alfredo Cisneros Del Moral Foundation Grant and a writing residency at the National Hispanic Cultural Center. She is a CantoMundo Fellow and a Hedgebrook writer-in-residence alumna. She was the inaugural performing-artist-in-residence at ArtPace in 2018. Amalia received her MFA in Creative Writing from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

About The Canción Cannibal Cabaret due out this year from Aztlan Libre Press:
Amalia Ortiz performs work from her forthcoming book of poem-songs and prose poems, The Canción Cannibal Cabaret. Part radio play, part concept album, this punk rock musical experiments with poetry at the intersection of performance. Inspired by current issues of social injustice, the manuscript is a refugee, POC, feminist, LGBTQ call to action. Set in a not-so-distant dystopian future, a refugee raised under an oppressive State, “La Madre Valiente” studies secretly to become the leader of a feminist revolution. Her emissaries, Las Hijas de la Madre, roam the land spreading her story, educating others, and enlisting allies in revolution.

This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department.

Visit Austin at NowPlayingAustin.com.

All events are free and open to the public at Resistencia Books