The late poet and prison rights activist read "Sinfonia Serrana" at the historic 1973 festival on the USC campus. He wrote the poem in 1971, while serving time in Leavenworth. USC alum Michael Sedano recently digitized video footage of the historic event and donated it to the libraries. Contact Barbara Robinson of the Boeckmann Center at ]]>brobinso@usc.edu to view DVDs of raúlrsalinas and other pioneering voices in the Chicano literary movement.
To learn more about the Festival de Flor y Canto, read our earlier Libwire post or visit Sedano's blog. You can also visit raúlrsalinas' Web page or read an obituary that appeared soon after his death on February 13, 2008. A great lover of jazz musical traditions, raúlrsalinas infused his poems with jazz rhythms and sensibilities. His 11 years of prison time between 1958 and 1972 were a powerful influence, shaping his views of art, politics, and social justice. Until his death, he ran La Resistencia Bookstore in Austin.
We've posted footage of his 1973 reading of "Sinfonia Serrana" below.
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