Skip to Content
Poetry

‘The Poet Laureate of the Struggle’: Why Matt Sedillo is Considered One of the Best Political Poets in America

[dropcap size=big]M[/dropcap]att Sedillo is a Chicano poet, writer, creative director, and public intellectual called “the poet laureate of the struggle” by Dr. Paul Ortiz and “the best political poet in America” by investigative journalist Greg Palast. He has been featured in over 80 colleges and universities and various media outlets including All Def Digital, Los Angeles Times, and C-SPAN.

Most of Matt’s work is politically dense due to his comprehension of U.S. history. “It helps me get a better grounding for things, while others just experience it but don’t know why. We only understand the slings and arrows we get in our day to day lives, but we don’t always understand the roots. For example John Pershing lead the Mexican Expedition against Pancho Villa. Yet people protest at Pershing Square, and don’t realize how offensive that is,” he says.

For Matt, it is not surprising to see someone like Donald Trump publicly characterize immigrants as criminals. However, he does caution against the suggestion that Trump is the only problem. He also opposes the idea that Trump isn’t a major issue.

RELATED: Support Stories Like This & Become a Member of L.A. Taco Today!

https://youtube.com/watch?v=uGAVYMVEUPk

Matt says, “I do think Donald Trump is a hate-crime president. I don’t recall any president encouraging that kind of culture. The reason he took off is because more people in this country are becoming anti-Mexican and anti-Central American. Their political perspective is that too many brown people in America makes the United States, unamerican.”

[dropcap size=big]R[/dropcap]aised in El Sereno, Matt shares how the concept of a "wall" resonated with him even before Trump became president. “What I remember most is a frutería. I remember being a kid and my cousins throwing dirt rocks at these guys that were drinking out there. Over time they developed businesses and then they built a brick wall, and after that they put barbed wire to keep us from climbing over,” he notes. “It went from being a slice of Mexico to prison.”

Courtesy of Matt Sedillo.

When Matt turned five, he memorized every U.S. president’s name and by the age of seven, he was speaking in front of high school audiences. “At eight, my father told me I could never be president because I’m Mexican. It was hard for him to say that, but he thought it was something he was preparing me for,” Matt says.

He then decided to stray away from politics and aspired to become a writer instead.

In 2008, Matt visited an open mic in Pomona called a Mic and Dim Lights. This space moved him to infuse his two passions, politics and poetry. “I was like, ‘You know what? I can do this. I’m going to come back here and I’m going to do radical poetry. And they might not like me but they will respect me,’” he says.

Since then Matt has become a two-time national slam poet, a grand slam champion of the Damn Slam, and the Literary Director for the dA Center of the Arts. “By the time I’m 40, I want to be recognized as the poet laureate of history,” he adds. “I want to write in ways that feels like it was just always there, that doesn’t feel like it has an author. It just feels like, ‘of course.’”

For more information, visit Matt Sedillo’s website and blog. Below, an original poem:

RELATED: From a Stutter to the Tonight Show: How Rudy Francisco Became a Poetry Slam Champion

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from L.A. TACO

Bestia’s Former Chef de Cuisine Opening a Taquería with a Full Bar —Stumbling Distance to Dodger Stadium—In Echo Park

Tuna tostadas with an Urfa chile salsa negra, confit duck mole, micheladas with pickled mussel, and more await you at this new taquería on Sunset Boulevard. And yes, it’s within walking distance to Dodger Stadium.

September 17, 2024

Starting Tomorrow, Sonoratown is Open In Downtown Long Beach

Sonoratown's full menu will be available starting Tuesday, September 17th from 11 AM to 4 PM open Tuesday through Saturday to start. The spacious dining room set in a 106-year-old historic building seats 50 people and has high ceilings for days, making it the biggest—and their most stunning—of their three locations in L.A. County. It's the most anticipated taquería opening in Long Beach this year.

September 16, 2024

Four Places to Eat and Drink Your Way Through Mexican Independence Weekend In L.A. (and Long Beach)

Despite L.A. being the home of the second largest population of Mexicans—that counts Mexican-Americans as well, by the way—after Mexico City, it has never been known to go as hard for actual Mexican Independence Day on September 16th as it does for Cinco de Mayo. But these four places are going all out!

September 13, 2024

What To Eat In L.A. This Weekend: Subs On ‘Pickle Buns,’ A New Chilaquiles Burrito in The Valley, and All-You-Can-Eat Wagyu

Welcome back to L.A. TACO's weekly roundup of food and event finds! For members' eyes only...

September 13, 2024

Bison Tacos and Wild Venison Flautas at Echo Park’s Most Controversial Former Vegan Restaurant

Antojitos get the wild game and Indigenous protein treatment at Sage Vegan Bistro in Echo Park, but are they intriguing enough to lure you away the chile colorado at El Ruso across the street?

September 12, 2024
See all posts