123. A Joyful Poetry Resistance w/ Alexis Jaimes

Writing Remix is kicking off National Poetry Month with poet & educator from Orange County Alexis Jaimes. This episode explores the connection and close affection Alexis has for Santa Ana. He discusses the misrepresentation of Santa Ana and sets the record straight by celebrating and highlighting the depth of its culture, from food to art to its community organizations. Alexis also talks about the how since moving to Fullerton he’s seeing the roots of Santa Ana in his poetry, as well as the vulnerable self-reflective journey addressing family trauma, masculinity, and cycles of abuse in his new forthcoming collection The Seeds We Sow (Daxson Publishing). He talks about balancing his work with a poetics of joy and celebration which leads Dan and Alexis into a conversation about joy as a source of resistance. Alexis shares his poem “On the Car Stereo.”

As an 4^th grade teacher, Alexis is doing the hard work, the deep work, and the much-needed work for his students during these unpredictable and violent times. He’s the sort of educator courageously facilitating and mentoring his students through conversations and questions about ICE, deportation, and oppression, while introducing them to literature that they see themselves in, pushing against the misnomer that students don’t want to read.

Approximate Rundown

00:00 Meet Alexis Jaimes

01:53 Santa Ana Roots

03:37 Culture Beyond Stereotypes

06:22 Poet as City Witness

12:01 Place Shapes the Page

14:51 Why Poetry Chose Me

20:43 Breaking Silence on Trauma

27:01 Teaching and Empowering Youth

30:07 Creating Safe Classrooms

30:46 Deportation Talk With Kids

32:15 Facilitating Hard Conversations

34:48 Books That Teach Empathy

36:14 Students Want To Read

37:10 Teaching Poetry Through Culture

41:11 Sharing Your Own Writing

42:39 Poem On The Car Stereo

46:34 Joy As Resistance

52:34 Where To Find Alex

54:43 Final Thanks And Wrap

People, Texts & Podcasts Mentioned in the Episode

• Arvida Book Co.
• Angel City Review
• National Poetry Month
• 120. Finding the Light w/ Caroline Reddy
• 119. The Poet’s Role w/ Anaheim Poet Laureate Camille Hernandez
• 112. Creating Joy and Community Through Poetry w/ West Hollywood Poet Laureate Jen Cheng
• Plaza Calle Cuatro
• Boca De Oro
• Libro Mobile
• Gustavo Hernandez
• Corazón Coalesced by Alexis Jaimes
• THEM Skates
• The Seeds We Sow by Alexis Jaimes (forthcoming)
• Rudy Francisco
• Antenna TV
• King of the Hill(TV Show 1997-2009; 2025-present)
• The Simpsons(TV Show 1989-present)
• Family Guy(TV Show 1999-2002; 2005-present)
• Efrén Divided by Ernesto Cisneros
• Black History Month
• Women’s History Month
• Shakespeare
• “My Spanish” by Melissa Lozado-Oliva
• 826 LA
• Minecraft
• Robert Frost
• AWP (Association of Writers & Writing Programs)
• Bottle Cap Press
• Daxson Publishing
• Summertime Jazz @ Arvida Book Co

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“I always wanna mention Santa Ana because […] being a poet from there, a writer, a creator from a city that tends to be often misrepresented, I feel like it’s important to just shout out [and] let them know that this is your roots, this is where you’re from, and let them know.”
-Alexis Jaimes

“I love poetry because it’s very easy to consume, right? […] Novels take time, and of course I feel like it’s worth their time, but somebody who […] wants something kinda like fast and quick, and someone who loves like Rap music, someone who loves Hip Hop, someone who grew up with that, I feel like the combination of that made me realize the power of literature and the […] tools embedded in it.”
-Alexis Jaimes

“Latinos, Mexicans, Chicanos and like my culture, we often don’t share, we try to keep hidden […] because of machismo and everything […] we can’t speak their emotions if you’re a man, right? You can’t be speaking about certain experiences. You can’t be vulnerable to certain […] emotions as well. And these things are supposed to be hidden. But I realized poetry is a way to make sure it explodes. That it’s exposed.”
-Alexis Jaimes

“I wanted to make sure I had something of joyous, not just depression, not just sad stuff, not just the realities. You also wanna have joy too. That’s also a form of resistance.”
-Alexis Jaimes

“Part of it too is resting. Part of its realizing [to] take a moment to reflect on again, your privileges and your […] blessings and who you have in your life and celebrate […] Celebration is resistance as well. So, it’s also […] live out of […] pettiness, you know, it’s like, I’ll be happy no matter what.”
-Alexis Jaimes

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Episode Reflection Questions:

• Reflect on and create a writing/poetic tour of your home city or town, or the place you call home. Be detailed about the sights, sounds, textures, ghosts, histories, mythologies, etc.

• Write into (like leaning into) joy as a space of resistance. Go wild. Be specific. Use your memories.

• Write something celebratory. This can be a memory, a present moment, a possibly future, or anything else. This doesn’t have to be huge in scope, just deep in the joy of it all.
  
  Share with Writing Remix writingremixpodcast@gmail.com or post your experience on Instagram with #RemixingPoetryMonth and tag Writing Remix @WritingRemixPod

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123. A Joyful Poetry Resistance w/ Alexis Jaimes (Transcript)

The theme song is “4 am” by Makaih Beats. You can follow the podcast & all social media: Linktree, join the newsletter/Follow Dan’s Medium & Follow the Substack to watch the full episode videos