The People’s Poetry, 2015–2017 collects the poems crafted by poet, Luis Antonio Pichardo, over the course of September, 2015–September, 2017, written while attending small art and literary events throughout Southern California and Tijuana.

Using the answers that event attendees provided to random questions written on index cards, Luis wrote the poems in 15 minutes or less, including the typing of them on a 1960s-era Smith-Corona Classic 12 typewriter.

Each one of these poems is dedicated to someone of importance for the individual who commissioned the poems. For $5, these individuals received a personalized poem, and their purchase supported the mentorship of at-risk youth and adults in DSTL Arts’ Arts Mentorship Program, a nonprofit program dedicated to nurturing emerging artists who would otherwise not have educational or career opportunities in the arts.

Now, with your purchase of this book, you will continue to provide value to the poetry contained within these pages, and also added value to the poetry within our lives. All proceeds from the sale of this book will benefit DSTL Arts, a nonprofit arts mentorship organization that inspires, teaches, and hires emerging artists from underserved communities.

This publication is produced in partnership by Smiley Faze Productions and DSTL Arts