Verse from the Village

Watts UpRise is a very public love letter to the city of Watts, Los Angeles in the form of poetry and full-color photographs. The collection renders homage to its most notable artistic landmark, the Watts Towers, and its creator, Sabato Rodia. The Towers epitomizes the beauty, strength, and resiliency of the city and its inhabitants and serves as a reminder that beautiful things must be kept heart-close and loved. Our town, with its whole BIG heart, open and bleeding for the world to see, is something cherished like a wildfire burning.

Watts UpRise is a finalist for the 2022 Press 53 Award for Poetry and a featured poem,  “Compton, An Energy-Fueled Dark Star” is nominated for a 2021 Pushcart Prize.