Moncho Alvarado

Moncho Alvarado is a Latinx-queer-poet, translator, visual artist, and educator. Moncho has been published in 2018 Emerge Lambda Fellows Anthology, Poets.org, and other publications. She is a recipient of fellowships and residencies from The Helen Wurlitzer Foundation, Lambda Literary, Poets House, Troika House, the Summer Seminar at Sarah Lawrence College, and won the Academy of American Poet’s John B. Santoianni award for excellence in poetry. She received an MFA from Sarah Lawrence College, where she was awarded the Thomas Lux Scholarship for dedication to teaching, demonstrated through writing workshops with youths in Sunnyside Community Services in Queens, New York. Born and raised in Pacoima, California, she currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Get to know Moncho Alvarado
In what neighborhood do you live?

Brooklyn

How did you first become connected to The LP, or hear about The LP?

The poet, Erica Hunt, told me about The LP.

What attracted you to The LP? How does working here relate to your professional goals?

The mission statement for The LP: Make art, Build community, create change

Can you tell us about an artist or project that has inspired you?

Laura Aguilar was an artist that talked about her queer & Latinx history, which i write about in my writing.

What is your favorite… film? …album? …food?

Favorite movie: Stalker/Mi Familia, Album: Kamasi Washington’s, Heaven & Earth/ my Cumbia mix, Food: my mom’s sopes.

Where do you do your laundry?

Up the street if there is space.

In your opinion, why does art matter?

Art is a reflection of humanity, it examines, evaluates, inspires, dreams of other possibilities, nourishes, replenishes

What LP value do you most relate to and why?

Create change: we create meaningful transformation and wellbeing. Making art and culture in community and fostering new leadership helps shape a world in which members feel truly connected and have the ability to influence their communities in creative and effective ways.