Poet laureate hopes community writing, video project help dispel myths about poetry

The Spanish word “apertura” means “opening.” More specifically, the action of opening something, or the beginning of something new. 

Paola Capó-García, San Diego’s current poet laureate, said that this definition reflects the what she hopes participants in her new community-based poetry project, Apertura 2026, will experience.

In her poem Wild, Capó-García wrote: “Lately I’ve been thinking about the difference between blooming and blossoming …The internet tells me that blossom refers to the flowers of fruit-bearing plants/While bloom can be any ol’ flower in the act of opening … but what is a body in bloom? … Blooming is the wild body unmarred by the limits of the world …”

Much like the concept of blooming in her poem, she said that she hopes to inspire others to be open to new ideas, sharing their stories and channeling their experiences through poetry.  

Apertura, in collaboration with Burn All Books, a North Park publisher and zine archive, will culminate in three zine publications composed of resident submissions. Each issue will have a unique theme – youth poetry, justice and a multi-lingual edition – which Capó-García said are designed to allow participants to see themselves in the “landscape of poetry of San Diego.” 

Each theme was inspired by Capó-García’s passions and experiences, including her background as a teacher and her Puerto Rican heritage. She also said that previous collaborations with programs such as Poetic Justice, a non-profit arts-in-corrections organization, inspired the theme for the second zine edition. 

While people may feel intimidated by poetry – some words she’s heard to describe it are “pretentious,” “overly complicated” or even “cringey” – her “big mission is to dispel these myths.”

“I think anyone is able to come up with a really beautiful line, or thought, or way of looking at something. And so, I want people to feel empowered by poetry to do that.” 

There is another way to be part of Apertura beside submitting poems for the zines. In May, Capó-García and local filmmaker Victor De La Fuente will host multi-lingual “video poetics” workshops, where participants will turn a poem they’ve written into an experimental short film. 

Twelve individuals will be selected for the workshops, which will take place each Saturday in May. Every weekend will focus on a different element of the project, starting with a poetry workshop hosted by Capó-García on May 9 and ending with video editing and critique on May 30. 

“I think right now is a particularly good moment to use art, any art form, to process individual or collective grief,” she said, adding that she hopes people feel inspired to “process how they’re feeling about the world.”

All poems for the zine editions must be submitted by Aug. 1. When filling out the form, poets will be able to choose the edition in which they want to feature their work. Applications for the video poetics workshop are due Wednesday. Both forms can be found on Capó-García’s website.

The video poetics projects will be screened at the Athenaeum Art Center starting in October. A final showcase for Apertura will be held at the art center in November with live poetry readings and free copies of the zines. The display will remain at the art center until January 2027. After the showcase, copies of the zines will also be available at Burn All Books and other local bookstores.