Introduction: ABQ UNIDOS

2010 Featured Group as represented by team members Reed Bobroff, Eva Crespin, Miguel Figueroa, Olivia Gatwood and Faustino Villa.

from bottom, clockwise: 

Reed Bobroff, Eva Crespin, Tescia Schell, Olivia 

Gatwood, Khalid BinSunni, Miguel Figueroa

The 2010 ABQ Unidos youth poetry slam team is the sixth youth poetry slam team chosen to represent Albuquerque. Represented by Reed Bobroff, Eva Crespin, Olivia Gatwood, Khalid Binsunni, Miguel Figueroa and Faustino Villa, whose individual performance took a People's Choice Award. Coached by Kenn Rodriguez and Tracey Dahl, the team placed third at the Brave New Voices international youth poetry slam in Los Angeles, California, July 2010. The Finals were filmed for broadcast on HBO, which will air the one-hour show in November.

Faustino

I like to include featured reader samples - usually poems - with introductions, but video, not text, is the medium for getting acquainted with this group. Let them speak for themselves:

• Olivia Gatwood, Brave New Voices, 2010, "Ode to Norma Jean"
• Faustino Villa, 2009, rocking a poem outside ECHS
• Tescia Schell, Voces 2009, "This is what I want"
• Khalid BinSunni, Voces 2009, "Blacxican"
• Mickey Figueroa, Voces 2009, "Tomas"
• Miguel Figueroa, Reed Adair, Khalid Binsunni and Olivia Gatwwod, 2010, Church of Beethoven
• Reed Adair and Olivia Gatwood, 2010, Church of Beethoven 
• Miguel Figueroa and Khalid Binsunreni, 2010, Church of Beethoven 

ABQ Slammaster Kenn Rodriguez sent me the group picture above (I take responsibility for any misidentification) along with a note about the team, Youth Slam-off and the Albuquerque youth slam scene,

The ABQ Unidos youth team -- city champion Reed Bobroff, Eva Crespin, Tescia Schell, Khalid Binsunni, Miguel "Mickey" Figueroa -- was chosen at the ABQ Youth Slam-off on April 10, 2010 at the National. Hispanic Cultural Center. Its members have all been involved in the poetry slam scene for the last few years. Reed, Khalid and Miguel, along with assistant coach Tracey Dahl are all members of the Duke City Youth Poetry Collective, which produces Slam Aztlan, Albuquerque's only under-21 poetry slam. Slam Aztlan happens monthly at Warehouse 508, ABQ's new Downtown youth arts space.