PechaKucha Night VOL. 17 — NMSA Edition

Noah Walker Bogatko is originally from humid Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. He tries to find light in whatever or whoever crosses paths with him and is happy to have a made bed, fresh fruit in the fridge, and floral dress shirts to wear. His two favorite pastimes are learning and gardening—he especially enjoys studying physics and calculus, even though these aren’t his fortés. He likes reading and writing too. Nonfiction is his favorite umbrella in regard to literature. His home as of the past several years has been the sandy hills of Eldorado at Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Gabriel Boston-Friedman he has studied poetry, fiction, play writing, screenwriting, and non-fiction and has had his work published in Dreams of Montezuma, and Dreams of Montezuma 2. He has lived in six states, including California, Arizona, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and New Mexico.

Gabriel is an avid telemark skier, rock climber, whitewater kayaker, and mountain unicyclist. Gabriel enjoys art many forms, such as music, acting, and creative writing. He plays guitar and violin and sings classical music with the Young Voices of the Santa Fe Opera. Gabriel performs Shakespeare plays with the Upstart Crow of Santa Fe, and has performed in As You Like It, Taming of the Shew, The Tempest, and more.

Nevaeh Galaviz is from the small town of Taos, New Mexico. Nevaeh is a fiction writer as well as a poet. In her dedication to creative writing she has explored different genres, styles, and storytelling elements. She has been published in Dreams of Montezuma Volume 2, and in 2022 won a scholastic art and writing award for her poem about grief.

Sarita Sol González is a performance poet from Albuquerque, New Mexico currently attending New Mexico School for the Arts. One of their earliest memories is sitting at Winnings Coffee shop for Lobo Slam with their father Manual Gonzalez who himself is an esteemed poet. Sarita has been published in various poetry anthologies, and in 2016 published Burquenita (Swimming With Elephants Publications). Sarita was a featured speaker at Albuquerque TEDxYouth 2015 and a featured performer at TEDxABQ Main Event 2018. In April of 2016, Sarita had the honor of being invited by US Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera, to perform with him at the Library of Congress in Washington DC. Sarita has also been awarded the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce 2016 President’s Award for her accomplishments in poetry and most recently a 2018 Albuquerque Creative Bravos Award for using her poetry in community outreach. They also had the privilege to open for professor and jazz icon Dr. Ron McCurdy and his presentation of The Langston Hughes Project’s Ask Your Mama: 12 Moods for Jazz at the University of New Mexico’s Popejoy Hall in February of 2020. Sarita currently manages and hosts WOC: Women of Color Open Mic at El Chante: Casa de Cultura, a monthly poetry open mic and feature with the priority on WOC voices.

Raven Mackey grew up in rural Northern New Mexico, where she raised many birds, especially turkeys. During her pre-adolescence she discovered an intense love of music and songwriting that she brings into all aspects of her life, wearing it inside and out. She is heavily influenced by many bands and musicians, including Three Days Grace, Badflower, Bring Me The Horizon, Linkin Park, and Andy Black. In 2022, she released her first album titled, First Of Many, and performs her songs on the street, in the plaza, at open mics, and anywhere she can bring her guitar.

Outside of music and school, she goes on long walks down dirt roads, learns the art of happiness and free living from dogs, and takes time to notice people and why they do the things they do. She often uses songwriting as a way to process her life experiences. Her creativity extends into drawing and sketching, which she shares on Instagram with a growing following.

Born and raised in Taos, New Mexico, poet Arwen Scarlata writes to express the wonder that touches their heart, and to find meaning amidst the chaos and complexity of life. Growing up in a rural area has informed Arwen’s connection to nature, in contrast with the city of Santa Fe which they now live in. Lacking the feeling of a true home, Arwen plans to move to the Pacific Northwest after graduating from NMSA. There Arwen hopes to find freedom, gorgeous forests, new experiences, and a sense of belonging.