What does it mean to belong? These Latino poets explain

“Belonging” means to have an affinity to a place or person. For this series, I chose Matthew ‘Cuban’ Hernandez, Angela Aguirre, Janel Pineda and Danyeli Rodriguez — four poets whose storytelling asks me to look at belonging in a new way, either by touch and sound or by their unwavering love of complex homes. Her short film, “Mejor Allá,” is currently screening at Libélula Dorada International Film Festival in the Dominican Republic. She is the author of “Lineage of Rain.” Angela Aguirre Angela Aguirre is a Chicana writer, speaker and teacher born in Pasadena and based in L.A. She started her journey in 2010 at Da Poetry Lounge in Hollywood and published a book of poems and prompts titled “Confessions of a Firework” in 2016. She is also the host of “The Millennial Mija Podcast.” Matthew ‘Cuban’ Hernandez Matthew ‘Cuban’ Hernandez is an L.A.-based poet, emcee, actor and performance coach from Jacksonville, Fla. Hernandez has spent the last 10 years working in youth detention centers across Los Angeles County, currently serving as the director of camp programming for Street Poets Inc.