AndYes is one of the top-50 spoken word artists in the world, having competed in the largest international spoken word contest, the Individual World Poetry Slam in 2019. They are also the founder and teacher for several organizations, including All City Writers (where spoken word artists turn their work into compelling solo-stage-shows), and the professional youth poetry mentorship program called “Operation FreeSoul” as part of the Mayor’s Creative Economy Pilot Program in Sacramento. They are also the Grand Slam Poetry Champion of Sacramento, and are a first-generation Cuban-American nonbinary National Poetry Slam poet who has previously worked alongside The City of Sacramento, the Crocker Art Museum, Loaves & Fishes, Planned Parenthood, the World Economic Forum, and The California Democratic Convention.
AndYes currently serves on the board of directors for The Sacramento Poetry Center, open since 1979 and one of Sacramento’s oldest arts nonprofits, and has been featured across Sacramento, the Bay, Washington, Oregon, and overseas in Europe with 100 Thousand Poets for Change. They have been featured on Button Poetry and have represented the City of Sacramento in the National Poetry Slam multiple times.
In their previous tours, AndYes has featured alongside a list of different acts including Hobo Johnson, The Philharmonik, Del The Funky Homosapien, Tuneyards, SpaceWalker, and Paul Willis. They have also worked alongside one of the original members of Bob Marley & The Wailers, Dr. Devon I. Evans. Their work has also been featured in publications like The Huffington Post, Capitol Public Radio, The Sacramento Bee, Sacramento News & Review, Good Day Sacramento, as well as news and television broadcasts across the country.
Among their many engagements, their highest achievement was being asked to perform at the California Democratic Convention in 2018, in San Diego. AndYes has published 9 chapbooks, one full-length compendium of their work, a spoken word album, three separate one-person shows, and they are the President and Founder of The Spoken Word Federation, which for the first time ever combined pro-wrestling with spoken word competition.
