I really care about the work. I really care about my communities. I really care about

telling stories that take people from my community that have been relegated to the sidelines

that have been unsullibrated, ignored and moving them into the ecstatic, into this bigness,

because that's how I see my people. We loom large, no matter the forces of systemic

oppression, queer people, and Latinx people, and women, we loom large.

In the future, it's Latin USA, I'm Maria Inohosa. Today, Poet Performer and Educator Denise

Froman makes music out of language.

Poet and spoken word performer, Denise Froman, has been doing her thing for more than 15

years now.

The wooden house in Gastonio, didn't come with air conditioner or anything cool.

Her work, in passion, lyrical poetry exploring topics like language, queerness, family,

and her Puerto Rican heritage, has resonated with audiences across the US, especially among

Latinos and Latinas.

The heat, but its own kind of music, and so is our well-a, demanding, sharp tongue, the

kind of woman I imagine who's teak-win because she told them to.

But when she walks on stage, into the spotlight, staring down that microphone, the butterflies

still come fluttering back every single time.

There's a lot of nerves.

I don't think that they ever go away.

After many years, I think I'm better at coming to expect that yes, I'll be nervous, and

I think that's a good thing.

It means I care about the work and I care about the words.

...