Camincha Benvenutto

Camincha Benvenutto served as Poet Laureate of Pacifica from 2017-2021. A multi-genre artist, she originally hailed from Miraflores, Lima, Peru. She was selected by KDTV for their segment “One of Ours” to honor her contributions to the Latin American community. Her novella, As Time Goes By, was published by iUniverse. She has desktop published three chapbooks and her novel, Con el Pasar del Tiempo. The San Francisco Bay Guardian said: “Camincha frames the ordinary in a way that makes it extraordinary, and that is real talent.”

Poem on Belonging

YOUNG GIRL

in San Francisco ¿qué pasa?
These days,
a lot man! and it’s heavy
You can visit an art show,
a park, a restaurant
in the Mission
and feel is a plot
to transport you to Latin América
and you come out wondering
Why didn’t I make this trip before?
With your pride surging knowing
what you want most is:  to tell
the world that you are 
           A  LATINA. 

Copyright © 2019 by Camincha Benvenutto. This poem originally appeared in Speak Poetry Vol. 2. Used with permission of the author.

Poet Laureate Project

Appointed by the Council of the City of Pacifica in 2017, Camincha Benvenutto began her term as Pacifica Poet Laureate at age 83. She hosted poetry readings at Florey’s Bookshop and Pacifica Library.