What do you think?
Rate this book
You Know What I'm Sayin'?:
El Zarape Press presents its first collection of poetry by the eclectic Daniel García Ordaz, The Poet Mariachi, "the voice of the Rio Grande Valley" (Texas). You Know What I'm Sayin'? is a celebration of the common experience of language and culture transfiguring time and place and juxtaposing the politics of urban hip-hop America with the lyricism of rural deep South Texas, a retelling of ancient history sung by a contemporary voice. With an introduction by Fulbright Scholar Dr. Debbie Cole, a linguistic anthropologist. Mainly English; some bilingual (English/Spanish) pieces. 70 pages
- GenresPoetry
31 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 7, 2011
2 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
About the author
Daniel García Ordaz
19 books28 followersTEDx Speaker Daniel García Ordaz, a.k.a. The Poet Mariachi, is a dual enrollment college instructor and high school English teacher. He serves as the 2023 and 2024/2025 McAllen Poet Laureate. His work has been taught and written about by academics across the U.S. and abroad and he is a 2018 Pushcart Prize nominee. García has an MFA in Creative Writing from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. He is also a singer/songwriter, former journalist, photographicationisticator, and word-maker-upper. García appears in the documentary, "ALTAR: Cruzando fronteras/Building bridges." He is the founder of the Rio Grande Valley Int'l. Poetry Festival. García served in the U.S. Navy as a Hospital Corpsman. His individual book titles include the #1 bestseller books and ebook You Know What I'm Sayin'? and Cenzontle/Mockingbird: Songs of Empowerment (and its YA version), as well as the #1 bestseller ebook Pet Names. His new middle grades collection, Read Until You Bleed: Funny and Thoughtful Poems For Funny and Thoughtful Children, is now in print. García's work has appeared in several journals and anthologies.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 27, 2015
Here in the 21st century, we live in a time that is deeply preoccupied with self-identity, with the claiming and casting off of labels. Obsessed with finding the right words to define our our own place in the world, we are more used to viewing language as a point of difference—with our separate vocabularies marking us as belonging (or not belonging) to any number of cultural, ethnic, and social groups.
And yet, language can also be a place of unity, a chance for celebration—as poet Daniel García Ordaz so beautifully demonstrates in his collection “You Know What I’m Sayin’?” Throughout the course of this linguistically rich book, García Ordaz acknowledges the realities of historical prejudices, and the struggles of claiming an often marginalized cultural identity; and yet, these poems never come from a place of bitterness or anger. This collection of poetry and drama is, at its heart, a joyous celebration: of our differences and our pasts, as well as our future and the things that bring us together—as Americans, and as humans. Here, language is a point of shared humanity.
The poet invites us in with an combination of hip-hop beat and rhythm, refrain and repetition—creating an enticing flow that kept me turning the pages and, more often than not, reading the poems out loud to myself. These are poems that beg to be heard, not just viewed on the page. Pieces like “Jazz Beat” and “Los Mariachis” pull in a vibrancy of sound, onomatopoeia, and music. The language weaves between English and Spanish, with dips into African-American and Chicano dialect. Yet even knowing very little Spanish myself, I never felt misplaced by the unfamiliar vocabulary. To the contrary: it felt like an invitation to simply enjoy the sound, the feel, the movement of language—all language.
Ultimately, this book is a smiling celebration of common experience within linguistic diversity, and all the opportunity of language—not just as it is written, but how it is spoken and shared. As the poet writes in the collection’s title piece:
“The spoken word is about passion
And silliness and truth.
It’s about getting to the root
of what’s inside.
It’s about showing all the things you hide...”
...You know what I’m sayin?
And yet, language can also be a place of unity, a chance for celebration—as poet Daniel García Ordaz so beautifully demonstrates in his collection “You Know What I’m Sayin’?” Throughout the course of this linguistically rich book, García Ordaz acknowledges the realities of historical prejudices, and the struggles of claiming an often marginalized cultural identity; and yet, these poems never come from a place of bitterness or anger. This collection of poetry and drama is, at its heart, a joyous celebration: of our differences and our pasts, as well as our future and the things that bring us together—as Americans, and as humans. Here, language is a point of shared humanity.
The poet invites us in with an combination of hip-hop beat and rhythm, refrain and repetition—creating an enticing flow that kept me turning the pages and, more often than not, reading the poems out loud to myself. These are poems that beg to be heard, not just viewed on the page. Pieces like “Jazz Beat” and “Los Mariachis” pull in a vibrancy of sound, onomatopoeia, and music. The language weaves between English and Spanish, with dips into African-American and Chicano dialect. Yet even knowing very little Spanish myself, I never felt misplaced by the unfamiliar vocabulary. To the contrary: it felt like an invitation to simply enjoy the sound, the feel, the movement of language—all language.
Ultimately, this book is a smiling celebration of common experience within linguistic diversity, and all the opportunity of language—not just as it is written, but how it is spoken and shared. As the poet writes in the collection’s title piece:
“The spoken word is about passion
And silliness and truth.
It’s about getting to the root
of what’s inside.
It’s about showing all the things you hide...”
...You know what I’m sayin?
September 20, 2011
I admit to being biased. I first met Daniel Garcia Ordaz at a Region X training for teachers. Daniel reads his poetry with such passion and expression that I had to get a copy of his book.
Less than a year later, my district brought him in to train us teachers more. This time I taped his readings. I plan to use Daniel's poetry in the classroom.
Daniel writes about life on the Texas border, my home. I grew up with the rhythms and rhymes of his poetry. He writes in Spanglish, the language of my fathers. He teaches in the same high school I graduated from. I connect easily to his poetry. I believe my students will, too.
Less than a year later, my district brought him in to train us teachers more. This time I taped his readings. I plan to use Daniel's poetry in the classroom.
Daniel writes about life on the Texas border, my home. I grew up with the rhythms and rhymes of his poetry. He writes in Spanglish, the language of my fathers. He teaches in the same high school I graduated from. I connect easily to his poetry. I believe my students will, too.
March 8, 2018
This review is for the paperback version of this book from 2011 - full disclosure: I am a friend of the author, but that doesn't really influence the appreciation I have for the poems in this collection. They are so representative of the life and culture of the place I have called home since I was a teenager - so much of what Daniel describes in these poems is what I learned to love about this subtropical area of South Texas. I have left this area three times (twice to pursue my education and once for work), but I have always come back - it's like a magnet pulling me home, and Daniel's collection captures what is so special about this area and the people that I consider mi familia!
May 5, 2020
I’ve never been so moved by poetry. I’ve never seen my life represented in poetry is such a moving way.
May 3, 2021
What a compelling, lyrical collection!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews