Levi Romero

• Name — Levi Romero • Birthplace — Dixon, New Mexico, U.S. • Education — University of New Mexico (BA, MA) • Discipline — Architecture Creative writing Chicano studies • Sub Discipline — Poetry Pueblo Revival architecture

Romero was born in Dixon, New Mexico, located in the Embudo Valley. He enrolled at Española Valley High School in Española, New Mexico. He soon transferred to Peñasco High School in Penasco, New Mexico. Romero ultimately graduated from Menaul Boarding School in Albuquerque. After graduating from Menaul, Romero attended the University of New Mexico, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in architecture in 1994 and Master of Arts in architecture 2000. Romero has described his upbringing as "communal," noting that the families who inhabited the valley often shared child-rearing duties and other familial responsibilities. Romero's first language was New Mexican Spanish. He subsequently learned English in elementary school. Romero has stated that though he considers himself Chicano, he prefers the term Nuevoméxicano, or "New Mexican." Further, the manito dialect, which is central to the region of Northern New Mexico, colors the bulk of the language seen of Romero's work.

Romero writes almost entirely in free-verse form. He writes his poems in both English and Spanish. His first full book of poetry (In the Gathering of Silence) was published in 1996. By 2010, Romero continued to write on the side while working as a visiting Research Scholar in the School of Architecture and Planning at UNM. The cultural and geographical landscapes of the Embudo Valley influences many of Romero's early and later works. A notable example is his poem "Tres Copas de Chanate Black and Sweet," which features characteristics of Romero's hometown and the surrounding area. A portion of the poem reads: "pickup trucks once danced into the Royal Fork restaurant parking lot from Gallup and Farmington slipping through the honeydew sweetness of ripening September" A concept that Romero frequently deals with in his poetry is counterculture, primarily that which exists in the Southwest. The primary counterculture Romero examines is the lowrider (lowcura in Spanish). The lowrider tradition is known as a cultural marker in not only the Embudo Valley where Romero grew up, but in multiple places across the Southwest. In brief, the lowrider can be reasonably described as someone who modifies classic cars such that the body of the vehicle rides very close to the ground. Romero considers low-riding as a vehicle through which to express one's identity. This can be seen in the poem "Wheels," which was published in the Gathering of Silence. A particular aspect Romero touches on is the so-called enchantment of the low-ride. He writes: "how can I tell you baby, oh honey, you'll never know the ride the ride of a lowered chevy slithering through the blue dotted night along Riverside Drive Española." Romero also derives inspiration from the everyday and the commonplace. Many of his poems feature snippets of conversation from strangers or interactions that might otherwise seem unimportant. For example, "Corner of 5th & Central, featured in A Poetry of Remembrance, takes place on a street corner. Romero writes: "I am on the corner of 5th & Central albuquerque, new mexico united states of America northern hemisphere the planet is divided up into four quadrants how I got started carving?"

Romero has cultivated an active interest in filmmaking in addition to his poetry. Similar to his poetry, the focus of his documentaries centers around the cultural landscape of New Mexico and the people therein. One of his documentaries, "Going Home Homeless," won the People's Choice Award at the 2014 Taos Film Festival.