Ep. 33: Matt Sedillo: City on the Second Floor

Page One Podcast

Page One, produced and hosted by author Holly Lynn Payne, celebrates the craft that goes into writing the first sentence, first paragraph and first page of your favorite books. The first page is often the most rewritten page of any book because it has to work so hard to do so much—hook the reader. We interview master storytellers on the struggles and stories behind the first page of their books.

About the guest author:

MATT SEDILLO, the first poet on the Page One Podcast, is being hailed by historians and journalists as the "best political poet in America." He has written two collections of poetry, CITY ON THE SECOND FLOOR and MOWING LEAVES OF GRASS, which are currently being taught in several California colleges. Matt Sedillo has also been described as "the poet laureate of the struggle" by academics, poets, and journalists. He has appeared on CSPAN and has been featured in the Los Angeles Times and other publications, in addition to traveling the world to speak at major conferences, forums, and universities including Cambridge. His Three Act Poem structure has been taught at UCLA and Occidental College. Sedillo is currently the Literary Director of the Mexican Cultural Institute of Los Angeles, where he leads weekly writing workshops. He is currently at work on a book-length poem “Elon Musk Must Be Stopped.” He lives in Los Angeles.

He has given us permission to share his poem “PILGRIM”

Pilgrim by Matt Sedillo

See, some were born to summer homes

And palatial groves

Where pain was only to ever unfold

From the pages of Secret Gardens

Where the Red Fern Grows

But not I

See, I come from the stock

Of starry-eyed astronauts

Who greet the night sky

With big dreams and wide eyes

Always Running

Down the Devil’s Highway

Through Occupied America

On the way back to

The House on Mango Street

And all those other books

You didn’t want us to read

Raised on handball

Off the back wall

Of a panaderia

Born

East the river

Post Mendez vs Westminster

One generation removed

From the redlines

And diplomas signed

That those dreams

In that skin

Need not apply

See, I come from struggle

And if my story offends you

That is only ‘cause you made the mistake of seeking your reflection

In my self-portrait

See, this

Well this may not be about you

Because while some were born

To the common core

Whose reflected faces

Graced the pages

Of doctrines to discover

And ages to be explored

Where old world hardships

Crashed against new shores

New England

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New York

For others pushed off

Turtle Island

Aztlan

Do not call this brown skin

Immigrant

Child of the sun

Son of the conquest

Mexicano blood

Running through the veins

Of the eastside of Los Angeles

Do not tell him

In what native tongue

His song would best be sung

Do not tell me

Who I am

‘Cause I was raised just like you

Miseducated in some of those

Very same schools

Off lessons and legends

Of honest injuns and Christian pilgrims

And a nation of immigrants

All united in freedom

That is until they pulled aside

My white friend

Pointed directly at me

And said Scott

I judge you by the company you keep

And you spend your time with this

And that’s the same old story since 1846

The adventures of Uncle Sam

The stick-up man

Hey wetback

Show me your papers

Now give me your labor

The Melting Pot

Was never meant for the hands

That clean it

The American dream

Has always come at the expense

Of those who tucked it in

And you don’t know that

‘Cause you don’t teach it

Could write you a book

But you won’t read it

So you know what

This is about you

And 1492

And the Treaty of Guadalupe

California Missions

And Arizona schools

And these racists

That try to erase us

As we raise their kids

In cities that bear our names

But you’re going to learn

Something today

‘Cause from Ferdinand

To minuteman

From Arpaio

To Alamo

From Popol Vuh

To Yo Soy Joaquin

To the Indian that still lives in me

From Mexico 68

To the missing 43

They tried to bury us

They didn’t know we were seeds

From Cananea mine

To Delano strike

From the Plan De Ayala

Emiliano Zapata

Joaquin Murrieta

Las Adelitas

Brown Berets

And Zapatistas

From Richard Nixon

To the Third Napoleon

From Peckinpah

To Houston

From Lone Star Republic

To Christopher Columbus

All the way down

To Donald f—g Trump

We didn’t cross the borders

The borders crossed us

Who you calling immigrant

Pilgrim?

About the host:

Holly Lynn Payne is an award-winning novelist and writing coach, and the former CEO and founder of Booxby, a startup built to help authors succeed. She is an internationally published author of four historical fiction novels. Her debut, The Virgin's Knot, was a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers book. She recently finished her first YA crossover novel inspired by her nephew with Down syndrome. She lives in Marin County with her daughter and enjoys mountain biking, surfing and hiking with her dog. To learn more about her books and private writing coaching services, please visit hollylynnpayne.com or find her at Instagram and Twitter @hollylynnpayne.

If you have a first page you’d like to submit to the Page One Podcast, please do so here.

As an author and writing coach, I know that the first page of any book has to work so hard to do so much—hook the reader. So I thought to ask your favorite master storytellers how they do their magic to hook YOU.

After the first few episodes, it occurred to me that maybe someone listening might be curious how their first page sits with an audience, so I’m opening up Page One to any writer who wants to submit the first page of a book they’re currently writing.

If your page is chosen, you’ll be invited onto the show to read it and get live feedback from one of Page One’s master storytellers. Page One exists to inspire, celebrate and promote the work of both well-known and unknown creative talent.

You can listen to Page One on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, Stitcher and all your favorite podcast players.

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The Page One Podcast is created at the foot of a mountain in Marin County, California, and is a labor of love in service to writers and book lovers. My intention is to inspire, educate and celebrate. Thank you for being a part of my creative community!

Happy holidays! Be well and keep reading!

In service with love,
~Holly~

Thank you for listening to the Page One Podcast, where master storytellers discuss the stories and struggles behind the critical first page of their books. If you liked this episode, please share it on social, leave a review on your favorite podcast players and tell your friends!
I hope you enjoy this labor of love as much as I love hosting, producing, and editing it. Please keep in touch by signing up to receive my newsletter at www.hollylynnpayne.com with the latest episodes each month. Delivered to your inbox with a smile.

For the love of books and writers,

Holly Lynn Payne
@hollylynnpayne
www.hollylynnpayne.com