Olivia shares a tale of a magical journey in the desert. Olivia Romo recites "Roadrunner: the Chosen Prophet," during the "Gimme Open Roads + Fresh Air" show at the 2019 National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Olivia Romo
Santa Fe, NM
Olivia Romo is a farmer, poet and water rights activist from Taos, New Mexico. She earned her dual bachelor's degrees in English and Chicana/o Studies from the University of New Mexico in 2015. She is the Communications and Outreach Coordinator at the New Mexico Acequia Association -- a grassroots, statewide organization that defends water rights and cultivates an inter-generational movement to protect water resources and educate people about the various aspects of acequia systems. Olivia is also a recognized spoken-word artist. In 2011 she was titled the New Mexico State Slam Poetry Champion. Olivia is a bilingual poet whose language is immersed in the regional Manito dialect and culture of Northeastern New Mexico. Olivia intentionally focuses her activism and poetry to educate and mobilize New Mexicans around the risks and uncertainties of their natural resources. She was featured in the Western Folklife Center's poem-film series "Moving Rural Verse."

Filmed in front of a live audience at the Elko Convention Center’s Laurena Moren Theater on Feb. 1, 2019.

Made possible by Red Lion Hotel + Casino and by the multitude of staff, artists, volunteers, and community members working behind the scenes to make this show happen.

Brought to you by the Western Folklife Center, using story and cultural expression to connect the American West to the world.
www.westernfolklife.org