Por La Mañana, 2024
Acrylic on Canvas. Purchase

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Art by Lucero Sanchez
Poem by Clay Cofre

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Mens Health presents: How to identify yourself as “Mr. Monopoly”

Breaking news, white boy of the week explains how to know when you’ve, “made it big”!
Qualifications include: visualizing yourself in my neighborhood (before) your boiz from Iowa State took that shit over completely.

Close your eyes and picture yourself at my doorstep. Picture all my hard surfaces covered with hand-crochet table-toppers, picture my rose pink sofa with the plastic covering on it. Picture my ceramic angel collection and all my individually framed family photos, now….

Do you come into my home?
Do you find me sitting there, alone
Nose turned up
At my dinner table
Three of four chairs are empty cuz
You called the cops on my brothers for stealing from
Your
community
Garden.

Does my food make you queasy?
Is it difficult for you to pronounce the dish that I am serving?
are you made uncomfortable by the sheer number of jesus paintings that are staring at you as I am staring at you as we are yelling at you to step the fuck back.

Do you put your money where your mouth is, but not where it belongs instead? Like towards your weekly soul cycle classes or your local jeweler who sources her turquoise on the low low from indigenous communities
and then upcharges it on a multiple of 5?

And what does community mean to you?
Does it mean twelve dollar hemp milk lattes and
A Trader Joe’s less than 500 feet from your pet-friendly condo?
Does it mean white claws at the drum circle and
Does it mean black lives matter in your window but your mouth feels sticky glued shut when jeremy from next-door is screaming at my abuela to
“go back where she came from”

Does it mean my fucking son,
Cant go to fucking school,
At your fucking private university
because you thought affirmative action was unfair,
Meanwhile,
you got in
on your legacy status.

Nah, that’s not what community means to me.
Community to me means Cafe con leche in the morning, queso fresco on the side and
translating for my sister at the bank when the teller isn’t speaking OUR language.
Not the other way around.
Community to me means keeping our children safe and collecting wisdom from our elders
It means the same faces in the same places, it means music seeping through your window, as you clean on a sunday morning,
It means love,
It means love,
It means love.

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Clay Cofre (they/them) is a queer Latiné poet from Chicago. Their poetry deals with aging, late stage capitalism, and healing though nature. They are a full-time student and the EIC of a lit and arts mag called La Mosca.

Lucero Sanchez | Growing up on the southside of Chicago, I was surrounded by a vibrant array of murals, graffiti, and guerrilla art on the walls. Each piece spoke its own unique language, yet they all shared a common message—to be seen, heard, and to connect. It is this very purpose that fuels my passion for painting—to share stories and foster connections.

Since embarking on my artistic journey, I have consistently drawn inspiration from my cultural heritage as a first-generation daughter of Mexican immigrants. My roots are deeply intertwined with the vibrant colors, rich traditions, and everyday imagery of my upbringing. Inspired by Mexican folk art, global myths, folklore, and the scenes of everyday life, I infuse my work with bright and vivid colors, alongside figures from legends. Through my art, I aim to celebrate and reflect upon my roots and the profound connection to my cultural identity.

For me, art is where I’m at home—a place where I can authentically express myself and share a piece of my soul with the world.

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1000 Words | Home Not Home Artists + Writers

Noa Alemán + Tamar Brooks • Jacqueline Almaguer + Alanis Castillo Caref • Lexi Alvarado + Isabela Ortega • Danielle Arend + Janina Gatilao • Sofia Brunwin + Spencer Hutchinson • Andrea Cole + Rocio Franco • Lydia Collins + Tarnynon Onumonu • Gregory Diaz + Irvin Ibarra • Danielle Dykerhouse + Betsy Van Die • Jonathan Espinoza + ben-aki • Jaymes Fedor + Maria Requena • Samantha Franco + Angeles Rangel • Ines Gardea + Angelica Davila • Frank Geiser + Penny Mann • Evelyn Hernandez + Valeria Osornio • Stephanie Hererra + Neha Chawla • Ivana Jarmon + Theo Sullivan • Vivian Jones + Luz Silva • Lewis Lain + Thulasi Seshan • Cesar Luna + benedicta m badia • Marie Magnetic + Jasmine Rodriguez • Delisha Mckinney + Paloma Velasco • Diana Noh + Juj-Lepe • Andrew Rehs + Corbett Berger • Clau Rocha + Maria Jose Ramos Villagra • Amyia Ross Brittanii Batts (Tanae b) • Fawaz Sakaw + Arianna Maggio • Lucero Sanchez + Clay-Cofre • Ramin Takloo-Bighash + Yiwen-Lyu • TEEL ONE + Melody Contreras • Pamela Trejo + Kim Yeoh • Cindy Uriostegui + Scum Drop • Ami Vasilopoulos + Stephanie Cruz Rincon • Ivy Waegel + Aryn Hills • Emily Schroeder Willis + Angelica Flores • Raine Yung + Micaela Petkus