Martha Gonzalez is a Chicana artivista (artist/activist) musician, feminist music theorist and Associate Professor in the Intercollegiate Department of Chicana/o Latina/o Studies at Scripps/Claremont College. Born and raised in Boyle Heights she is a Fulbright (2007-2008), Ford (2012-2013) and Woodrow Wilson Fellow (206-2017), her academic interests have been fueled by her own musicianship as a singer/songwriter and percussionist for Grammy Award (2013) winning band Quetzal.

A song as a sonic and literary manifestation is life’s soundscape, a unique, cathartic memento as well as a powerful political tool. A song can also be an important historical text. A person’s testimonio (testimony), life views, triumphs, aphorisms, and struggles can be expressed in song lyrics. In this way, song lyrics can transmit ways of knowing and theorizing about life. It can also be viewed as alternative ways of creating knowledge. When practiced in community, songwriting can be a powerful exercise in consensus building and collective knowledge production. In a two part workshop Professor Gonzalez explores the collective songwriting process as it is utilized by Chican@ Artivistas (artist/activists) in East L.A. towards different ends. Gonzalez will share the history and development of the method, the different stages of the process and the significance it has had in Chicano Latino communities in East LA.

A Collective Songwriting workshop will take place the following day for those who wish to participate. Be prepared to participate with an open mind and an open heart!

View a commercial of the offering here.