Meet Sten Garcia | Entrepreneur Poet

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sten Garcia and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sten, how do you think about risk?
I’ve always weighed risk against regret. I imagine myself as an elderly man on a rocking chair. What thoughts will I be thinking? What memories will I have? What moments in my life will I wish I had made differently? How much of my day will be filled with regret?

That’s what makes me take risks. I want a peaceful mind, knowing that I didn’t let the fear of the unknown deter me from gaining new experiences. Even if I fail, at least I know I gave it everything. When I go back in my mind and replay those moments, I’ll see the bridge of incidents that helped me cross over to a land of new lessons and skills I can apply in other areas of my life.

So, I think about risk as a crucial part of growth, and the role that it has played in my life is central to the joy I feel in knowing that I can be thrown into any challenge and I’ll figure it out.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As a spoken word poet-artist, I’ve always felt a calling to deliver a message of hope. There is a lot of heartache in my poetry because it’s true to the moments in my life that have had a lasting impression. However, I see the light at the end of the tunnel and I like to end the majority of my poems with a cathartic shift towards the positive.

I got to where I am today by asking for help and surrounding myself with people who have good intentions—people who are passionate about what they’re doing. My journey has not been easy, but let’s face it, most people are on a challenging path because the road of life is filled with roadblocks and detours, but it’s also got highways with no traffic and you’re in a convertible on a 72-degree sunny day.

As the Culture Director of the Miami Poetry Club, I’d like the world to know that we’re here for you. We are an organization that creates a safe space for creative expression through poetry. We believe that poetry can be an outlet that helps people release trauma, and pain, and, as a result, increases confidence. What we’re building at the Miami Poetry Club is a community that is truly inclusive of all people and skill levels.”

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Of course, I have to give a shameless plug to our weekly programming. If anyone is visiting Miami, they should check out our Generative Poetry Writing Workshop that takes place every second Wednesday of every month at 7 PM in Wynwood, 400 NW 26th St, Miami, FL 33127. At this workshop, you’re given a prompt in a useful handout with examples and explanations that are helpful to all skill levels. After we explain the handout, you get time to write and share at the end.

Then, on the third Monday of every month, we host ‘Palms & Poetry’ at Books & Books in Coral Gables, from 8 PM to 10 PM, 265 Aragon Ave, Coral Gables, FL 33134. Here, you can see up to 30 poets recite their work in a beautiful courtyard that serves delicious food and drinks.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Rollo May’s book, ‘Man’s Search for Himself,’ influenced me greatly. It encouraged me to take a deeper look into myself, my identity, and my place in the world. It’s because of that book that I learned to take time for myself, to block out all the noise around me so that I can hear my voice in this chaotic world.

Others who have inspired me include my mother, who came to the US in her 20s as an immigrant and worked hard to give me a chance at a better life. Also, my uncle, a highly regarded doctor in Honduras, who I would see at 2 AM reading by flashlight in the family living room while I was on my way to the bathroom. He didn’t want to have all the lights on because he thought the light would spill into the room from under the door.

Website: https://www.miamipoetryclub.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miamipoetryclub/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/miami-poetry-club/?viewAsMember=true