Lucia Herrmann Benítez
considers herself a triangulated artist, making home, performing, and scheming in Miami, FL; Philadelphia, PA; and the San Diego/Tijuana corridor.
She grew up in Miami, FL where she learned to love the ocean and dream in Spanglish. Her connection to the Atlantic/coastal communities perseveres through her focus on the coming climate apocalypse that serves as a constant backdrop for her writings. Her mom calls her a croqueta snob and she has never spent Noche Buena/December holidays away from her hometown.
She spent 2014-2022 in Philadelphia where she completed her B.A. in Literature with a focus in Latinx Literature & Culture at Haverford College. She then worked as an admissions counselor and educator. In Philly was where Lucia started to perform more regularly in poetry, comedy, and improv shows and where she started to develop her identity as la poète-comedienne. She spent a lot of time at Fergie’s Pub on Sansom Street, bridging the gap between the poetry and comedy shows at 7 and 9pm respectively.
Lucia is currently in her final year of the M.F.A. program in creative writing at the University of California, San Diego. Though it took a while to grow on her, Lucia now loves San Diego and la vida fronteriza. She started a monthly bilingual, all-genres open mic & showcase titled ¡HOLA OLA! that features local performers and offers a generative, supportive space for people to share their work.
Lucia is an organizer, mutual aid baddie, and creative collaborator dedicated to liberation politics and food justice. With the group Dollar Lunch Club, spawned from the UC academic workers strike in the Fall of 2022, she has helped serve over 16,000 dollar-donation meals on-campus at UCSD and in the Greater San Diego since November 2022. Recognizing our unique position as a border town, with other mutual aid/volunteer groups, Lucia also helps coordinate weekly preparation and delivery of ~75-100 meals to migrants in transit.
Lucia’s community and creative work are intimately connected, inspire and catalyze each other.
Learn more about Lucia by taking a look at her CV.
Check out Dollar Lunch Club on Instagram.
Enjoy some photos from December HOLA OLA at Athenaeum Art Center in Logan Heights.