Poetry and immigration are two words seldom seen together.

But they came together in harmony during a poetry reading by Felicia Martinez today at the Multi-Cultural Center at Sacramento State.

Martinez’s lecture, “I say this to remember: Political Discourse and the Poetry of Witness,” was a presentation of her poetry from her Mills College graduate thesis and her new manuscript, “Rattling the Map.”

Her poetry included “Heat Stroke,” about a woman who died while attempting to trek across the Arizona desert, to others like “End Game,” a poem that imagined a Homeland Security document detailing the removal of 12 million illegal immigrants from the country.

Martinez said that one aspect of her poetry that people have enjoyed is her ability to weave multiple identities into her work.

“My work is a lot about identity,” Martinez said. “It’s largely about my position in the world related to others.”

Ethic Studies professor Julie Figueroa brought her class to the speech and praised Martinez’s ability to capture what is happening with Latino immigrants.

“She presents a true understanding of immigration issues,” Figueroa said. “She is able to deliver a strong message that breaks through the misunderstandings.”

Martinez said her poetry was inspired by the work she did with immigration groups.

Between the end of her undergraduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley and the beginning of graduate studies at Mills College, Martinez worked with the California Immigrant Policy Center and other grassroots immigration organizations.

She said that her experience with those organizations inspired her to write about the plight of Latino immigrants entering the United States.

Junior social work major Amber Miltztrey attended and said she loved the presentation, noting the emotion Martinez put into her poetry.

“I honestly didn’t expect anything from this,” Miltztrey said. “I ended up really loving it.”

Michael Mette can be reached at [email protected].