Poetry Inside Out Teaching Fellow Spotlight: Chris Lopez-Cepero

Chris Lopez-Cepero has taught in Bay Area public high schools for the past 12 years, with special focus on AP English and English Learner curriculum. A philosophy major as an undergraduate, he was a latecomer to poetry but has come to love it with the passion of a convert. In the classroom, he especially appreciates the way it opens up discussions about language and craft at the granular level.

As I said, I love reading and teaching poetry. I’m excited to approach this program with a learner stance, given my limited language ability and experience with translation.

Part of my family background is Puerto Rican, but the language and culture were cut off in my father’s lifetime. A few years ago, my son started elementary school in a Spanish dual language immersion program; in addition to being thankful at reconnecting part of our family’s past, I’m surprised to find how common my family’s experience is for many others–mulitlingualism is hard to maintain. My Spanish language ability? Fitful high school Spanish + years working in restaurants = Enough to navigate an awkward phone conversation (barely).

I am an avid amateur musician, with 20+ years singing in classical chamber music ensembles around the Bay Area. I am also embarrassingly devoted to the New York Times Crossword Puzzle.