Arturo Mantecón is a longtime poet and poetry booster who is known throughout the Sacramento Valley poetry community as a man of rich talents, sharp wit, and insistent humor.
Arturo Mantecón was born north of Mexico in Laredo, Texas and grew up south of Canada in Detroit, Michigan. He always wanted to be a writer of some sort. For a while, he thought he’d be a newspaper reporter. He went to school and ended up a state worker despite better intentions. He started writing short stories in his late thirties and had some success, getting published, and winning an award or two…well, maybe just one.
Art Mantecón began writing poetry after Francisco Alarcón, who had never even heard him read a poem, insisted that he was a poet. He figured Francisco knew what he was talking about (and that if he didn’t know what he was talking about, it would do minimal harm) and has been writing poetry ever since.
Some people like his poetry. Some people like him, in addition to liking his poetry. De gustibus… He should be taken at face value. It is recommended that his poetry should not be, but you can take it or leave it without having to worry about whether there is any meaning to it at all, superficial or deep.
His one great tautological accomplishment was marrying his wife…. His ambition is to be a good husband and a good father and to some day race the tide at Mont Saint Michel where Arthur slew the terrible giant.
Art Mantecón performed on April 10th, 2007.
Further information about this performer:
http://www.sacramentopoetrycenter.org/artmantecon.htm
