Olivia Romo

Her acclaimed poem "Bendición del Agua" reflects the struggles and hopes of rural communities tied to ancestral ways of life and water sources.

Beyond her artistic pursuits, Romo has actively supported water rights as an advisor to the New Mexico Acequia Association, addressing challenges exacerbated by drought and climate change.

By merging her artistic prowess with water rights advocacy, Romo effectively conveys the complex interplay of culture, history, and environmental concerns in her community.

Her spoken word performance of the poem is featured in a short film of the same title, produced by Daniel Sonis and New Mexico Poet Laureate, Levi Romero.

This project reminded me about the strength, hope, and passion that I envisioned as a young woman, for agricultural communities in the Southwest to return to the land, their cultural heritage and to defend our ancestral ways of life.

In the article, the writer Jared Stanley describes her poem, Chaquegüe, as an homage to blue corn porridge (similar to atole), a basic staple in New Mexican cuisine.

The food becomes a metaphor for traditions such as the corn harvest and New Mexican Chicano culture, while highlighting water disputes within rural communities as well as large western cities.

"[1] The Elko Daily Free Press describes her work and the film, Bendicion del Agua as an "awakening for younger generations to honor ancestral traditions that help lead to a sustainable future through acts of charity, respect, resiliency and a regard for water.

"[10] Howard Yune has written in the Napa Valley Register that Romo's work as a "combination of loneliness and freedom" that brings to life "stories of lonely windswept plains, muscular horses and cattle roundups".