"Alderete calls himself a "Pocho," a person of Mexican descent who grew up in the United States. He incorporates Spanglish - a mix of English and Spanish - in his writings, which pay homage to the Mission District and his identity as a Chicano poet. He's written four books, and been invited to perform in Argentina and Mexico."
"Alderete said he was pushed out after the dot-com boom of the late 90s/early 2000s more than doubled his rent. But the neighborhood hasn't left him. As Alderete put it: "There's Mission folks now in Oakland, Vallejo, Berkeley and Marin. We're like a diaspora of Mission Cultura because everywhere you go, you take the Mission with you.""
""I came back home." "The Mission?" "Yeah, I came back home." "How do you remember the Mission back then?" "Oh my God, man! Hunts Donuts, Mission Comics. People laugh when I tell them Valencia Street being a long stretch of appliance stores. There was this place called Leather Tongue Video that sold like VHS and crazy art films. Four independent bookstores at the tim""
Josiah Luis Alderete is a Chicano poet and longtime bookseller, co-owning Medicine for Nightmares Bookstore & Gallery near Treat Street. He identifies as Pocho and writes using Spanglish to honor the Mission District and his Mexican American identity. He has published four books and has performed in Mexico and Argentina. He left the Mission after rent increased following the dot-com boom, describing displacement that pushed him out. Even after moving, he connects the Mission to a wider Bay Area diaspora, saying people carry Mission culture to Oakland, Vallejo, Berkeley, and Marin. He recalls earlier Mission landmarks, including Hunts Donuts, Mission Comics, and independent video and bookstore spaces.
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