{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"I Love Your Stories- Conversations with Artists and Creatives with Hava Gurevich","title":"Episode #21 Victor Sotomayor on Poetry, Healing, Performance and Finding Your Voice","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2464,"description":"In this episode of I Love Your Stories, Hava is joined by poet Victor Sotomayor, who performs under the name Italo. Based in Los Angeles and raised in Peru, Victor is also the co-founder of Theria Magazine and Theria Radio, platforms dedicated to supporting independent artists and creative voices outside the mainstream.\nThe conversation explores poetry as a form of healing, emotional release, and self-discovery. Victor shares how performance allows him to fully embody his work, the story behind creating the persona of Italo, and why some poems are meant to be shared while others remain deeply personal. He also reads two of his poems during the episode, offering a glimpse into the emotional intensity and theatricality of his work.\nHava and Victor discuss his two published books of poetry, including No Se Habla Español, an anthology centered around discrimination and identity, and The Oz Monologues, inspired by the characters of The Wizard of Oz. The latter went on to inspire an award-winning stage production.\nThis is a conversation about art as transformation, creating space for authentic voices, and the ways poetry can help us process what is otherwise difficult to say.\nWebsite: https://www.theriaentertainment.com/   \nTheria Radio: google store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.TheriaRadio&hl=en_CA   apple store:https://apps.apple.com/us/app/theria-radio/id6468251515\nShownotes\n01:00:07 — Introduction to Victor Sotomayor, also known as Italo\n 01:02:28 — Victor shares how he came to poetry\n 01:03:51 — Growing up in Peru and returning to Los Angeles\n 01:07:40 — Poetry as healing and a way to process trauma\n 01:12:14 — Victor performs “Dear Dorothy” from The Oz Monologues\n 01:17:17 — How The Oz Monologues led to a theatre production and Russia\n 01:20:53 — Theria Radio and supporting independent artists\n 01:21:38 — The beginning of Theria Magazine\n 01:24:15 — Inviting artists to submit music and poetry\n 01:33:37 — Victor’s definition of success...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/BzVr4HUpBAARweHVFCWb1fF9reodKaJYUPicJmCMya8/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9kMGY1/ODMyNTU0OThkYzQw/MGFlMGYwMWNmYmU5/ZjVjMS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}