Arlene Biala

  Spoken Word • Two Time Art Party Participant

Arlene Biala is a Filipino American poet and performance artist who has been participating in poetry performances and workshops in the Bay Area for over 20 years. She is currently Poet Laureate of Santa Clara County for 2016-17. Her poetry has been described as “grounded in ritual object and ritual practice, mantras that resonate within the body, and plant the body firmly in the world.” She is the author of several collections of poetry: bone, (Helmut Press), continental drift (West End Press), and her latest book, her beckoning hands(Word Poetry Press), which won the 2015 American Book Award.