"You can’t un-hear or un-feel Chibbi’s work, as it is daringly honest, beautifully flawed, and unfolding profound imagery.”

- Ebony Stewart

M.R. “Chibbi” Orduña is a Mexican-born, Texas-rasied poet, actor, editor, publisher, community organizer, and spoken word artist. Having been performing poetry since 2006, he is the founder of Laredo BorderSlam, a founding member of Write About Now, Editor in Chief at Write About Publishing & The Mixtape Lit Mag, and the Director and co-host of the Words and Shit video podcast. He also works as the Director of Virtual Programming for Write About Now and the Director of Media Production for Write Art Out.

He has 2 books of poetry; his latest OTRO/PATRIA, a journey through the intersections of identity, was released in the summer of 2019. He was also the co-editor of the anthology Contra: Texas Poets Speak Out (Flowersong Press, 2020), a collection of almost 70 poems responding to the political and social climate of the Trump administration. His work primarily deals with the exploration of identity and culture, his experiences as both Queer and Latino, and fighting for the validity of existence.

Chibbi has received a fellowships from Tin House and the city of San Antonio, was the recipient of the 2022 Arts and Letters Award from Friends of the San Antonio Public Library, and was a finalist for the 2021 Wax Nine Chapbook Competition and 2022 Robert Phillips Chapbook Competition, and has been featured in the Houston LGBTQIA magazine OutSmart, the 2017 Anthology Best Emerging Poets in Texas, the 2020 Latino Book Review Magazine, The Texas Review, The Acentos Review, Wax Wing, The Yalobusha Review, Defunkt, Voices de la Luna, The Journal of Latina Critical Feminism, Cosmonaut Avenue, Wax Nine, Honey Lit, Homology Lit, We Are Mitu, George Takei, SlamFind, Poetry Slam Inc, Button Poetry, and Write About Now.

He has traveled the country performing his spoken word set, is a two-time San Antonio Poetry Grand Slam Champion, and coached and performed with the 2017 PuroSlam team and the 2022 Write About Now team, which won 3rd place at the National Poetry Slam Group Piece Competition and 2nd place at the Souther Fried Poetry Slam, respectively. On stage and page, he is an unforgettable experience.

Rooster Martinez

President of Write Art Out

“Chibbi’s poetry and personality are deeply intertwined, and both are beautiful to experience. His work plays with conventions and topics in an extremely insightful manner.”

Outspoken Bean

2021 Houston Poet Laurete

"From the Texas southern region arises an unexpected gem who’s words are chosen with precision and everything but frivolous.”

AXL

Publisher, Columnist, Poet

“Brutally truthful; an ebb and flow between wrenching pain and soaring self-discovery. Chibbi’s poetry and performance is an event, and those of us fortunate to witness it will never forget it.”

Performance

From 5 - 60 minutes, book Chibbi to perform a set of his work ranging in topics like identity, acceptance, addiction & recovery, diversity and more, customized for your event. All that's required is a performance space and, if needed, a microphone and a stand. Available in virtual format.

Event Hosting

Got an event coming up and need a host? Open mics, to competitions, award presentations, anything requiring an MC to navigate the show, Chibbi has often been referred to as "one of the top 3 hosts in the country."

Workshops

Writing or performance, youth or adult, Chibbi has experience hosting and facilitating workshops to help developing artists sharpen their skills and develop their craft. Each workshop can last from 1-2 hours and can be tailored for your participants.