Crystal Wise
Tammy Gomez
Tammy Gomez
Tammy Gomez is an award-winning spoken-word poet and interdisciplinary performer. Her poetry has been anthologized in countless publications, and she has performed her work throughout the U.S., Mexico, and Nepal. Though she has lived various places in Texas and throughout the country, Cowtown has been her home since early childhood.
Much of Gomez’s creative process involves veering from traditional ways of living. “As a female-bodied person of color in this state and country, I had to do a lot of untethering to become a creative expresser and maker,” says Gomez. She has chosen to only work part time since the early’90s. “I don’t want to wait until retirement to do creative, exploratory things,” she explains.
Gomez is an urban gardener and has not owned a vehicle since 2008. Instead, she bicycles everywhere to forego dependence on fossil fuels and feel more immersed in her community. “It’s part of me trying out a life that’s different from the life my ancestors lived,” she says. “I want to be an example of how you don’t have to do things just one way.”
In 2007, Gomez premiered her first full-length play about bicycling — “She: Bike/Spoke/Love” — in the black-box theatre at Arts Fort Worth on World Car-Free Day. “The main characters were female, and there was a lot of poetry in Spanglish,” she says. “It really celebrated the joy of bicycling.” After the show, many audience members expressed interest in biking more. “I want to make art that can influence people to consider different lifestyle choices,” says Gomez.
A couple of years later, Gomez debuted her one-woman show, “Saliendo Abierta” (Emerging Open) in Fort Worth. She wrote the play after being trapped in a closet inside an old house in Fairmount for 55 hours. “I accidentally locked myself in and had to figure out how to survive,” she says. “I thought, if I can survive and remember the details of what this excruciating experience was like, it’s going to be a one-woman show.” Gomez has since restaged Saliendo Abierta several times throughout DFW and Austin.
Recently, Gomez has been working on a climate crisis script for La MaMa NYC with a cohort of writers from around the country. “It’s set seven generations in the future,” says Gomez. “We had a climate scientist educate us on what the world is likely to look like then.” The work will be presented digitally, as well as live in Oakland, the Bay Area, and New York. Being the only Texan working on the script, Gomez is pushing for a performance in the Gulf Coast, as well.
Gomez currently hosts Second Sunday Spoken Word, a monthly open mic night at Arts Fifth Avenue. “It’s an opportunity for people to test-drive their work — scenes from plays, screenplays, or monologues,” she says. “It’s also me trying to mentor and set an example for other writers.”
When asked about her work’s legacy, Gomez emphasizes the importance of embracing the unknown and seeking experiences that cultivate awareness, sensitivity, and humility. “Dive into your real liberated life, and don’t wait to start,” she says. “That’s what I want to impart.”
Favorite things to do in Fort Worth?
“I love biking and going nowhere — just wandering and listening and noticing. Laughing with family, sharing ideas with other artists and writers. And I love a good pint at The Chat Room or Hop Fusion.”
Any wisdom you want to offer to readers?
“Love your library. And hope there’s one in your neighborhood. If there isn’t, start raising your voice for getting one. If not for you, for your children.”
