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Bodega Storytelling
Interactions with customers inspires Bronx natives art
BY JUAN DE JESS

Bobby Gonzalez spent more than 20 years at his parents bodega gathering material for his storytelling.

or Bobby Gonzalez, storytelling is a way to connect with his spiritual and cultural history. Its also an opportunity to empower his audiences by encouraging them to embrace their heritage. Gonzalez, a multicultural motivational speaker, storyteller and poet, is a familiar face in New Yorks storytelling community. The 60-year-old Bronx native gathered inspiration and ideas for his craft by spending over 20 years behind the counter of his parents bodega. The bodega, which sat across the street from the Melrose housing project, was the perfect place to talk with patrons and watch his dynamic South Bronx neighborhood change with the times. When you are behind that counter you are the star, says Gonzalez, sitting at Franz Sigel Park in the Bronx, just steps away from Cardinal Hayes High School his high school alma mater. People come and you literally run the show. As a storyteller and public speaker, Gonzalez uses experiences gleaned from growing up in the South Bronx as fuel for his stories. He has delivered his Taino-tinged stories to students at Yale, the University of Alaska-Fairbanks and the University of AlabamaHuntsville. The Bronx native has even performed in Carnegie Hall. Currently, Gonzalez is teaching the art of oral storytelling at the Bronx Museum of the Arts, hosting open mic nights at the Taller Boricua in East Harlem and moonlighting at the Nuyorican Poets Caf in the East Village.

The storyteller is also getting ready to take part in an education Powwow in Connecticut at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center on July 11 and 12. After that, Gonzalez will set off on a slew of book signings for his latest book The Last Puerto Rican Indian on August 3 at the Bronx Museum of the Arts. Aside from being an author and poet, Gonzalez enjoys being a part of the traditional, Puerto Rican migrant story. His parents made the journey from the island to NYC in the late 1940s and soon settled in the Bronx. His fathers decision to open a bodega across from his childhood home in the late 1970s changed his life forever. Gonzalez was already taking trips around the country while studying marketing at Manhattan College; but when he could, he took turns behind the counter to help his parents and brothers. It was the most pragmatic choice at the time, says Gonzalez. But the times were different then. Gonzalez stresses that even if you dont agree with him or his stories, they will at least give you the drive to discover something about yourself and your history. We should write down as much about ourselves as we can, he says. But take a moment to sit down and talk with your parents or relatives. I used to spend hours transfixed on a park bench listening to people talk about the way things were. He encourages all to become more aware of the rich history and accomplishments of their ancestors. He urges his listeners to be more sensitive to the various cultures and belief systems of their neighbors. Gonzalez wants everyone to remember, Some of the most interesting stories you will ever hear wont be found in books or on the Internet, but in the people that you know.
juanal.dejesus@gmail.com

JUAN DE JESS