While students are busy learning the arts of dental surgery and dental hygiene, there’s another artist — an award-winning poet, teacher and musician — at work at the school’s switchboard.
She’s Jessica Ayala (BA ’00), whose poetry flows from her experiences and those of other immigrants. Her family immigrated to the United States from Colombia when she was just 3 years old. She soon found she could express herself through poetry, and her first poems were published when she was in grade school.
Ayala currently is finishing her second book, “Just a Kid From Ipiales,” which she describes as a poetic memoir of her unique journey as an immigrant youth. Her first book, “Huelga,” published in 2017, collects poems about her work with undocumented students and other “invisibles” in society. In 2018, she won Pitch Magazine’s Best of Kansas City award in the Poet/Spoken Word Artist division. Her work also has been supported by a two-year artist-in-residence grant from the Charlotte Street Foundation, which provides a workspace and financial support.
Ayala, who earned her bachelor’s degree in creative writing in 2000 from UMKC, spoke recently about her art and her work at the school, which started about 3½ years ago.
Q: How does a poet originally from Colombia end up at the School of Dentistry?
A: I had taught for 10 years for the Hickman Mills School District and Crossroads Academy — pre-K, kindergarten and first-graders. That was a great experience, but I was looking to move from full-time to part-time work so I could devote myself more to my writing. I heard about a part-time opening at the dental school, and having the opportunity to serve Spanish-speaking patients as part of a job encouraged me to apply.
Q: How has it worked out?
A: It has been ideal. I enjoy the contrast compared with my teaching days, and I eventually went from part time to full time. It’s important work, making sure appointments are scheduled properly and the public’s questions are answered, but it’s not stressful. It’s a perfect complement to my writing because I can leave it behind at the end of my workday. The school also has been a good, quiet place to write after my work shifts.
Dr. Jack Nelson, whose office is next to the call center, has been the most incredible cheerleader for my writing accomplishments. He would see me staying late and asked about what I was doing. When he found out I was writing, he was so encouraging and even gave me a special pen.
Q: You also blend music with your poetry. How did that come about?
A: I’ve always loved music, and my father listened to traditional Colombian music. Being in Kansas City, I fell in love with jazz. So I’ve had many musical influences. I’ve also spent a lot of time at the Mutual Musicians Foundation. It has been a writing home for me, along with the dental school and my space at the Charlotte Street Foundation. I enjoy collaborating with other musicians and currently play in two bands.
Q: What was it like to be recognized in the Pitch’s Best of Kansas City awards?
A: Overwhelming! The vote for me was a vote for the families I write about — the asylum seeking, the immigrant, the invisible.