Meet Paula | Writer & Community Organizer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Paula and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Paula, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
It is all I’ve ever wanted to do. There has never been a backup plan or another career path that I ever took seriously. Creativity, and writing specifically, called to me from a very young age and I’ve been chasing it ever since. I don’t think I even had a choice in the matter.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve been writing my entire life, and I began sharing my writing at a very young age. I’m currently most known for the writer’s community I founded, Pluto’s, which hosts events around Long Beach, Los Angeles, and Orange County. It’s been almost two years since I began hosting these events, and it has grown into more than I ever could have imagined. It didn’t come without its challenges–every event and project has been entirely unique, and a learning process each time. But whenever someone is introduced to poetry through my work, or a new poet is given a platform, it makes everything worth it. That’s the point of all of this: to give writers the platform they deserve, and shed a light on the importance of art.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
When some of my close friends came to visit me last summer, traveling all the way from Tennessee, we packed our days with as many touristy things as possible. They’d never been to Los Angeles, and it felt important to experience both the basic and the unique. We went to drag brunch followed by a trip to the Melrose Trading Post, and the next day we hiked to the Hollywood Sign and stopped at the Beachwood Cafe. For the rest of the week, we hopped from beach to beach–Malibu, the Santa Monica Pier, and all the way down to Laguna Beach–and spent the rest of our free time crawling to different coffee shops to get our fix. When my other friends visited recently, we stayed around Long Beach where I took them to local shops I love–specifically Page Against The Machine, Cool Cat Collective, Gusto Bread, and Recreational Coffee.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I dedicate this shoutout to the Los Angeles and Long Beach poetry and music scenes, for welcoming me with open arms and catapulting me forward into the life I currently have and love. Specifically would like to shoutout No Pulp Poetry in Long Beach, who have become my second home for my poetry.

Website: https://paulamacena.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/plutopaula

Image Credits
Joshua Perez