Today we’d like to introduce you to Loria Mendoza
Hi Loria, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was born and raised in Austin, which basically means I was contractually obligated to be a little artsy. While other kids were outside playing sports or riding bikes, I was in the library, bookstore, or holed up in my room with my nose in a book, blissfully unaware of things like hand-eye coordination. My mom read to me a lot, and by the time I was in fourth grade, I had my first poem published in a collection of kids’ poetry– which I naturally assumed meant I’d made it. I also discovered early on that I had a knack for storytelling, though my little sister would probably argue that “traumatizing her with ghost stories” was a more accurate description.
Growing up in Austin, I got my fair share of the city’s classic weirdness– my brother took me to Eeyore’s Birthday, a family friend brought me to her moon goddess collectives (usually hosted at some local bookstore), and my dad booked bands at a bar, so music and performance were always around me. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was already learning how art and storytelling could bring people together.
In college, I kept up with dance and taught myself guitar in my dorm basement– mostly so no one would hear me butcher chords– but stil,l my greatest passion was literature. I graduated with honors in English from Swarthmore, then went on to get my MA and MFA in Creative Writing at San Francisco State. While there, I became Fiction Editor of the grad program’s lit journal, Fourteen Hills, and eventually took over co-curating the graduate reading series (mostly by hanging around long enough that the curator before me, Nate Waggoner, had no choice but to pass the torch to me). That’s when I met Jennifer Lewis, who had started a literary journal and performance series in the Bay Area called Red Light Lit. She invited me to perform, and before I knew it, I was touring up and down the West Coast, reading prose poems about heartbreak to rooms full of strangers.
But as much as I loved the Bay, I missed warm nights, Barton Springs, and Austin’s particular brand of chaos. When I moved back, I found the literary scene here didn’t have anything quite like Red Light Lit– something intimate, curated, and deeply rooted in exploring love, relationships, sensuality, and gender. So I decided to start an Austin chapter. Jennifer gave me her blessing, and after a bit of trial and error, RLL Austin found its rhythm. Now, our shows feature poets, storytellers, dancers, comics, drag artists, musicians, visual artists– really, anyone with something powerful to share. I curate every lineup carefully, just like Jennifer taught me, but with my own Austin spin. I also partner with local organizations whenever I can, raising money for community groups like SAFE, Six Square, the Austin Justice Coalition, and Caritas. We’ve hosted bilingual shows, incorporated ASL interpreters, and offered sliding scale and free events– because making art accessible to as many people as possible is just as important as making it. Ensuring artists are compensated fairly is also a priority, though there have been times when venue costs and slow ticket sales made that challenging. Fortunately, this year Red Light Lit Austin received the generous Elevate grant from the city, which allows us to pay artists a flat rate rather than relying solely on ticket revenue– a much-needed shift that feels like real progress.
At the end of the day, I just love creating spaces where people feel seen, heard, and connected– whether it’s through a poem, a song, or a beautifully unhinged performance. Austin has always been a city that thrives on community and creativity, and I feel lucky to play a small part in keeping that alive.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Oh, absolutely– if by “smooth road” you mean by Austin standards– full of potholes, detours, and the occasional existential sinkhole. But honestly, that’s just the nature of building something creative, especially in Austin these past few years.
Bringing Red Light Lit to Austin definitely had its hurdles, especially when it came to establishing a literary culture that truly embraced poetry as a vibrant, respected art form– something performative deserving of fair pay, just like a ballet or a music concert. Unlike the Bay Area, where Red Light Lit started and where poetry readings have strong roots and an established following, Austin’s literary scene didn’t have that same infrastructure or community support when I started this chapter back in 2017. One of the biggest struggles was getting people to attend, let alone pay for poetry events. In the beginning, it felt like it was just other poets in the audience, which led me to bring in other art forms– like comedy and burlesque– to help draw a bigger crowd.
There’s also a bit of a disconnect within the local literary community. A lot of small presses and reading series operate in their own silos, unaware of each other’s work because there isn’t a central hub or major literary conference pulling everything together. This means a lot of Austin writers aren’t being united under a single umbrella, which can make it harder to build a cohesive literary scene.
Finding venues that align with our goals has always been a challenge. For a while, each show felt like a scavenger hunt for a space that didn’t overcharge us just for the privilege of paying artists fairly. Or if a space was free, maybe they didn’t want us to sell tickets, meaning we had no revenue to pay artists, or they’d only offer space for late-night events to avoid offending “family-friendly” crowds (but what’s more family friendly than love?)
But thanks to our recent residency at 29th Street Ballroom and our new office at Propaganda Headquarters– a new affordable community-art event space I co-run with Austin artist TVHeadATX– we now have an affordable home base. That means we can spend less time begging venues to take our money and more time focusing on what really matters– creating unforgettable performances, publishing artists’ work, and cultivating an atmosphere where both performers and audiences feel inspired and connected.
That said, the hustle never stops. Austin is constantly changing, and keeping a grassroots arts series alive here is like keeping patio plants alive in February– possible, but you’ve got to pay attention, adapt, and accept that sometimes, despite your best efforts, something might wilt. But that doesn’t mean you stop planting.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Red Light Lit Austin is a creative performance series that blends poetry, storytelling, and other art forms to create unique, immersive experiences. We specialize in showcasing diverse voices, focusing on performance-driven poetry and experimental storytelling. What sets us apart is our commitment to creating a space that’s inclusive, fun, and thought-provoking. Whether it’s through our live events, workshops, or publishing opportunities for local artists, Red Light Lit Austin is about making art feel accessible and relevant, while also pushing boundaries. We’re definitely literary, sexy, and rock-n-roll.
I’m an award-winning author, editor, and community organizer, and I specialize in creating spaces where art, performance, and community collide. In addition to being the curator, I’m also the host of Red Light Lit Austin– and I’ve been told I’m funny on stage, which is such a compliment! I take my work seriously, but I believe it’s just as important for everyone to have a good time– and that includes myself! If you’re going to take on a labor of love– which most creative work is, or at least starts out as being– then you have to do what you can to balance the labor with the love to avoid the dreaded B-word: burnout. And for me, that means laughter is a must. After all, storytelling and comedy are such powerful ways to connect with people while also expressing your true self.
I also teach writing and performance through Red Light Lit, and folks can sign up for workshops at redlightlit.com/events. It’s been so cool to see people that were so shy at their first performance workshop to go on to really shine in the spotlight. So many people have that dream of living in the limelight, and it’s an honor to be able to help pull that out of them and see them live a life that’s aligned with what they only dared to imagine for themselves before.
I’m also proud of the way Red Light Lit Austin has cultivated a space that feels like home for both artists and audiences alike– somewhere folks can explore new work, share stories, and laugh, cry, or just be moved by what they experience.
What sets us apart? I believe it’s blending art with connection– whether it’s through a powerful performance, publishing an artist’s work, or building a community that champions creativity. We focus on intimate subject matters of the heart, and I think that we also work very intimately with our performers– I think the audience picks up on that energy, and they want to spend time in it. Even if they’ve never been to a poetry reading before, the way we blend burlesque and comedy and all these other performance art works into what we do– there really is something for everyone, and at the end of the night, the fact that literature is recognized as a vital and captivating part of Austin’s artistic landscape– that’s powerful.
What does success mean to you?
Success is having a good story to tell (and preferably at least one good listener.)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.redlightlit.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/redlightlit
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/redlightlit
- Other: redlightlitaustin@gmail.com
Image Credits
Leah Bury
