Rudy Francisco facts for kids

Rudy K. Francisco is a famous American spoken word poet and writer. He was born on July 27, 1982. Rudy has won many poetry slams, which are like competitions for poets. He has also written several books of poetry.

You might have seen him on TV! He performed his poems "Complainers" and "Rifle" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. He was the first person to perform a full poem on that show.

Becoming a Poet

Early Life in San Diego

Rudy Francisco grew up in San Diego, California. His family is from Belize. When he was in his last year of high school, he wrote a love poem for a class. His teacher gave him a great grade for it!

Finding His Voice

Rudy was really inspired by a TV show called Def Poetry Jam on HBO. This show featured many amazing poets. He started going to "open mic" events in his city. These are places where anyone can get up and share their poems or songs.

Later, many open mic places closed down. So, Rudy and a group of poets and activists started their own open mic. They called it Elevated. This event has been open for over ten years in San Diego.

School and Career Path

Rudy went to Alliant International University in San Diego. He studied psychology and earned a bachelor's degree. He even started a master's degree in a special kind of psychology.

While in school, he hosted open mic nights. This helped him meet other poets. He worked as a statistical analyst for a while. He even started a Ph.D. program! But he decided to leave school to become a full-time poet.

Rudy's Poetry Journey

Falling in Love with Performance

Rudy discovered performance poetry by going to open mics. He saw a poet named Shihan perform and loved the style. He says reading a book called The Music Lesson by Victor Wooten was a big moment for him. Rudy has performed his poems in competitions and shows all over the world.

His Books and Themes

Rudy has written several poetry books. His first book, Getting Stitches, came out in 2013. Then came Scratch in 2014, and No Gravity in 2015. His first full-length book, Helium, was published in 2017 by Button Poetry. It took him about a year and a half to write the 58 poems in Helium.

When asked about the title Helium, Rudy explained that "helium allows you to defy gravity." He said that poetry always gave him a "temporary escape." His poems in Helium talk about important topics. These include race, social class, gender, love, and thinking about yourself. Rudy's style is honest and often funny. He shares personal stories and thoughts about the world.

Coaching and Championships

Rudy Francisco is the founder and coach of the San Diego Poetry Slam Team. This team won the 2017 National Poetry Slam Championship! This is a huge achievement in the world of poetry slams.

Reaching a Wider Audience

Rudy performed his poem "Complainers" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on March 1, 2018. This was his first time on the show. He was the first person to perform a full-length poem there.

Many of Rudy's poems are popular on YouTube. Some, like "Scars/To the New Boyfriend," have been watched over two million times! He also has a large following on Instagram, with over 250,000 followers.

Life Outside of Poetry

The Poetry Family

Rudy has shared that the poetry slam community feels like a family. He said, "some of my closest friends are people I have been on teams with or competed against. It is what keeps me coming back around.”

Rudy has a daughter who is now a teenager.

Books by Rudy Francisco

• Getting Stitches (2013)
• Scratch (2014)
• No Gravity (2015)
• No Gravity Part II (2016)
• Helium (2017)
• I'll Fly Away (2020)
• Excuse Me As I Kiss The Sky (2023)

TV Appearances

Popular Spoken Word Videos

Poetry Awards and Achievements

• 2007 San Diego Grand Slam Champion
• 2007 Poet of the People Slam Champion
• 2008 Member of the Hollywood Poetry Slam Team
• 2009 National Underground Poetry Individual Champion
• 2009 3rd place in the Individual World Poetry Slam
• 2010 La Poloma Slam Champion
• 2010 Chico Invitational Slam Champion
• 2010 San Diego Grand Slam Champion
• 2010 San Francisco Grand Slam Champion
• 2010 Member of the San Diego Poetry Slam Team (Regional Champion/6th ranked team in the nation)
• 2010 Individual World Poetry Slam Slam Champion
• 2017 National Poetry Slam Champion (as part of the San Diego Poetry Slam Team)