# Al Robles

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{{short description|American writer}}
__NOTOC__
{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [:Template:Infobox writer/doc](/source/%3ATemplate%3AInfobox_writer%2Fdoc) -->
| name         = Al Robles
| image        = AlRoblesPhotobyNancyWong.jpg
| imagesize    = 
| caption      = Filipino poet Al Robles in Washington Square Park, San Francisco, California, 1975
| pseudonym    = 
| birth_name    = Alfred A. Robles
| birth_date    = February 16, 1930
| birth_place   = [San Francisco](/source/San_Francisco)
| death_date    = May 2, 2009
| death_place   = [San Francisco](/source/San_Francisco)
| occupation   = Poet
| nationality  = Filipino American
| period       = 
| genre        = [poetry](/source/poetry), [short story](/source/short_story), [children's author](/source/children's_author), [Historian](/source/Historian) 
| subject      = 
| movement     = 
| notableworks = ''Rappin' with Ten Thousand Carabaos in the Dark'' (1992)
| spouse       = 
| partner      = 
| children     = Okashi Robles
| relatives    = 
| influences   = 
| influenced   = 
| awards       = 
| website      = {{URL|http://www.ManongAlRobles.org}}
}}
'''Alfred A. Robles''' (February 16, 1930 - May 2, 2009) was a [Filipino American](/source/Filipino_American) poet and community activist in [San Francisco](/source/San_Francisco). Born in 1930, he was the second eldest in a family of ten brothers and sisters and grew up in the Fillmore district of San Francisco. A community character, he was instrumental in the political fight against the city to stop the demolition of the [International Hotel](/source/International_Hotel_(San_Francisco)) on [Kearny Street](/source/Kearny_Street). He was also a prominent member of the San Francisco-based Asian American writers' collective [Kearny Street Workshop](/source/Kearny_Street_Workshop).<ref>{{cite book|last1=Zhao|first1=Xiaojian|last2=Park|first2=Edward|title=Asian Americans: An Encyclopedia of Social, Cultural, Economic, and Political History.|date=2013|publisher=ABC-CLIO|location=Santa Barbara|isbn=1598842404|pages=961}}</ref>

Al Robles combined heritage with experience. His poetry and community work honored Filipino elders (Manongs) and also inspired and encouraged the young students, activists, writers and artists to connect to their Filipino heritage. Verses about traditional Filipino foods, his experiences in Hawaii, New Mexico, and community personalities in San Francisco resulted in countless poems, and two published works: "Looking for ''Ifugao Mountain: Paghahanap Sa Bundok Ng Ifugao'' and ''Rappin' with Ten Thousand Carabaos in the Dark''.

In 2008, filmmaker Curtis Choy released a documentary about Al Robles called ''Manilatown is in the Heart: Time Travel with Al Robles,'' focusing on Robles' many personalities and community roles. It has been shown at countless film festivals, including the ''2009 DisOrient Film Festival'', in Eugene, OR, ''Asian Pacific Heritage Month 2009'' in [Los Altos Hills](/source/Los_Altos_Hills), and the ''2009 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival'', where it was a Finalist for the Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.chonkmoonhunter.com/manilatown-is-in-the-heart-time-travel-with-al-rob.html|title=Manilatown is in the Heart|website=www.chonkmoonhunter.com|access-date=2017-05-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181022072642/http://www.chonkmoonhunter.com/manilatown-is-in-the-heart-time-travel-with-al-rob.html|archive-date=2018-10-22|url-status=dead}}</ref>
thumb|right|Poet Al Robles in front of the Chinese Culture Center, San Francisco,1975.
thumb|left|Poet Al Robles the day after eviction of the I-Hotel.

==Works==

===Poetry===
*''Ifugao Mountain: Paghahanap Sa Bundok Ng Ifugao'' (1977)
*''Rappin' with Ten Thousand Carabaos in the Dark'' (1992)

===Film===
*''Manilatown is in the Heart: Time Travel with Al Robles'' (2008)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.manongalrobles.org Family Memorial Site] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090616065432/http://www.manongalrobles.org/ |date=2009-06-16 }}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090213133841/http://alrobles.manilatown.org/page-1 Manilatown: Inspirations of Al Robles]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090615080011/http://www.chonkmoonhunter.com/MITH.html Documentary: Manilatown in the Heart, Time Travel with Al Robles ]
*[http://www.aasc.ucla.edu/aascpress/comersus/store/comersus_viewItem.asp?idProduct=11 Rappin with Ten Thousand Carabaos in the Dark]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robles, Al}}
Category:American poets of Asian descent
Category:American writers of Filipino descent
Category:Writers from San Francisco
Category:1930 births
Category:2009 deaths
Category:20th-century American poets

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Al Robles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Robles) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Robles?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.