Quique Avilés is a poet and performer whose work addresses social issues, especially issues of race, identity and the plight of the poor. A native of El Salvador and a graduate of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Avilés has been writing, performing, teaching workshops and mentoring young and emerging artists for more than 25 years. He has written and performed in five one-man shows: Caminata: A Walk through Immigrant America, Chaos Standing, Latinhood, Los Otros Dos/The Other Two and Salvatrucans. He was the founding artistic director of Sol & Soul, a DC-based arts and activism organization. Avilés' first book of poetry, The Immigrant Museum, was published in 2003 in collaboration with Raices de Papel, a design and bookbinding workshop based in Mexico City. He is currently working on his next one-man show, Rehab, which deals with the issue of addiction.