Notre Dame's national series with PSA continues

Letras Latinas, the literary program of the University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Latino Studies (ILS), in collaboration with the Poetry Society of America (PSA),  presents the second installment of “Latino/a Poetry Now,” a multi-year initiative that launched at Harvard University last November, and concludes at Notre Dame in October of 2013.

Georgetown University will host this national tour on March 20th in a collaboration with their Lannan Center for Poetics and Social Practice. Additional sponsors include the Library of Congress’ Hispanic Division and Poetry and Literature Center, respectively.

The featured artists are Salvadoran-born poet William Archila and Argentinian-born poet Ruth Irupé Sanabria. Archila’s distinctions include an International Latino Book Award for his collection, The Art of Exile. Sanabria is the author of the acclaimed book, The Strange House Testifies.

Both Archila and Sanabria discuss their work in a dialogue moderated by Notre Dame M.F.A. candidate Lauro Vazquez, which appears on PSA’s website. “These online discussions are a crucial element of “Latino/a Poetry Now,” said Francisco Aragón, the director of Letras Latinas. “Our hope is that they serve as pedagogical tools in the classroom,” he added. Before Archila and Sanabria give their public presentation in Washington, D.C., they will be visiting the Lannan seminar on the Georgetown campus, where their work is being taught this semester.

Letras Latinas, the literary program of the Institute for Latino Studies, seeks to enhance the visibility, appreciation and study of Latino literature, both on and off the campus of the University of Notre Dame, with a focus on projects that identify and support emerging voices.

The nation’s oldest poetry organization, the Poetry Society of America was founded in 1910 for the purpose of creating a public forum for the advancement, enjoyment, and understanding of poetry. Through a diverse array of programs, initiatives, contests and awards, the PSA works to build a larger audience for poetry, to encourage a deeper appreciation of the art, and to place poetry at the crossroads of American life.


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Note: a  photo gallery of Emma Trelles' recent visit to Washington, D.C. is forthcoming, as well as visual documentation of the second installment of Latino/a Poetry Now.