Notre Dame partners with National
Portrait Gallery and Library Congress for event featuring U.S. Poet Laureate
Letras Latinas, the literary
initiative at the University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Latino Studies
(ILS)—in partnership with the National Portrait Gallery and the Library of
Congress’ Hispanic Division and Poetry & Literature Center—is pleased to
present “Poets Unite!,” featuring U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera, alongside poets Diana Garcia and Arlene
Biala.
The presentation will take place in
Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, March 8 at 7:00 PM in the Portrait Gallery’s Nan
Tucker McEvoy Auditorium. Additional sponsors include the Smithsonian Asian
Pacific American Center and the Smithsonian Latino Center.
The poets will read work that
responds to, “One Life: Dolores Huerta,”
currently on display through May 15. “The themes of
labor, migration, and cultural affirmation that are at the heart of the farm
workers movement and this show resonate with the poetry of Herrera, García, and
Biala. We are honored to have them respond to this exhibition,” said Taina
Caragol, of the National Portrait Gallery, who conceived of, and curated the exhibit.
Like Juan Felipe Herrera, who
assumed his U.S. Poet Laureateship last September and is Professor Emeritus at
UC Riverside and author of more than twenty books, Diana García and Arlene
Biala are both California natives.
García is the author of the
award-winning collection of poems, When Living Was A Labor Camp
(University of Arizona Press), as well as co-editor of, Fire and Ink: An
Anthology of Social Action Writing (University of Arizona Press). Biala is
the author of two poetry books: continental drift (West End Press) and, her
beckoning hands (Word Tech Editions).
“When I learned about the exhibit
last summer and thought about the circumstances of our newly named Poet
Laureate’s early years, an event of these characteristics seemed wholly
appropriate,” said Francisco Aragón, director of Letras Latinas, and faculty
member at the ILS. “As with all our programs in DC, Letras Latinas is grateful
to the Weissberg Foundation for their support,” Aragón added.
Well before the March event,
Herrera, García and Biala each spent time with the exhibit as preparation for
producing this new work. They will also hold a post-reading conversation on the
issues and themes brought up in the exhibit, followed by a Q & A session
with the public.
“This event will be a necessary
moment in the ongoing and evolving discussion of and for non- violence. Diana
and Arlene have key vision, experience and heart, and I’m thrilled I’ll be
sharing the stage with them, said Juan Felipe Herrera, whose Poet Laureate
project, La Casa de Colores, resides on the Library of Congress’ website: https://www.loc.gov/poetry/casadecolores/
Letras Latinas strives to enhance
the visibility, appreciation and study of Latino literature both on and off the
campus of the University of Notre Dame, with an emphasis on programs that
support newer voices and foster a sense of community among writers.
Contact
Francisco Aragón
faragon@nd.edu
National Portrait Gallery announcement:
Library of Congress announcement:
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