Latino Poetry Review (LPR) publishes book reviews, essays, and interviews with an eye towards spurring inquiry and dialogue. LPR recognizes that Latino and Latina poets in the 21st century embrace, and work out of, a multitude of aesthetics. With this in mind, its critical focus is the poem and its poetics.
A wonderful template and high bar for us to follow. Folks, go to the site and talk back to the editor, Francisco Aragon...or just give some feedback, or something. This is an important new presence in Latino letters, and it deserves our support.
Latino Poetry Review.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Friday, March 21, 2008
MiPOesias American Cuban Issue
This list of poets kicks ass. And so does this edition of MiPOesias Magazine. To be included in this group is crazy inspiring, and I am highly grateful to guest editor Emma Trelles and to Didi Menendez.
**********************************************
MiPOesias: The American Cuban Issue
MiPOesias Magazine's newly released issue showcases the work of poets of Cuban descent who live in the U.S. The results are stories spun from highways and oceans, lyric meditations on love's rough edges and potent homages to deities and to the departed. No matter the subject, these poems blend the romance and sorrows of the past with a crisp view of daily life.
Edited by Emma Trelles and featuring Richard Blanco, Rita Maria Martinez, Grisel Y. Acosta, Kemel Zaldivar, Rich Villar, Sandra Castillo, Achy Obejas, Hugo Rodriguez, Mia Leonin, Adrian Castro, Diego Quiros, Kristina Martinez, Caridad Mccormick, Virgil Suarez, Suzanne Frischkorn, Didi Menendez and Elisa Albo. Cover art by Diego Quiros.
Now then, show your love: Pick up your copy RIGHT HERE!
**********************************************
MiPOesias: The American Cuban Issue
MiPOesias Magazine's newly released issue showcases the work of poets of Cuban descent who live in the U.S. The results are stories spun from highways and oceans, lyric meditations on love's rough edges and potent homages to deities and to the departed. No matter the subject, these poems blend the romance and sorrows of the past with a crisp view of daily life.
Edited by Emma Trelles and featuring Richard Blanco, Rita Maria Martinez, Grisel Y. Acosta, Kemel Zaldivar, Rich Villar, Sandra Castillo, Achy Obejas, Hugo Rodriguez, Mia Leonin, Adrian Castro, Diego Quiros, Kristina Martinez, Caridad Mccormick, Virgil Suarez, Suzanne Frischkorn, Didi Menendez and Elisa Albo. Cover art by Diego Quiros.
Now then, show your love: Pick up your copy RIGHT HERE!
Fundraiser Recap, PLUS
We Got Five On It: Celebrando Acentos
Good news.
Tuesday's benefit for Jack Agüeros was one of the most moving and important events that Acentos has had the good fortune to take part in. By my count, over 200 friends and family, the famous and the infamous, old friends and new, from all over New York and beyond turned out to pay tribute to an important American poet. The love in the room was palpable and real, and it was an honor for us to host it. Our thanks to all the poets who read, to the Acentos crew that lent a hand, and especially to the Agüeros family. And, you can read all about it at the New York Times' website. I will also post pictures from the various photographers who were in the house that night.
More good news:
Acentos' Fifth Anniversary show is happening this coming Tuesday, March 25th. If past history is any indicator, the craziness will ensue very early, and you should get there early too.
(Not-so-good news: Gustavo Perez-Firmat cannot make it. We hope to get him for a future Acentos date very very soon.)
But! Even more good news:
Our featured poet for the evening is none other than the director of NYU's Spanish-language writing program, Lila Zemborain...and she has a fantastic, brandspankingnew book that will be available for sale that night.
Familia, if you've been a part of this series in the last five years, you know what shenanigans we have in store for Year Six. We are moving ever forward in our mission to shine the spotlight on Latinos and Latinas in American poetry, and as always, there are big plans simmering on all four burners. Come help us celebrate, reminisce, plan, and throw down the fiesta as only the Acentos crew can! The open mic signup is promptly at 7pm, and the show starts at 7:30 SHARP, y'all....
And by the way...DON'T SLEEP. Bring your new stuff. Punto!
Peace,
Rich Villar
for the Acentos crew.
Tuesday, March 25th @ 7pm SHARP!
ACENTOS FIFTH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
The Uptown's Best Open Mic
and featured poet LILA ZEMBORAIN
Lila Zemborain is an Argentine poet who has lived in New York since 1985.
English versions of her work are included in the anthologies The Light of
City and Sea (2006) and Corresponding Voices (2002), in the art catalogs,
Heidi McFall (2005), and Alessandro Twombly (2007) and in multiple
poetry magazines and journals including Ecopoetics, Rattapallax, The
Brooklyn Rail, A Gathering of the Tribes, The Poetry Project Newsletter,
Bombay Gin, and Mandorla. Selections of her poems have also been
translated into French, Italian and Catalan. In 2007 she was selected as a
John Simon Guggenheim fellow. Mauve Sea-Orchids (Belladonna Books,
2007; translated by Rosa Alcala and Monica de la Torre) is her first
full-length English edition.
LOCATION AND DIRECTIONS:
The Bruckner Bar and Grill
One Bruckner Blvd. (corner of Third Ave. and Bruckner Blvd.)
6 Train to 138th Street Station
Hosted by John Rodriguez
FREE! ($5 suggested donation)
From MANHATTAN: Take the 6 train to 138th Street Station. Exit by the
last car on the 6. Take the exit to your left, go up the stairs to your right to
exit at Lincoln Avenue. Walk down Lincoln to Bruckner Blvd, turn right on
Bruckner past the bike shop. The Bruckner Bar & Grill is on the corner.
From THE BRONX:
By Train:
At the 138th Street Station, exit to your RIGHT, by the FIRST car on the 6.
Go up the stairs, to your right, to exit at LINCOLN AVENUE. Walk down
Lincoln to Bruckner Blvd, turn right on Bruckner. Walk alongside the
bridge, past the bike shop. The Bruckner Bar and Grill is at the corner:
One Bruckner Blvd., right next to the Third Avenue Bridge.
By Bus:
Bx15 to Lincoln Ave. and Bruckner Blvd. Walk one block west, past the bike
shop, to the Bruckner Bar and Grill.
Bx1, Bx21, Bx32 to 138th and 3rd Ave. Walk five blocks south along the left
side of 3rd Avenue to the end (Bruckner and 3rd). The Bruckner Bar and
Grill will be on the corner.
Tuesday's benefit for Jack Agüeros was one of the most moving and important events that Acentos has had the good fortune to take part in. By my count, over 200 friends and family, the famous and the infamous, old friends and new, from all over New York and beyond turned out to pay tribute to an important American poet. The love in the room was palpable and real, and it was an honor for us to host it. Our thanks to all the poets who read, to the Acentos crew that lent a hand, and especially to the Agüeros family. And, you can read all about it at the New York Times' website. I will also post pictures from the various photographers who were in the house that night.
More good news:
Acentos' Fifth Anniversary show is happening this coming Tuesday, March 25th. If past history is any indicator, the craziness will ensue very early, and you should get there early too.
(Not-so-good news: Gustavo Perez-Firmat cannot make it. We hope to get him for a future Acentos date very very soon.)
But! Even more good news:
Our featured poet for the evening is none other than the director of NYU's Spanish-language writing program, Lila Zemborain...and she has a fantastic, brandspankingnew book that will be available for sale that night.
Familia, if you've been a part of this series in the last five years, you know what shenanigans we have in store for Year Six. We are moving ever forward in our mission to shine the spotlight on Latinos and Latinas in American poetry, and as always, there are big plans simmering on all four burners. Come help us celebrate, reminisce, plan, and throw down the fiesta as only the Acentos crew can! The open mic signup is promptly at 7pm, and the show starts at 7:30 SHARP, y'all....
And by the way...DON'T SLEEP. Bring your new stuff. Punto!
Peace,
Rich Villar
for the Acentos crew.
Tuesday, March 25th @ 7pm SHARP!
ACENTOS FIFTH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
The Uptown's Best Open Mic
and featured poet LILA ZEMBORAIN
Lila Zemborain is an Argentine poet who has lived in New York since 1985.
English versions of her work are included in the anthologies The Light of
City and Sea (2006) and Corresponding Voices (2002), in the art catalogs,
Heidi McFall (2005), and Alessandro Twombly (2007) and in multiple
poetry magazines and journals including Ecopoetics, Rattapallax, The
Brooklyn Rail, A Gathering of the Tribes, The Poetry Project Newsletter,
Bombay Gin, and Mandorla. Selections of her poems have also been
translated into French, Italian and Catalan. In 2007 she was selected as a
John Simon Guggenheim fellow. Mauve Sea-Orchids (Belladonna Books,
2007; translated by Rosa Alcala and Monica de la Torre) is her first
full-length English edition.
LOCATION AND DIRECTIONS:
The Bruckner Bar and Grill
One Bruckner Blvd. (corner of Third Ave. and Bruckner Blvd.)
6 Train to 138th Street Station
Hosted by John Rodriguez
FREE! ($5 suggested donation)
From MANHATTAN: Take the 6 train to 138th Street Station. Exit by the
last car on the 6. Take the exit to your left, go up the stairs to your right to
exit at Lincoln Avenue. Walk down Lincoln to Bruckner Blvd, turn right on
Bruckner past the bike shop. The Bruckner Bar & Grill is on the corner.
From THE BRONX:
By Train:
At the 138th Street Station, exit to your RIGHT, by the FIRST car on the 6.
Go up the stairs, to your right, to exit at LINCOLN AVENUE. Walk down
Lincoln to Bruckner Blvd, turn right on Bruckner. Walk alongside the
bridge, past the bike shop. The Bruckner Bar and Grill is at the corner:
One Bruckner Blvd., right next to the Third Avenue Bridge.
By Bus:
Bx15 to Lincoln Ave. and Bruckner Blvd. Walk one block west, past the bike
shop, to the Bruckner Bar and Grill.
Bx1, Bx21, Bx32 to 138th and 3rd Ave. Walk five blocks south along the left
side of 3rd Avenue to the end (Bruckner and 3rd). The Bruckner Bar and
Grill will be on the corner.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Tribute and Benefit for Jack Agüeros, March 18th
Lord,
on 8th Street
between 6th Avenue and Broadway
there are enough shoe stores
with enough shoes
to make me wonder
why there are shoeless people
on the earth.
Lord,
You have to fire the Angel
in charge of distribution.
--"Psalm For Distribution"
by Jack Agüeros
(from LORD, IS THIS A PSALM?, Hanging Loose Press 2002)
Dear friends and colleagues:
I'm writing to you about a friend of ours: Jack Agüeros.
I say "friend," not because I have known Jack for decades (I haven't), but because of what Jack's work has meant to the writers, artists, and activists here in New York City's Puerto Rican communities. In these decades, through his work as a poet, translator, fiction writer, and community organizer, Jack Agüeros has spoken to us with clarity, humility, intensity, and dignity about our shared experiences as Puerto Ricans.
As a community activist, he worked with the Henry Street Settlement, the Puerto Rican Community Development Project, and various city agencies. As a journalist and essayist, he has written about the alliances between Chicano and Puerto Rican activists, and about his own life as a Puerto Rican in New York. As an invaluable historian, he has translated and researched the work of Jose Martí and Julia de Burgos. Through his ingenious use of the sonnet and psalm forms, he has perfected the very human art of advocacy, conveying our struggles with unflinching imagery and a smart comedic sensibility. As a cultural worker, Agüeros brought art, music and a Three Kings’ Day parade (with real camels) to East Harlem through his stewardship of El Museo del Barrio.
Jack Agüeros has committed his life to the educational and social wellbeing of his people. Now is our chance to contribute to his wellbeing.
For quite a while now, Jack and his family have been dealing with the onset of his Alzheimer's Disease. It's been a difficult time, but the family has always been able to count on the support of friends and loved ones. That support will be made palpable on Tuesday, March 18th, when Jack's friends and family will come together for a benefit reading at Taller Boricua, in the Julia de Burgos Center, in the heart of Jack's birthplace, East Harlem. The location—1680 Lexington Avenue at the corner of 106th Street--is particularly appropriate, since the Center is named for the famous Puerto Rican poet whose work Jack translated, and is also the former home of P.S. 107, where Jack attended grammar school.
Scheduled to appear that night will be fellow poets, fiction writers, and kindred spirits who know and love Jack, many of whom are longtime friends of his: Martín Espada, Sandra Maria Esteves, Naomi Ayala, Aracelis Girmay, Lidia Torres, Robert Hershon, Donna Brook, Hettie Jones, Lynne Procope, Rich Villar, Tara Betts, Rachel Eliza Griffiths, Julio Marzán, and Edgardo Vega Yunqué. His children, Kadi, Natalia, and Marcel Agüeros, will also be on hand.
The event starts at 7pm with a special performance by the young students of Taller Boricua's Tuesday dance class, who were gracious enough to move their gathering in order to accomodate this event.
The authors will have books for sale, the proceeds for which will go toward Jack's care. Signed copies of Jack's books, including DOMINOES, SONNETS FOR THE PUERTO RICAN, and LORD, IS THIS A PSALM? will also be available, courtesy of Hanging Loose Press and Curbstone Press. In addition, Sandra Maria Esteves has graciously donated one of her prints, which will be bid upon in a silent auction that night.
A $10 suggested donation will be collected at the door. No one will be turned away.
If you cannot make it to the fundraiser, but would still like to make a contribution toward Jack's care, you can send along a check payable to Marcel Agüeros at the following address:
Marcel Agüeros
Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory
Mail Code 5247
550 W. 120th Street
New York, NY 10027
This is our chance to pay tribute to a true giant of Puerto Rican, Latino, and U.S. literature. Please distribute this letter far and wide, to as many as possible. We hope to see you all in East Harlem on March 18th, 7pm sharp.
Pa'lante,
Rich Villar.
*****************************************************
Tuesday, March 18th @ 7pm
A Reading and Benefit for Jack Agüeros
Please join us as we honor the work of a dear friend and raise funds for the treatment of his Alzheimer's Disease. Scheduled readers include Martín Espada, Sandra Maria Esteves, Naomi Ayala, Aracelis Girmay, Lidia Torres, Robert Hershon, Donna Brook, Hettie Jones, Lynne Procope, Rich Villar, Tara Betts, Rachel Eliza Griffiths, Julio Marzán, and Edgardo Vega Yunqué.
Taller Boricua @ The Julia de Burgos Cultural Center
1680 Lexington Avenue (corner of 106th St.)
6 Train to 103rd Street, two blocks north on Lex.
Hosted by Rich Villar of Acentos Bronx Poetry Showcase
Suggested Donation: $10 (no one will be turned away)
For further inquiries or questions, please call 845-598-8654 or email rich@louderarts.com.
on 8th Street
between 6th Avenue and Broadway
there are enough shoe stores
with enough shoes
to make me wonder
why there are shoeless people
on the earth.
Lord,
You have to fire the Angel
in charge of distribution.
--"Psalm For Distribution"
by Jack Agüeros
(from LORD, IS THIS A PSALM?, Hanging Loose Press 2002)
Dear friends and colleagues:
I'm writing to you about a friend of ours: Jack Agüeros.
I say "friend," not because I have known Jack for decades (I haven't), but because of what Jack's work has meant to the writers, artists, and activists here in New York City's Puerto Rican communities. In these decades, through his work as a poet, translator, fiction writer, and community organizer, Jack Agüeros has spoken to us with clarity, humility, intensity, and dignity about our shared experiences as Puerto Ricans.
As a community activist, he worked with the Henry Street Settlement, the Puerto Rican Community Development Project, and various city agencies. As a journalist and essayist, he has written about the alliances between Chicano and Puerto Rican activists, and about his own life as a Puerto Rican in New York. As an invaluable historian, he has translated and researched the work of Jose Martí and Julia de Burgos. Through his ingenious use of the sonnet and psalm forms, he has perfected the very human art of advocacy, conveying our struggles with unflinching imagery and a smart comedic sensibility. As a cultural worker, Agüeros brought art, music and a Three Kings’ Day parade (with real camels) to East Harlem through his stewardship of El Museo del Barrio.
Jack Agüeros has committed his life to the educational and social wellbeing of his people. Now is our chance to contribute to his wellbeing.
For quite a while now, Jack and his family have been dealing with the onset of his Alzheimer's Disease. It's been a difficult time, but the family has always been able to count on the support of friends and loved ones. That support will be made palpable on Tuesday, March 18th, when Jack's friends and family will come together for a benefit reading at Taller Boricua, in the Julia de Burgos Center, in the heart of Jack's birthplace, East Harlem. The location—1680 Lexington Avenue at the corner of 106th Street--is particularly appropriate, since the Center is named for the famous Puerto Rican poet whose work Jack translated, and is also the former home of P.S. 107, where Jack attended grammar school.
Scheduled to appear that night will be fellow poets, fiction writers, and kindred spirits who know and love Jack, many of whom are longtime friends of his: Martín Espada, Sandra Maria Esteves, Naomi Ayala, Aracelis Girmay, Lidia Torres, Robert Hershon, Donna Brook, Hettie Jones, Lynne Procope, Rich Villar, Tara Betts, Rachel Eliza Griffiths, Julio Marzán, and Edgardo Vega Yunqué. His children, Kadi, Natalia, and Marcel Agüeros, will also be on hand.
The event starts at 7pm with a special performance by the young students of Taller Boricua's Tuesday dance class, who were gracious enough to move their gathering in order to accomodate this event.
The authors will have books for sale, the proceeds for which will go toward Jack's care. Signed copies of Jack's books, including DOMINOES, SONNETS FOR THE PUERTO RICAN, and LORD, IS THIS A PSALM? will also be available, courtesy of Hanging Loose Press and Curbstone Press. In addition, Sandra Maria Esteves has graciously donated one of her prints, which will be bid upon in a silent auction that night.
A $10 suggested donation will be collected at the door. No one will be turned away.
If you cannot make it to the fundraiser, but would still like to make a contribution toward Jack's care, you can send along a check payable to Marcel Agüeros at the following address:
Marcel Agüeros
Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory
Mail Code 5247
550 W. 120th Street
New York, NY 10027
This is our chance to pay tribute to a true giant of Puerto Rican, Latino, and U.S. literature. Please distribute this letter far and wide, to as many as possible. We hope to see you all in East Harlem on March 18th, 7pm sharp.
Pa'lante,
Rich Villar.
*****************************************************
Tuesday, March 18th @ 7pm
A Reading and Benefit for Jack Agüeros
Please join us as we honor the work of a dear friend and raise funds for the treatment of his Alzheimer's Disease. Scheduled readers include Martín Espada, Sandra Maria Esteves, Naomi Ayala, Aracelis Girmay, Lidia Torres, Robert Hershon, Donna Brook, Hettie Jones, Lynne Procope, Rich Villar, Tara Betts, Rachel Eliza Griffiths, Julio Marzán, and Edgardo Vega Yunqué.
Taller Boricua @ The Julia de Burgos Cultural Center
1680 Lexington Avenue (corner of 106th St.)
6 Train to 103rd Street, two blocks north on Lex.
Hosted by Rich Villar of Acentos Bronx Poetry Showcase
Suggested Donation: $10 (no one will be turned away)
For further inquiries or questions, please call 845-598-8654 or email rich@louderarts.com.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
