College hosts Latin American Poetry Festival Nov. 7

North Central College will celebrate Hispanic poetry by hosting its fourth Latin American Poetry Festival Nov. 7 and presenting six Hispanic poets who will read, mostly in Spanish, their original work.

The Poetry Festival takes place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7, in the Fireside Lounge at the Harold and Eva White Activities Center. The free event is organized by Silvia Goldman, assistant professor of Spanish, and sponsored by the College’s Cultural Events program and student group Fusión Española. A discussion and tapas will follow the readings.

All the award-winning poets are well known in the Chicago Hispanic community and are actively composing. They are:

•    Rocío del Aguila Gracey  (Perú)
•    Ethel Barja Cuyutupa (Perú)
•    Gerardo Cárdenas (México)
•    Juana Goergen (Puerto Rico)
•    Jorge Montiel (México)
•    Johanny Vázquez Paz (Puerto Rico)

Also a poet, Goldman says each presenting poet has a distinctive, unique style. “They write in Spanish and live in the United States, so their poetry expresses an uprootedness from their culture and the challenges they face of trying to learn and adjust to a different culture. All express their conflict of belonging in two worlds,” says Goldman. “Some of them write about contemporary things, about their life here, and some are more lyrical, some ironic or challenging or provocative.”

For more information contact Goldman at sgoldman@noctrl.edu.