“La poesía es un espacio de libertad/ Poetry is a space of freedom”.
Carlos José Pérez Sámano, Mexican poet and writer
Poetry explores the language and its limitations. It’s a way to get closer to reality. The poet invents diverse forms of expressions. The words, phrases, and sentences weave visual images of communication. Poetry is an opportunity to connect with the various levels of consciousness and meaning. As a kaleidoscope, poetry gives the reader the freedom to explore through layers of interpretation.
Last year, the Mexican poet and writer Carlos José Pérez Sámano presented “Finding Our Voice: Poetry Workshop” to a local and international virtual audience that congregated, in this space, to learn about the structure, techniques and musicality of writing poetry. Sámano mentioned that a poem “breaks with the structure of the thought” and, at the same time, creates “white spaces” telling a story with the words; but underneath that message, there is a narration not being told. Like a puzzle, the reader’s challenge is to discover the layers of interpretation and meaning of the poem.
According to the Mexican writer, the lyrical speaker is the storyteller and not the poet. In order to decode the words into visual images, the reader must read the poem aloud. Its musicality will provide the lecturer another level of interpretation. Please see below the recording of this first virtual creative workshop transmitted last year during the hard months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a continuing collaboration, this year the Free Library, Acción Colombia, and the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, Temple University are working together to present the following two programs during the celebration of the XVI Poetry International Festival/Festival Internacional de Poesía (FIP) “Palabra en el Mundo” in April and May:
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Thursday, April 28th at 7:00 p.m.
The goal of this free workshop is to explore an easy and simple way to write poetry. The Mexican writer Carlos José Pérez Samano will take us on a literacy journey to discover and produce poetic language. The local authors that participate in this virtual workshop are invited to the in person event at the restaurant Alma del Mar, located in the area of South Philadelphia, to read their poems during the “open mic” section on May 4th at 6:00 p.m.
Registration link: https://tinyurl.com/taller-creativo-de-poesia
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Wednesday, May 4th at 6 p.m.
Location: Alma del Mar, Mexican Restaurant
A Voice for Peace, Concord and Harmony, the XVI International Poetry Festival in Philadelphia will congregate poets from Latin America and USA in a evening of verse and music. Each poet will read one piece, and at the end of each round a short musical performance by the Puerto Rican saxophonist Emily Sierra will follow. This free event will be at the Mexican restaurant Alma del Mar from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Because of health measures, this in-person program has a limited capacity. Please register at this link to secure a seat: https://tinyurl.com/una-voz-por-la-paz
Local poets will be reading their creations during the “open mic” section at this event. We especially appreciate the collaboration of Philatinos Media for the logistical support of the live broadcast of this in person event.
This program is part of the International Event Festival de Poesía en Todas Partes XVI. For additional information, please email Norma Corrales-Martin at ncm@temple.edu.
¡Los esperamos!
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