First Annual Poetry Festival at PPL April 2-9, 2009
Poetry - Fair/Festival
Thursday, April 2, 2009 - Thursday, April 9, 2009
Providence Public Library, Central
Auditorium & Barnard Room, 3rd floor
150 Empire Street
Providence, RI 02903
Google Maps - MapQuest
In honor of National Poetry Month, Providence Public Library’s Central Library presents a series of events to celebrate local and national poets writing in English and Spanish and to promote the reading and writing of poetry in our communities.
Thursday, April 2: 6:00 pm, Auditorium Theater, 3rd Floor
Poetry Movie-Slam Nation: The Sport of Spoken Word
Run time: approx. 100 minutes. NR
*Before the feature film we will show a special animated poetry short from the Rhode Island International Film Festival called Tongue of the Hidden.
About Slam Nation
This film captures the finals of the 1996 National Poetry Slam won by the mighty Providence team! Our local heroes were the underdogs in the competition, and this documentary captures the often cutthroat world of spoken-word scene. Beginning in New York City at the Nuyorican Poets Café's Grand Slam tournament, the film follows slam champion Saul Williams and other top poets of the day as they journey to the annual National Poetry Slam. The drama unfolds as rivalries are revealed and controversies arise, underscoring larger questions of art versus ego and self-expression versus self-advancement. Produced and directed by Emmy award-winner Paul Devlin (Power Trip).
PPL recognizes the rights of parents to determine which content is suitable for their child and encourages previewing this film if parents have questions about appropriate content.
Friday, April 3: 6:00-8:00 pm, Barnard Room, 3rd Floor
Evening Poetry Reception & Reading
Featuring Poets Tom Chandler, Forrest Gander, and Renee Soto
6:00 pm: Reception, Book Sale, Book Signing-Includes silent auction of letterpress poems printed and designed at the AS200 Print Shop.
7:00 pm: Poetry Reading
About the Poets
Tom Chandler served as poet laureate of Rhode Island from 2000-2007. He has been named Phi Beta Kappa Poet at Brown University and has been a featured poet at the Robert Frost homestead. His poems have been read by Garrison Keillor on National Public Radio. He has written commissioned poems for The State of Rhode Island, The Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, and Waterfire, and has twice been named inaugural poet for Providence mayoral inaugurations. He is a columnist for The Providence Journal, a professor of creative writing at Bryant University, and founder and editor of the Bryant Literary Review. His fifth book of poems, Toy Firing Squad, was published in 2008.
Forrest Gander
Born in the Mojave Desert in Barstow, California, Forrest Gander grew up in Virginia and spent significant periods in 
San Francisco, Dolores Hidalgo (Mexico), and Eureka Springs, Arkansas before moving to Rhode Island. He holds degrees in both English literature and geology. Gander is Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Brown University and the author of more than a dozen books, including the acclaimed novel, As a Friend, and the poetry collections Eye Against Eye and Torn Awake. The editor of two anthologies of Mexican poetry, Gander also translates: No Shelter: Poems by Pura Lopez Colome and Firefly Under the Tongue: Poems by Coral Bracho are most recent. With Kent Johnson, he has translated two books by Bolivian wunderkind Jaime Saenz. In a collection of essays, A Faithful Existence, Gander explores evolution, literary hoaxes, snapping turtles, and border crossings. He is a United States Artists Rockefeller Fellow and has received fellowships from the Guggenheim, Howard, and Whiting Foundations, among others.
Renee Soto
Renee Soto is an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Roger Williams University. Her poetry has been published in the Chattahoochee Review, Cimarron Review, Crab Orchard Review, Greensboro Review, and Indiana Review. Soto is founding editor the journal roger, an art & literary magazine. She has worked as managing editor of the Southern Poetry Review and as poetry editor for The Greensboro Review. Her poem, “El Mas Joven” received an AWP Intro Journals Award in 2000, and her poem, “Birthday Card, Long after the Breakup” received an Academy of American Poets University Prize. Each spring she coordinates a series of events including emerging poets, established poets, and poets who work in translation to complement the April Is National Poetry Month celebration at RWU. She has an MFA from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a BA from Mary Washington College.
Saturday, April 4: 12:30-2:00 pm, Barnard Room, 3rd Floor
Poetry Workshop for Adults with Heather Sullivan
Share Your Voice: An Introduction to the Craft of Poetry
Follow your muse and join poet Heather Sullivan for this interactive workshop. If you've ever wanted to explore poetry, understand poetry, or craft your own, this is the workshop for you. We'll read contemporary poems, use creative prompts, and put pen to paper. You'll have an opportunity to share your work, and you'll leave not only inspired, but with fresh ideas and a work in progress. Please bring a poem of your own or a favorite poem to share.
About the Poet
Heather Sullivan received her B.A. and M.A. in English from the University of Rhode Island. Her awards include semifinalist: New Millennium Writing Competition; first place: Nancy Potter Short Story Contest; first place/memoir category: Writer's Digest's 1999 Writing Competition; and honorable mention: The Academy of American Poets Prize at URI. She is published on the Block Island Poetry Project's website, Echoes of the Heart: Poetry for Peace from 9/11, Balancing the Tides: A Newport Journal, The Writers' Circle's 2008 Anthology, The Newport Roundtable's Walls and Bridges Anthology, The Providence Journal, and She Shines Magazine. Recently, Sullivan's work was aired on RI NPR's This I Believe series. She has taught writing at URI, Salve Regina University, and Brown University. In April 2007, she served as a panel judge for Barnes and Noble's state-wide Maya Angelou High School Poetry Contest. In July 2007, she was appointed Assistant Creative Director of The RI Writers' Circle. Heather joined the Circle's Power to the Poets, a community outreach group that brings poetry to the underserved. She is currently administering a National Poetry Competition.
Saturday, April 4: 2:30-4:00 pm, Auditorium, 3rd Floor
Artist & Arthur Nina Crews
Artist & author Nina Crews is known for her beautiful and clever photo collages of children playing in city neighborhoods. Her books include One Hot Summer Day, Snowball, The Neighborhood Mother Goose and most recently, Below. Prior to entering the field of children's literature, Nina worked in animation production for 10 years. Her talk will be aimed at librarians, teachers, parents and children's literature enthusiasts. Her talk will be followed by a book sale and signing.
Sunday, April 5: 1:30-3:00 pm, Barnard Room, 3rd Floor: An Afternoon of Poetry
Featuring Special Guest Poet Martha Collins and the RI Writer's Circle
1:30 pm: Book Sale & Signing with Martha Collins
2:00 pm: Poetry Reading with Martha Collins
3:00 pm: Winners of the Writer's Circle National Poetry Competition Announced!
Open Mic Public Reading, hosted by The Writer's Circle's Power to the Poets
This Open Mic will be hosted by The Writers’ Circle’s Power to the Poets. Sign up for reading at the door. Power to the Poets, a free outreach program, has been touring the state since September 2008. Teams of poets travel with RI Poet Laureate Lisa Starr to hospitals, schools, nursing homes, prisons and homeless shelters. The Writer’s Circle National Poetry Competition winners will share their winning poems and poets from the community can sign up for a time to read one or two original poems.
About the Poet
Martha Collins founded the Creative Writing Program at UMass-Boston, and for ten years was Pauline Delaney Professor of Creative Writing at Oberlin College. She is currently editor-at-large for FIELD magazine and one of the editors of the Oberlin College Press. Blue Front, her book-length poem based on a lynching her father witnessed when he was five years old, won an Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, and was chosen as one of "25 Books to Remember from 2006" by the New York Public Library. A selection of poems from Blue Front also won the Laurence Goldstein Poetry Prize in 2005. Collins' chapbook Sheer (Barnwood, 2008) is her most recent publication. In addition, she has published four collections of poems, two books of co-translations from the Vietnamese, and an earlier chapbook of poems, as well as individual poems in journals such as the Kenyon Review and Ploughshares. Her other awards include fellowships from the NEA, the Bunting Institute, the Ingram Merrill Foundation, and the Witter Bynner Foundation, as well as three Pushcart Prizes, the Alice Fay Di Castagnola Award, and a Lannan residency grant.
About the Writer's Circle
The Writer's Circle was founded in 1993 as a nonprofit, charitable center for emerging and professional writers. The Circle provides workshops in fiction, nonfiction, creative nonfiction, memoir, playwriting, poetry, screen writing, and independent publishing. Competitive workshops, visiting authors, and public events take place in Providence and Warwick. Workshops are designed to help writers hone their craft for publication in our anthology and also to showcase their work on stage. Writers are invited based on their level of experience, writing skills, and motivation.
Monday, April 6: 6:00-7:30pm, Barnard Room, 3rd Floor
Poets of Providence: Reach Out
A reading and talk featuring professional poets Kate Schapira & Tina Cane along with their remarkable students.
Kate Schapira and Tina Cane will read a selection of their own poetry and discuss their experiences working with young poets in local libraries and schools. Youth poets from Read and Rap at Smith Hill will also share poems from their recent anthology. This program is geared toward mentor poets looking for ways to reach out to the Providence community as well as to families and young writers looking for new opportunities to celebrate poetry.
About the Poets
Kate Schapira writes poems, makes books, teaches at Brown and URI, is a writer-in-the-schools at Vartan Gregorian Elementary School, and organizes the Publicly Complex Reading Series. She's the author of four chapbooks (mini-books) published by other people: The Love of Freak Millways and Tango Wax (Cy Gist Press), The Painting (Rope-A-Dope Press), Case Fbdy. (Rope-A-Dope Press) and Phoenix Memory (horse less press). She lives in Providence.
Tina Cane was born and raised in New York City. She completed her Masters degree in French, English and Creative Writing in numerous public and private schools. Her poems can be found in journals including Salt Hill, Hanging Loose, Barrow Street, and Spinning Jenny.
Prose poems in French appear in the anthology Laisse de Mer (Francoforum, 1999). Tina's book-length poem, Law of Fives, was a finalist for the National Poetry Series first book award and for Fence's Alberta prize. Her poem, The Fifth Thought, was recently published in a numbered edition chapbook by Other Painters Press. She is the founder and director of Writers-in-the-Schools Rhode Island.
Thursday, April 9: 6:00-7:30 pm, Barnard Room, 3rd Floor
Latino Poetry Reading and Reception (in Spanish) / Recital Poético y Recepción Latina
6:00pm: Reception with live acoustic music provided by Cesar Santana.
Refrescos y música en vivo proporcionada por Cesar Santana.
6:30 pm: Reading by Local poets writing in Spanish
Lectura por los poetas locales Latinos
Local poet Tomás Peña Rivera will read from Una peña en la ribera (Presencia de un futuro ayer) and local poet Luis Peralta will read from Pasión de Vida. Poets Sussy Santana and Mr. Valentin Perez will also read of their most recent work. Readings will also be presented by our own Spanish Book Club members, Papo Toribio, Eva Jimenez, Miriam Noriega, Olga Granados and Carolina Briones.
Music will be provided by Cesar Santana.
Registration is required by calling or emailing Carolina Briones: (401) 455-8035; cbriones@provlib.org. A selection of books will be available for sale & signing.
Poeta locales Tomás Peña Rivera leerá de Una peña en la ribera (Presencia de un futuro ayer) y Luis Peralta leerá de Pasión de Vida. También poetas Sussy Santana y Sr. Valentin Pérez leerán su trabajo reciente. Miembros del Club de Lectura, Papo Toribio, Eva Jimenez, Miriam Noriega, Olga Granados and Carolina Briones, leeran sus poemas favoritos.
Interpretación musical a cargo de Cesar Santana.
Registración requerida. Carolina Briones al (401) 455-8035; cbriones@provlib.org. Seleciónes de libros estaran disponidibles para la venta y firmar.
About the Books / Sobre los Libros
Una peña de la ribera by Tomas Peña Rivera
With outstanding lyricism, the poems in this collection explore human essence from multiple angles. The author has an extremely fresh voice that creates an original style and reflects an amazing ability to explore commonplace topics through a new glass.
Con una calidad lírica sobresaliente, los poemas en este libro exploran la esencia humana desde sus múltiples ángulos. El autor posee una voz sumamente fresca que se refleja en su original estilo y en su capacidad para explorar temas trillados con una mirada nueva.
Pasión de Vida by Luis Peralta
Luis Peralta's poem and short stories book, Pasión de Vida lets the reader take the path of silent words leaving a void but with suggestions to clarify the communicative intention of the texts.
Es un libro de poemas y relatos breves, en el que el lector divesará la trayectoria de las palabras; lo que insinúan o callan, el vacío que dejan o sugieren, para esclarecer la intención comunicacional de los textos; alumbrándoles los espacios oscuros o llenando de escencia su oquedad.
About the Authors / Sobre los Autores
Tomás Peña Rivera was born in Dominican Republic and graduated from the Universidad Católica Santo Domingo with a Law degree. He studies art films at the Universidad Autónoma of Santo Domingo, an authorized speaker at his home country and a member of the Providence Spanish Book Club.
Tomás Peña Rivera, graduado de derecho en la Universidad Católica Santo Domingo; hizo estudios de artes cinematográficas en la Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo, locutor autorizado en su país natal e integrante del club de lectura en español de la ciudad de Providence.
Luis Peralta was born in the Dominican Republic, where he obtained a Bachelor's with Specialization in Law, and an Associates' degree in Journalism. He immigrated to the United States in 1996 and has been living in Rhode Island since 1997. He has published "Challenges of Latinos in Rhode Island" (2004), and "Pasión de Vida / Passion of Life", poetry and short stories (2009, ISBN 978-1-928810-31-5; Milenio Publishing, LLC), available on Amazon.com. Peralta has worked as a reporter and editor for several Rhode Island Spanish language media outlets, from 1998 to 2006. He has written commentaries for poetry books and art catalogues. Peralta was also the founder and editor of Visión Moderna magazine and is the publisher for ClaveHispana.com. In 2008 the Catholic Press Association (U.S. and Canada) awarded him with a Catholic Journalist Award in category best in-dept analysis. This award was mentioned in the July 2008 bulletin of the New England Press Association (NEPA). In March 2003 the National Association of Hispanic Publications awarded him with a Hispanic Publication Award in the category of "Outstanding Political Editorial". Peralta served on the board of directors for Progreso Latino, Inc, Sol Gallery Group, and Haymarket People's Fund.
Luis Peralta nació en la República Dominicana, donde estudió leyes, periodismo, y comunicación radiofónica. Emigró a los Estados Unidos en 1996. Vive en Rhode Island desde 1997. Es autor del libro de poemas y relatos cortos Pasión de Vida (Milenio Publishing, 2009, disponible en Amazon.com [ISBN 978-1-928810-31-5]). Ha trabajado en diversos medios de difusión en español y publicado comentarios a poemarios y catálogos de arte. Fue editor-fundador de la revista Visión Moderna, y es editor de ClaveHispana.com En 2008 recibió el "Catholic Journalist Award" otorgado por Catholic Press Association (EE.UU. y Canadá), en la categoría "Mejor Análisis a Profundidad". El premio fue reseñado en su boletín por New England Press Association (NEPA) en julio de 2008. En marzo de 2003, también recibió un "Hispanic Publication Award" concedido por the National Association of Hispanic Publications, en la categoría "Artículo Político Sobresaliente". Peralta formó parte de las juntas de directores de Progreso Latino, Sol Gallery Group, y Haymarket People's Fund.
Sussy Santana was born in the Dominican Republic in 1976. She's a writer/poet and is currently working on publishing her first book. She resides in Providence.
Sussy Santana nacio en la Republica Dominicana en 1976. Es escritora y poeta actualmente trabaja en su primer libro. La autora reside en Providence.
Cost: FREE
Suggested Audiences:
Elders, Adult, College, High School, Middle School, Elementary
E-mail:
lmiller@provlib.org
Phone: 401-455-8057
Last Modified: April 6, 2009 at 12:05 PM
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First Annual Poetry Festival at PPL April 2-9, 2009
Poetry - Fair/Festival
Thursday, April 2, 2009 - Thursday, April 9, 2009
Providence Public Library, Central
Auditorium & Barnard Room, 3rd floor
150 Empire Street
Providence, RI 02903
Google Maps - MapQuest
In honor of National Poetry Month, Providence Public Library’s Central Library presents a series of events to celebrate local and national poets writing in English and Spanish and to promote the reading and writing of poetry in our communities.
Thursday, April 2: 6:00 pm, Auditorium Theater, 3rd Floor
Tom Chandler served as poet laureate of Rhode Island from 2000-2007. He has been named Phi Beta Kappa Poet at Brown University and has been a featured poet at the Robert Frost homestead. His poems have been read by Garrison Keillor on National Public Radio. He has written commissioned poems for The State of Rhode Island, The Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, and Waterfire, and has twice been named inaugural poet for Providence mayoral inaugurations. He is a columnist for The Providence Journal, a professor of creative writing at Bryant University, and founder and editor of the Bryant Literary Review. His fifth book of poems, Toy Firing Squad, was published in 2008.
San Francisco, Dolores Hidalgo (Mexico), and Eureka Springs, Arkansas before moving to Rhode Island. He holds degrees in both English literature and geology. Gander is Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Brown University and the author of more than a dozen books, including the acclaimed novel, As a Friend, and the poetry collections Eye Against Eye and Torn Awake. The editor of two anthologies of Mexican poetry, Gander also translates: No Shelter: Poems by Pura Lopez Colome and Firefly Under the Tongue: Poems by Coral Bracho are most recent. With Kent Johnson, he has translated two books by Bolivian wunderkind Jaime Saenz. In a collection of essays, A Faithful Existence, Gander explores evolution, literary hoaxes, snapping turtles, and border crossings. He is a United States Artists Rockefeller Fellow and has received fellowships from the Guggenheim, Howard, and Whiting Foundations, among others.
Renee Soto
About the Poet
About the Poet
About the Poets
Tina Cane was born and raised in New York City. She completed her Masters degree in French, English and Creative Writing in numerous public and private schools. Her poems can be found in journals including Salt Hill, Hanging Loose, Barrow Street, and Spinning Jenny.
Thursday, April 9: 6:00-7:30 pm, Barnard Room, 3rd Floor
Pasión de Vida by Luis Peralta
Poetry Movie-Slam Nation: The Sport of Spoken Word
Run time: approx. 100 minutes. NR
*Before the feature film we will show a special animated poetry short from the Rhode Island International Film Festival called Tongue of the Hidden.
About Slam Nation
This film captures the finals of the 1996 National Poetry Slam won by the mighty Providence team! Our local heroes were the underdogs in the competition, and this documentary captures the often cutthroat world of spoken-word scene. Beginning in New York City at the Nuyorican Poets Café's Grand Slam tournament, the film follows slam champion Saul Williams and other top poets of the day as they journey to the annual National Poetry Slam. The drama unfolds as rivalries are revealed and controversies arise, underscoring larger questions of art versus ego and self-expression versus self-advancement. Produced and directed by Emmy award-winner Paul Devlin (Power Trip).
PPL recognizes the rights of parents to determine which content is suitable for their child and encourages previewing this film if parents have questions about appropriate content.
Friday, April 3: 6:00-8:00 pm, Barnard Room, 3rd Floor
Evening Poetry Reception & Reading
Featuring Poets Tom Chandler, Forrest Gander, and Renee Soto
6:00 pm: Reception, Book Sale, Book Signing-Includes silent auction of letterpress poems printed and designed at the AS200 Print Shop.
7:00 pm: Poetry Reading
About the Poets
Forrest Gander
Born in the Mojave Desert in Barstow, California, Forrest Gander grew up in Virginia and spent significant periods in
Renee Soto is an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Roger Williams University. Her poetry has been published in the Chattahoochee Review, Cimarron Review, Crab Orchard Review, Greensboro Review, and Indiana Review. Soto is founding editor the journal roger, an art & literary magazine. She has worked as managing editor of the Southern Poetry Review and as poetry editor for The Greensboro Review. Her poem, “El Mas Joven” received an AWP Intro Journals Award in 2000, and her poem, “Birthday Card, Long after the Breakup” received an Academy of American Poets University Prize. Each spring she coordinates a series of events including emerging poets, established poets, and poets who work in translation to complement the April Is National Poetry Month celebration at RWU. She has an MFA from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a BA from Mary Washington College.
Saturday, April 4: 12:30-2:00 pm, Barnard Room, 3rd Floor
Poetry Workshop for Adults with Heather Sullivan
Share Your Voice: An Introduction to the Craft of Poetry
Follow your muse and join poet Heather Sullivan for this interactive workshop. If you've ever wanted to explore poetry, understand poetry, or craft your own, this is the workshop for you. We'll read contemporary poems, use creative prompts, and put pen to paper. You'll have an opportunity to share your work, and you'll leave not only inspired, but with fresh ideas and a work in progress. Please bring a poem of your own or a favorite poem to share.
Heather Sullivan received her B.A. and M.A. in English from the University of Rhode Island. Her awards include semifinalist: New Millennium Writing Competition; first place: Nancy Potter Short Story Contest; first place/memoir category: Writer's Digest's 1999 Writing Competition; and honorable mention: The Academy of American Poets Prize at URI. She is published on the Block Island Poetry Project's website, Echoes of the Heart: Poetry for Peace from 9/11, Balancing the Tides: A Newport Journal, The Writers' Circle's 2008 Anthology, The Newport Roundtable's Walls and Bridges Anthology, The Providence Journal, and She Shines Magazine. Recently, Sullivan's work was aired on RI NPR's This I Believe series. She has taught writing at URI, Salve Regina University, and Brown University. In April 2007, she served as a panel judge for Barnes and Noble's state-wide Maya Angelou High School Poetry Contest. In July 2007, she was appointed Assistant Creative Director of The RI Writers' Circle. Heather joined the Circle's Power to the Poets, a community outreach group that brings poetry to the underserved. She is currently administering a National Poetry Competition.
Saturday, April 4: 2:30-4:00 pm, Auditorium, 3rd Floor
Artist & Arthur Nina Crews
Artist & author Nina Crews is known for her beautiful and clever photo collages of children playing in city neighborhoods. Her books include One Hot Summer Day, Snowball, The Neighborhood Mother Goose and most recently, Below. Prior to entering the field of children's literature, Nina worked in animation production for 10 years. Her talk will be aimed at librarians, teachers, parents and children's literature enthusiasts. Her talk will be followed by a book sale and signing.
Sunday, April 5: 1:30-3:00 pm, Barnard Room, 3rd Floor: An Afternoon of Poetry
Featuring Special Guest Poet Martha Collins and the RI Writer's Circle
1:30 pm: Book Sale & Signing with Martha Collins
2:00 pm: Poetry Reading with Martha Collins
3:00 pm: Winners of the Writer's Circle National Poetry Competition Announced!
Open Mic Public Reading, hosted by The Writer's Circle's Power to the Poets
This Open Mic will be hosted by The Writers’ Circle’s Power to the Poets. Sign up for reading at the door. Power to the Poets, a free outreach program, has been touring the state since September 2008. Teams of poets travel with RI Poet Laureate Lisa Starr to hospitals, schools, nursing homes, prisons and homeless shelters. The Writer’s Circle National Poetry Competition winners will share their winning poems and poets from the community can sign up for a time to read one or two original poems.
Martha Collins founded the Creative Writing Program at UMass-Boston, and for ten years was Pauline Delaney Professor of Creative Writing at Oberlin College. She is currently editor-at-large for FIELD magazine and one of the editors of the Oberlin College Press. Blue Front, her book-length poem based on a lynching her father witnessed when he was five years old, won an Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, and was chosen as one of "25 Books to Remember from 2006" by the New York Public Library. A selection of poems from Blue Front also won the Laurence Goldstein Poetry Prize in 2005. Collins' chapbook Sheer (Barnwood, 2008) is her most recent publication. In addition, she has published four collections of poems, two books of co-translations from the Vietnamese, and an earlier chapbook of poems, as well as individual poems in journals such as the Kenyon Review and Ploughshares. Her other awards include fellowships from the NEA, the Bunting Institute, the Ingram Merrill Foundation, and the Witter Bynner Foundation, as well as three Pushcart Prizes, the Alice Fay Di Castagnola Award, and a Lannan residency grant.
About the Writer's Circle
The Writer's Circle was founded in 1993 as a nonprofit, charitable center for emerging and professional writers. The Circle provides workshops in fiction, nonfiction, creative nonfiction, memoir, playwriting, poetry, screen writing, and independent publishing. Competitive workshops, visiting authors, and public events take place in Providence and Warwick. Workshops are designed to help writers hone their craft for publication in our anthology and also to showcase their work on stage. Writers are invited based on their level of experience, writing skills, and motivation.
Monday, April 6: 6:00-7:30pm, Barnard Room, 3rd Floor
Poets of Providence: Reach Out
A reading and talk featuring professional poets Kate Schapira & Tina Cane along with their remarkable students.
Kate Schapira and Tina Cane will read a selection of their own poetry and discuss their experiences working with young poets in local libraries and schools. Youth poets from Read and Rap at Smith Hill will also share poems from their recent anthology. This program is geared toward mentor poets looking for ways to reach out to the Providence community as well as to families and young writers looking for new opportunities to celebrate poetry.
Kate Schapira writes poems, makes books, teaches at Brown and URI, is a writer-in-the-schools at Vartan Gregorian Elementary School, and organizes the Publicly Complex Reading Series. She's the author of four chapbooks (mini-books) published by other people: The Love of Freak Millways and Tango Wax (Cy Gist Press), The Painting (Rope-A-Dope Press), Case Fbdy. (Rope-A-Dope Press) and Phoenix Memory (horse less press). She lives in Providence.
Prose poems in French appear in the anthology Laisse de Mer (Francoforum, 1999). Tina's book-length poem, Law of Fives, was a finalist for the National Poetry Series first book award and for Fence's Alberta prize. Her poem, The Fifth Thought, was recently published in a numbered edition chapbook by Other Painters Press. She is the founder and director of Writers-in-the-Schools Rhode Island.
Latino Poetry Reading and Reception (in Spanish) / Recital Poético y Recepción Latina
6:00pm: Reception with live acoustic music provided by Cesar Santana.
Refrescos y música en vivo proporcionada por Cesar Santana.
6:30 pm: Reading by Local poets writing in Spanish
Lectura por los poetas locales Latinos
Local poet Tomás Peña Rivera will read from Una peña en la ribera (Presencia de un futuro ayer) and local poet Luis Peralta will read from Pasión de Vida. Poets Sussy Santana and Mr. Valentin Perez will also read of their most recent work. Readings will also be presented by our own Spanish Book Club members, Papo Toribio, Eva Jimenez, Miriam Noriega, Olga Granados and Carolina Briones.
Music will be provided by Cesar Santana.
Registration is required by calling or emailing Carolina Briones: (401) 455-8035; cbriones@provlib.org. A selection of books will be available for sale & signing.
Poeta locales Tomás Peña Rivera leerá de Una peña en la ribera (Presencia de un futuro ayer) y Luis Peralta leerá de Pasión de Vida. También poetas Sussy Santana y Sr. Valentin Pérez leerán su trabajo reciente. Miembros del Club de Lectura, Papo Toribio, Eva Jimenez, Miriam Noriega, Olga Granados and Carolina Briones, leeran sus poemas favoritos.
Interpretación musical a cargo de Cesar Santana.
Registración requerida. Carolina Briones al (401) 455-8035; cbriones@provlib.org. Seleciónes de libros estaran disponidibles para la venta y firmar.
About the Books / Sobre los Libros
Una peña de la ribera by Tomas Peña Rivera
With outstanding lyricism, the poems in this collection explore human essence from multiple angles. The author has an extremely fresh voice that creates an original style and reflects an amazing ability to explore commonplace topics through a new glass.
Con una calidad lírica sobresaliente, los poemas en este libro exploran la esencia humana desde sus múltiples ángulos. El autor posee una voz sumamente fresca que se refleja en su original estilo y en su capacidad para explorar temas trillados con una mirada nueva.
Luis Peralta's poem and short stories book, Pasión de Vida lets the reader take the path of silent words leaving a void but with suggestions to clarify the communicative intention of the texts.
Es un libro de poemas y relatos breves, en el que el lector divesará la trayectoria de las palabras; lo que insinúan o callan, el vacío que dejan o sugieren, para esclarecer la intención comunicacional de los textos; alumbrándoles los espacios oscuros o llenando de escencia su oquedad.
About the Authors / Sobre los Autores
Tomás Peña Rivera was born in Dominican Republic and graduated from the Universidad Católica Santo Domingo with a Law degree. He studies art films at the Universidad Autónoma of Santo Domingo, an authorized speaker at his home country and a member of the Providence Spanish Book Club.
Tomás Peña Rivera, graduado de derecho en la Universidad Católica Santo Domingo; hizo estudios de artes cinematográficas en la Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo, locutor autorizado en su país natal e integrante del club de lectura en español de la ciudad de Providence.
Luis Peralta was born in the Dominican Republic, where he obtained a Bachelor's with Specialization in Law, and an Associates' degree in Journalism. He immigrated to the United States in 1996 and has been living in Rhode Island since 1997. He has published "Challenges of Latinos in Rhode Island" (2004), and "Pasión de Vida / Passion of Life", poetry and short stories (2009, ISBN 978-1-928810-31-5; Milenio Publishing, LLC), available on Amazon.com. Peralta has worked as a reporter and editor for several Rhode Island Spanish language media outlets, from 1998 to 2006. He has written commentaries for poetry books and art catalogues. Peralta was also the founder and editor of Visión Moderna magazine and is the publisher for ClaveHispana.com. In 2008 the Catholic Press Association (U.S. and Canada) awarded him with a Catholic Journalist Award in category best in-dept analysis. This award was mentioned in the July 2008 bulletin of the New England Press Association (NEPA). In March 2003 the National Association of Hispanic Publications awarded him with a Hispanic Publication Award in the category of "Outstanding Political Editorial". Peralta served on the board of directors for Progreso Latino, Inc, Sol Gallery Group, and Haymarket People's Fund.
Luis Peralta nació en la República Dominicana, donde estudió leyes, periodismo, y comunicación radiofónica. Emigró a los Estados Unidos en 1996. Vive en Rhode Island desde 1997. Es autor del libro de poemas y relatos cortos Pasión de Vida (Milenio Publishing, 2009, disponible en Amazon.com [ISBN 978-1-928810-31-5]). Ha trabajado en diversos medios de difusión en español y publicado comentarios a poemarios y catálogos de arte. Fue editor-fundador de la revista Visión Moderna, y es editor de ClaveHispana.com En 2008 recibió el "Catholic Journalist Award" otorgado por Catholic Press Association (EE.UU. y Canadá), en la categoría "Mejor Análisis a Profundidad". El premio fue reseñado en su boletín por New England Press Association (NEPA) en julio de 2008. En marzo de 2003, también recibió un "Hispanic Publication Award" concedido por the National Association of Hispanic Publications, en la categoría "Artículo Político Sobresaliente". Peralta formó parte de las juntas de directores de Progreso Latino, Sol Gallery Group, y Haymarket People's Fund.
Sussy Santana was born in the Dominican Republic in 1976. She's a writer/poet and is currently working on publishing her first book. She resides in Providence.
Sussy Santana nacio en la Republica Dominicana en 1976. Es escritora y poeta actualmente trabaja en su primer libro. La autora reside en Providence.
Cost: FREE
Suggested Audiences: Elders, Adult, College, High School, Middle School, Elementary
E-mail: lmiller@provlib.org
Phone: 401-455-8057
Last Modified: April 6, 2009 at 12:05 PM
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