In hopes of creating cross-cultural conversation, Borderlands Theater and the Phoenix Art Museum have come together to present a special poetry reading.
Sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, the reading and Q-and-A session will be hosted by The Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway Blvd., on Monday at 7:30 p.m.
Veronica Volkow, a Mexican poet and prominent translator, will read Spanish and English translations of her own work. Local poet and translator Wendy Burk will warm up the crowd for Volkow, as she will read poetry by Luigi Amara and Tedi Lopez Mills.
“”Poetry readings are relaxing and fun,”” Burk said. “”We have this sense that poetry isn’t connected to our lives, but it totally is.””
The event will promote the new books “”Connecting Lines: New Poetry from Mexico”” and “”Lineas Conectades: Nueva Poesia de los Estados Unidos.”” The two-volume anthology of modern poetry from Mexico and the United States are collaborative projects made possible by several Mexican and American authors and translators.
Poetry readings are relaxing and fun. We have this sense that poetry isn’t connected to our lives, but it totally is.
Wendy Burk, local poet
The Spanish-to-English anthology is widely available in the U.S., while the English-to-Spanish version is being sold only in Mexico. Both versions will be available for purchase at the reading.
“”The hope is that you learn something about yourself through others’ poetry,”” Burk said.
The poets chosen for both anthologies write about a variety of life experiences. The measure used in choosing the poems for the anthologies was age. All the poets are relatively young, as each of them were 50 years old or younger at the time of publication.
Each of the poems shared in the reading feature poets who ask philosophical questions in their work. The philosophical questions are filtered through concrete concepts people can see, hear and touch.
Attendees are advised to arrive a little bit early if they want face time with the poets. Tickets are available at the door for $5.
The Arizona Commission on the Arts, the UA Poetry Center, The UA Department of Spanish and Portuguese and the Mexican Consulate of Tucson also support the event.
