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Que La Poesía / Let Poetry In Honor Of National Poetry Month

I am Xánath Caraza, and I today will read one bilingual poem from my book Sílabas de viento  / Syllables of Wind

Selections:

Que la poesía

Que la poesía se ponga color verde

Que cubra la tierra

Se enrede en los patios 

Las flores blancas se hagan poemas

Let Poetry

Let poetry become the color green

Let it cover the earth

Wrap itself throughout courtyards

White flowers transform into poems

Sílabas de Viento / Syllables of Wind (Mammoth Publications, 2014)

By Xánath Caraza, translated by Sandra Kingery

ISBN-10: 1939301785

ISBN-13: 978-1939301789

National Poetry Month, a celebration of poetry which takes place each April, was introduced in 1996 and is organized by the Academy of American Poets as a way to increase awareness and appreciation of poetry in the United States.

Xánath Caraza Biography

Xánath Caraza is a traveler, educator, poet and short story writer.  In 2018 for the International Latino Book Awards she received First Place for Lágrima Roja for “Best Book of Poetry in Spanish by One Author” and First Place for Sin preámbulos / Without Preamble for “Best Book of Bilingual Poetry by One Author”.  Her book of poetry, Sílabas de Viento / Syllables of Wind, received the 2015 International Book Award for Poetry

Her books of verse Where the Light is Violet, Black Ink, Ocelocíhuatl, Conjuro and her book of short fiction What the Tide Brings have won national and international recognition.  Her other books of poetry are Hudson, Le sillabe del Vento, Noche de colibríes, Corazón Pintado, and her second short story collection, Metztli. She has been translated into English, Italian and Greek; and partially translated into Nahuatl, Portuguese, Hindi, Turkish, and Rumanian. 

Find more at https://xanathcaraza.webs.com/biography

Line Breaks Literary Reading Series Interview with poet, Xanath Caraza

Read the entire interview at Line Breaks Literary Reading Series http://www.globaleducationcenter.org/harambee-blog/line-breaks-literary-reading-series-interview-with-poet-xanath-caraza

Line Breaks Literary Reading Series, curated by poet Thandiwe Shiphrah, has been supporting local and visiting poets and storytellers from different cultures by hosting readings, writing workshops, performances and special events for more than 15 years.

In 2018, Line Breaks welcomed, Xanath Caraza, a nationally and internationally renowned Mexican poet and recipient of the 2015 International Book Award for Poetry, to recite poetry from her latest book, Conjuro, and host a writing workshop that focused on the journey through the multicultural identity of Mexicans, especially focused on the influence and impact of African culture in Mexico as the Third Root of Mexico. 

La Nina Que Corto La Flor:

Please define The Third Root of Mexico for those who have never heard of it.

Xanath Caraza:

Understanding of the complexity and diversity of Mexico is still a work in progress for Mexicans and the world. There are three main roots in what we understand as Mexico, the first root is indigenous.  This includes sixty-eight indigenous languages spoken today in Mexico, therefore 68 cultural manifestations through music, art, food and more. 

What is customarily referred to as the second root of Mexico is its European ancestry, mainly from Spain.  In history classes in Mexico reference to the third root is African ancestry, which is as diverse or more so than the original indigenous cultures from Mexico.  The third root is a mixture of many African cultures that were brought to the Americas during colonial times and shaped our understanding of what Mexico and Latin America are today.  Music, art, clothing, literature, and many historical events in Mexico and Latin America have their origins within African cultures, brought by those who were enslaved and survived the Middle Passage to the Americas.