USPiM January 2011 Tulum, 3rd Annual Poetry Festival & Workshops
Casa de Cultura, Tulum - location of workshops
Mark Weiss, Luis Cortés
Bargalló reading/translating Some of the 2011 USPiM faculty, participants
Diane Wakoski Jerome Rothenberg
Paul Hoover reading and Maria Baranda translating Jen Hofer translating for Rocío Cerón's reading
On top of Coba pyramid
Carla Faesler reading, Karen Lepri translating USPiM scholarship recipients with Jonathan Harrington
aaaaah, Tulum! Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve
USPiM June/July 2010 Translation Residency in Coatepec/Xalapa, Veracruz
Forrest Gander & Alfonso D'Aquino/Jardin Botanico Francisco Javier Clavijero, Xalapa, Veracruz & a pastoral view in Xalapa
A bit of Vermeer in Coatepec: entrance to Meson de Alferez Museo Antropoligia de Xalapa, giant Olmec head (Photos: Sheila Lanham)
USPiM January 2010 Merida, 2nd Annual Poetry Festival & Workshops
Clickhere Merida,Yucatan 2009/2010 montage/images, thanks to Dennis Riley. Music by permission: Son de Madera "Los Julies"
Arrival dinner at La Casa de Frida Most of our group in front of El Castillo at Chichen Itza
Anne Waldman in front of the Observatory at Chichen Itza. A young girl sang the Mexican National anthem in Maya language
After Chichen Itza, we had a fantastic buffet lunch at Ik Kil cenote and then a few brave souls took a swim
Mark Doty and workshop participants at ESAY José Vicente Anaya reading an excerpt from his book Hikuri, in Spanish and Nahuatl language (magical!)
Pedro Serrano reading at the Merida English Language Library Mark Doty reading at MELL
Anne Waldman and participants Photo: David Ele Araujo
Here we are
with Don Antonio, one of the elder Maya h-men (shaman-priest), who
performed a ceremonial blessing for us in Maya language, where he called
the four winds to bless us and then sent them back again (it rained that night). We then drank
hand-ground maize pozole with honey from small dried gourds. Don
Antonio is 80 years old. Many years ago, when he received the Maya
baptism, Maya shamans from far and wide traveled to attend. It was a
very important occasion, since he was born in the area of Mani.
We continued on to Dzibilchaltun. (Templo de las Siete Muñecas)Temple of the Seven Dolls
Briceida Cuevas Cob & Jonathan Harrington reading Mayan translations
We visited Hacienda Sotuta de Peon, toured the hacienda and their sisal (henequen) factory. We were shown the entire process of turning cactus into a very strong and durable fiber for rope and string. Sisal production in Yucatan's many haciendas at the end of the century, turned Merida into the wealthiest city in Mexico, as major exporters of rope. Mid century, the invention of synthetic rope caused the sisal industry to nosedive. This hacienda was bought and restored by a local entrepreneur and the entire factory utilizes authentic apparatus for sisal production. With the growing interest in natural/organic products, Yucatan is again seeing a small surge in demand for this strong fiber.
We took a ride on the mule "truck" along rail lines to view the sisal fields and visit a local Mayan elder. Butterfly pulled us along the rails through the fields of sisal.
Pura López Colomé, after her reading at MELL Anne Waldman reading at MELL
USPiM Reading in Los Angeles August, 2009
James DenBoer, Deborah Aguilar Escalante and Ileanna Portillo will be the featured poets at Stories Books and Cafe, 716 W. Sunset Boulevard @ Echo Park, on Saturday, August 22, 2009 from 7-9pm. Many thanks go out to Rafael F.J. Alvarado, a very busy poetry events promoter in Los Angeles, for helping to arrange this reading. The reading will be videotaped by Poetry L.A. and we will post a link as soon as it is available. Deborah's husband designed the poster for the reading:
USPiM Reading in NYC June, 2009
M'Finda Kalunga Community Garden
Lower East Side of Manhattan
(Allen and Rivington Streets)
FREE Tuesday's at 7pm
June 2: Mónica de la Torre & Valerie Mejer
June 9: Susan DeFord & Sheila Lanham
June 16: Anthony Cappo & Marc Nasdor June 23: David Wojciechowski & Bob Holman
USPiM January 2009 Merida, 1st Annual Poetry Festival & Workshops
Escuela Superior de Artes de Yucatan, ESAY, location of workshops Some of our group at Uxmal Photo: Susie DeFord
D.J. Poodlecannon (Marc Nasdor) surveying Uxmal Forrest Gander took this photo of his workshop group at ESAY
Bob Holman and workshop group at ESAY Forrest Gander with Christian Núñez Tello, Melisa Grisel Bermúdez Torres
C.D. Wright and workshop group Monica de la Torre, Forrest Gander, Jack Collom
Coral Bracho reading at MELLPic: Ileanna Portillo Forrest Gander reading at the Merida English Language Library
Heading out on the estuary at Celestun Photo: Ileanna & Beau Bob Holman and 10,000 flamingos at Celestun Photo: Forrest Gander
David, our guide at Uxmal and Celestun (his home town) On the beach and in the water at Celestun
Swimming in the Ojo de Agua, Celestun Bob Holman, Sheila Lanham, Jack Collom
Briceida Cuevas Cob reading, Forrest Gander translating We all loved Briceida Cuevas Cob AND her poetry!
Anthony Cappo, Bricedia Cuevas Cob, Bob HolmanPhoto: Valerie Mejer Final night reading: Poetas Extraordinarios
Fernando de la Cruz Ileanna Portillo
Final night reading Thanks to Zureya Esma (left) who helped me make it all possible