Los Porteños Presents POETRY FROM THE INTERIOR: William Stafford & Miguel Hernandez

Los Porteños presents POETRY FROM THE INTERIOR: William Stafford & Miguel Hernandez, Tuesday, May 12, 2015 at 7pm at Literary Arts, 925 SW Washington St., Portland, OR 97205.

"Poetry from the Interior: William Stafford & Miguel Hernandez" is an evening of original prose and poetry inspired by the words of American poet William Stafford and Spanish poet Miguel Hernandez, produced by Los Porteños at Literary Arts May 12th.

Award winning poet William Stafford (1914-1993), taught for decades at Lewis & Clark College and served as Oregon's Poet Laureate from 1975 to 1990. His writing is often deceptively simple, focused on everyday things. Yet this examination reveals the complexity and depth hidden in the commonplace.

Miguel Hernandez (1910-1942) is one of Spain's most beloved poets, a man from the countryside who embraced Madrid's intellectual sophistication. His poetry is filled with regional themes, vegetation, animals, inspired by the heightened style of 16th and 17th Spanish literature.

Both writers were born in very humble circumstances and found inspiration in the natural world. Because of their strong political beliefs, both poets were incarcerated by their own countries. Stafford was a conscientious objector of WW II and Hernandez opposed Franco's fascist leadership. Hernandez died in prison of tuberculosis.

"Poetry from the Interior" creates a cross cultural literary experience by celebrating Stafford while also shining light on Miguel Hernandez, regarded as "the people's poet" of Latin America.

The reading will feature Los Porteños members Joaquín López, Octaviano Merecías-Cuevas, Enrique Patlan, Ivonne Saed, Olga Sanchez, byroN José Sun and Juan Antonio Trujillo. In the spirit of a traditional tertulia, the featured readers will be followed by audience participation. Audience members are encouraged to bring their favorite Stafford or Hernandez poem to share.

This reading is sponsored by Literary Arts and Multnomah County Cultural Coalition, a project of the Oregon Cultural Trust.

About Los Porteños:
Los Porteños is a well of Latino writers dedicated to raising their voices in the Portland community and to raising awareness of their diverse languages, canons, stories, and cultures. The group was founded in January of 2006 by three members of Los Norteños-Seattle's Latino writing circle-who had migrated south to Portland. Since its inception, Los Porteños has presented annual readings at El Centro Milagro for Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) and in 2011, they began hosting a William Stafford Birthday Reading featuring multi-lingual poetry and prose written in response to Stafford poems. In October of 2014, they presented their debut production Words That Burn: William Stafford, Lawson Inada, and Guy Gabaldón in Their Own Words.

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