This activity consists of a panel discussion with poets and activists who have contributed to social justice movements in Massachusetts. Poet, Pilar Quintana, will moderate the conversation about the ways in which Latinx poets use their art to contribute to social justice movements. Topics such as race, identity, belonging, and the pursuit of justice in the context of the LGBTQ+ community and undocumented people will be explored. Several poems from Latino Poetry: The Library of America Anthology will be read and discussed. The discussion will be in English with simultaneous interpretation into Spanish and sign language. 

This program is presented as part of Latino Poetry: Places We Call Home, a major public humanities initiative taking place across the nation in 2024 and 2025, directed by Library of America and funded with generous support from the National Endowment for the Humanities and Emerson Collective.

****************

Esta actividad consiste en una mesa redonda con poetas y activistas que han contribuido a los movimientos por la justicia social en Massachusetts. La poetisa Pilar Quintana moderará la conversación sobre las formas en que los poetas latinos utilizan su arte para contribuir a los movimientos de justicia social. Se explorarán temas como la raza, la identidad, la pertenencia y la búsqueda de la justicia en el contexto de la comunidad LGBTQ+ y las personas indocumentadas. Se leerán y discutirán varios poemas de la Latino Poetry: The Library of America Anthology. El programa será ofrecido en inglés con interpretación simultánea al español así como al lenguage de señas.

Latino Poetry: Places We Call Home (Lugares que llamamos hogar) es una gran iniciativa pública en el campo de las humanidades, que se proyecta para el 2024 – 2025. Es dirigida por Library of América con el generoso apoyo del Fondo Nacional para las Humanidades y Emerson Collective.

--

Octavio R. Gonzalez is an Assistant Professor of English and Creative Writing at Wellesley College, teaching courses on American queer literature, modernism, and twentieth-century novels. His monograph, Misfit Modernism: Queer Forms of Double Exile in the Twentieth-Century Novel, was published by Pennsylvania State University Press in September 2020, and his poetry collections include The Book of Ours (2009) and Limerence (2023). His work has been featured in various journals and anthologies, including Lambda Literary’s Poetry Spotlight and an anthology of Dominican poets in the diaspora.

Dariana D. Guerrero is an award-winning writer, dedicated activist, and passionate educator with over a decade of experience in facilitating writing workshops, performing poetry, and advocating for equity and anti-racism. Her talent has been recognized with prestigious accolades, including the 2023 Mass Poetry Award, being named a 2023 Periplus Fellow, and emerging as a 2017 Fulbright finalist. As a 2023 Artist in Residence with the Lawrence Arts Collective, Dariana continues to nurture her creative spirit, recently debuting her artist book, "The Sancocho Shuffle: Cartas Con Sabor!" inspired by her poetry collection, "Sancocho."

Savannah Lazo is a Dominican poet with Cuban roots. Her work explores identity and culture from a first-generation American perspective. She writes about the complexities of growing up between cultures, questioning identity, and challenging expectations. Through her poetry, Savannah aims to express raw experiences and ask honest questions, sparking conversations about what it means to belong. 

Pilar Quintana is a queer Cuban-American poet and artist, who draws inspiration from their personal journey through gender and societal expectations. A member of the Grey Court Poets, Pilar’s poems and art have been published in the art/poetry collaborations Soulmates and WordPlay, the anthologies Songs From the Castle’s Remains and Persian Sugar in English Tea (Vol. III): The Bilingual Anthology of Contemporary Love Poems, and in various online and print publications. Pilar’s poetry can also be seen on the Methuen Rail Trail Poets Wall, in Spanish and English.