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Join us for a reading and moderated discussion celebrating the 15th Anniversary of Palabra Pura with readings by Francisco Aragón, Brenda Cárdenas, Miguel Marzana, and Johanny Vázquez Paz and moderated by Mary Hawley.

Acompáñenos para celebrar el decimoquinto aniversario de Palabra Pura con una lectura de poesía y conversatorio con los poetas Francisco Aragón, Brenda Cárdenas, Miguel Marzana, y Johanny Vázquez Paz. Mary Hawley será la moderadora.
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Palabra Pura is a bilingual reading series that promotes literary expression in Spanish, English, and other languages. Launched in 2006 by the Guild Literary Complex, the series celebrates the work of Latinx writers in Chicago and beyond, and provides a space for the interaction of diverse voices, ideas, and aesthetics.

Palabra Pura es una serie de lecturas bilingües que promueve la expresión literaria en español, inglés y otros idiomas. Lanzada en 2006 por el Guild Literary Complex, la serie celebra la obra de escritores latinx dentro y fuera de Chicago, y provee un espacio para la interacción de voces, ideas y estéticas diversas.
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Francisco Aragón is the son of Nicaraguan immigrants. His books include After Rubén (Red Hen Press), Glow of Our Sweat (Scapegoat Press), and Puerta del Sol (Bilingual Press). He’s also the editor of The Wind Shifts: New Latino Poetry (University of Arizona Press). His work has appeared in over twenty anthologies and various literary journals, both print and online. A native of San Francisco, CA, he is on the faculty of the University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Latino Studies, where he teaches courses in Latinx poetry and creative writing. He also directs their literary initiative, Letras Latinas. A finalist for Split This Rock’s Freedom Plow Award for poetry and activism, he has read his work widely, including at universities, bookstores, art galleries, the Dodge Poetry Festival and the Split This Rock Poetry Festival. A CantoMundo fellow, he is also a member of the Macondo Writers’ Workshop. For more information, visit: http://franciscoaragon.net

Francisco Aragón es hijo de inmigrantes nicaragüenses. Sus libros incluyen After Rubén (Red Hen Press), Glow of Our Sweat (Scapegoat Press) y Puerta del Sol (Bilingual Press). También es editor de The Wind Shifts: New Latino Poetry (University of Arizona Press). Sus obras han aparecido en más de veinte antologías y varias revistas literarias, tanto impresas como en línea. Oriundo de San Francisco, CA, es miembro de la facultad del Instituto de Estudios Latinos de la Universidad de Notre Dame, donde enseña cursos en poesía latinx y escritura creativa. También dirige Letras Latinas, la iniciativa literaria del Instituto. Fue finalista para el Premio Freedom Plow para poesía y activismo de Split This Rock, y ha presentado extensamente sus obras en las universidades, librerías, galerías de arte, el Festival de Poesía Dodge y el Festival de Poesía Split This Rock. Es becario de CantoMundo y miembro del Taller de Escritura Macondo. Para más información, visite: http://franciscoaragon.net
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Brenda Cárdenas’ books and chapbooks include Boomerang (Bilingual Press); Bread of the Earth/The Last Colors with Roberto Harrison; Achiote Seeds/Semillas de Achiote with Cristina García, Emmy Pérez, and Gabriela Erandi Rico; and From the Tongues of Brick and Stone (Momotombo Press). She also co-edited Resist Much/Obey Little: Inaugural Poems to the Resistance (Spuyten Duyvil Press) and Between the Heart and the Land: Latina Poets in the Midwest (MARCH/Abrazo Press). Cárdenas’ work has appeared or is forthcoming in Latino Poetics: The Art of Poetry; Hope Is the Thing: Wisconsinites on Hope and Resilience; Grabbed: Take Back the Narrative; Through This Door: Wisconsin in Poems; Court Green; Ghost Fishing: An Eco Justice Anthology; POETRY; The Wind Shifts: New Latino Poetry and many others. She has served as Milwaukee’s Poet Laureate, co-taught the inaugural workshop for Letras Latina’s Pintura : Palabra: A Project in Ekphrasis, and is Associate Professor of English at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Los libros y plaquettes de Brenda Cárdenas incluyen Boomerang (Bilingual Press); Bread of the Earth/The Last Colors con Roberto Harrison; Achiote Seeds/Semillas de Achiote con Cristina García, Emmy Pérez y Gabriela Erandi Rico; y From the Tongues of Brick and Stone (Momotombo Press). También coeditó Resist Much/Obey Little: Inaugural Poems to the Resistance (Spuyten Duyvil Press) y Between the Heart and the Land: Latina Poets in the Midwest (MARCH/Abrazo Press). Sus obras han aparecido o se van a publicar en Latino Poetics: The Art of Poetry; Hope Is the Thing: Wisconsinites on Hope and Resilience; Grabbed: Take Back the Narrative; Through This Door: Wisconsin in Poems; Court Green; Ghost Fishing: An Eco Justice Anthology; POETRY; The Wind Shifts: New Latino Poetry y muchos otros. Ha sido Poeta Laureada de Milwaukee, coenseñó el taller inaugural de Pintura : Palabra: A Project in Ekphrasis de Letras Latinas y es Profesora asociada de inglés en la Universidad de Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
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Mary Hawley is a poet, fiction writer, and translator. She is the author of a poetry collection, Double Tongues (Tía Chucha Press) and co-translator of the bilingual anthology Shards of Light/Astillas de luz (Tia Chucha Press). Her poems and short stories have appeared in many journals and anthologies, and she received a 2019 Illinois Arts Council Literary Award. She is a volunteer interpreter for the National Immigrant Justice Center and a member of the Third Coast Translators Collective. A longtime supporter of the Guild Literary Complex, she has been involved with Palabra Pura since its inception.

Mary Hawley es poeta, cuentista y traductora. Es autora del poemario Double Tongues (Tía Chucha Press) y cotraductora de la antología bilingüe Shards of Light/Astillas de Luz (Tia Chucha Press). Sus poemas y cuentos han aparecido en muchas revistas y antologías, y en 2019 recibió el Premio Literario del Consejo de Artes de Illinois. Es intérprete voluntaria para el Centro Nacional de Justicia para Inmigrantes y miembro de la Third Coast Translators Collective. Ha sido partidaria del Guild Literary Complex desde hace muchos años, y se ha involucrado en Palabra Pura desde su comienzo.
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Miguel Marzana
Poeta y escritor boliviano. Es autor del poemario Descomposiciones – aceite de un cielo publicado por la editorial Verso Destierro en la ciudad de México, en el año 2019. Actualmente estudia en la Escuela Graham de la Universidad de Chicago, es coordinador del taller de poesía y creación literaria de la revista Contratiempo, y miembro de su consejo editorial. Su obra ha sido publicada en varias antologías de poesía y cuento, como Poeta en Nueva York: Poetas de Tierra y Luna, publicado por Karima Editora y Eterno, Antología Hispanoamericana de Cuento sobre Amor, publicada por Infinita Ed., entre otras, y revistas impresas como la revista Diálogo publicada por el Center for Latino Research at DePaul University, además de revistas virtuales dentro y fuera de los EE.UU.; parte de su obra ha sido traducida al inglés, quechua y catalán. Vive en Chicago.

Miguel Marzana
Bolivian poet and writer. He is the author of the poetry collection Descomposiciones – aceite de un cielo, published by Ed. Verso Destierro in Mexico City in 2019. He currently studies at the Graham School of the University of Chicago, coordinates the poetry and creative writing workshops of Contratiempo magazine, and is also a member of its editorial board. His work has been published in various short story and poetry anthologies such as Poet in New York: Poetas de Tierra y Luna, published by Karima Editora, and Eterno, Antología Hispanoamericana de Cuento sobre Amor, published by Infinita Ed., among others, and in print magazines such as Diálogo, published by the Center for Latino Research at DePaul University. He has also published poetry and short stories in virtual magazines inside and outside the US; part of his work has been translated into English, Quechua and Catalán. He lives in Chicago.
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Johanny Vázquez Paz (Puerto Rico)
Winner of the 2018 Paz Prize for Poetry given by the National Poetry Series in partnership with the Miami Book Fair. Her winning manuscript, I Offer My Heart as a Target / Ofrezco mi corazón como una diana, was published in a bilingual edition by Akashic Books in 2019. Among her other books are Sagrada familia (Isla Negra Editores, Puerto Rico, 2014), winner of the International Latino Book Award; Querido voyeur (Ediciones Torremozas, Spain, 2012); and Streetwise Poems /Poemas callejeros (Mayapple Press, New York, 2007). She won first prize in the poetry category at the Consenso Short Story and Poetry Contest of Northeastern Illinois University, and second prize in the short story category. She also co-edited the anthology Between the Heart and the Land / Entre el corazón y la tierra: Latina Poets in the Midwest (MARCH/Abrazo Press, Chicago, 2001). Her poetry and short stories have been included in the anthologies City of Big Shoulders; Diáspora: Narrativa breve en español de Estados Unidos; Ellas cuentan: Antología de Crime Fiction por latinoamericanas en EEUU; and The City Visible: Chicago Poetry for the New Century, among others.

Johanny Vázquez Paz (Puerto Rico)
Ganadora del Premio Paz de Poesía 2018 otorgado por la Feria del Libro de Miami y la organización National Poetry Series. Su poemario I Offer My Heart as a Target / Ofrezco mi corazón como una diana fue publicado en una edición bilingüe por la editorial Akashic en 2019. Entre sus otros libros se encuentran Sagrada familia (Isla Negra Editores, Puerto Rico, 2014), ganador del International Latino Book Award; Querido voyeur (Ediciones Torremozas, España) y Poemas callejeros / Streetwise Poems (Mayapple Press, Nueva York, 2007). En 2012, recibió el primer premio en poesía y segundo premio en cuento en el Concurso de Cuento y Poesía Consenso de la Universidad Northeastern Illinois. Además, coeditó la antología Between the Heart and the Land / Entre el corazón y la tierra: Latina Poets in the Midwest (MARCH/Abrazo Press, Chicago, 2001). Sus poemas y cuentos han sido publicados en las antologías City of Big Shoulders; Diáspora: Narrativa breve en español de Estados Unidos; Ellas cuentan: Antología de Crime Fiction por latinoamericanas en EEUU y The City Visible: Chicago Poetry for the New Century, entre otras.
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About the Guild Literary Complex
For the last thirty years, the Guild Literary Complex has been a dynamic presence on Chicago’s literary landscape, hosting innovative and diverse events, featuring prominent authors and welcoming new, emerging voices.

Working collaboratively with individuals and organizations from Chicago’s many neighborhoods, including the Poetry Foundation, the Guild seeks to connect seemingly disparate groups and geographies through literature—bringing unexpected writers, programs, and audiences together. For more information, visit www.guildcomplex.org.

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Tags: Brenda Cárdenas, Chicago, Francisco Aragón, Guild Literary Complex, Johanny Vázquez Paz, Mary Hawley, Miguel Marzana, Near North Side, Palabra Pura Fifteenth Anniversary Celebration / Celebración del Décimoquinto Aniversario de Palabra Pura