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Join us to hear Cincinnati Poet Laureate Manuel Iris read from his latest book of poetry, The Parting Present/Lo que se iráAuthor’s statement about the book:
In 2017 I made the resolution of protesting against the idea of a “book project”, by writing of a book of poems derived from vital impulses, from present moments. I wanted, in a nutshell, to abandon what I had done until then and write without a plan: make poems without pursuing a theme, and then put them together in a volume that could find its own coherence. However, the birth of my daughter in early 2018 readjusted my impulses. The world seen from my newfound fatherhood became the center of my creative interest.
Thereby, The Parting Present is not a book of poems about fatherhood, but a book written about various life experiences, both private and shared, from the perspective of an individual who is interested in and worries differently about reality and poetry, after such a transformative event. It is also the declaration of a poetic belief that is not new, but that I think it is important to reiterate at this time: the structure of a poetry book can – and perhaps should – emerge organically, as a result of the poems themselves, of experience, or intuition.
About Manuel Iris:
Poet Laureate Emeritus of the City of Cincinnati, Manuel Iris writes and publishes his poetry in both his native Spanish and English.
He is the author of many award-winning books, including his first bilingual anthology of poems, Traducir el Silencio/Translating Silence, published in 2018. Iris has published poetry, essay and translation in magazines and literary journals from Mexico, Spain, Chile, Cuba, Colombia, Portugal, France, the United States, and Angola. His poetry has been included in several Mexican, as well as Latin-American, and American, poetry anthologies. He has also given talks, lectures and poetry readings in literary events, academic conferences and cultural centers of Mexico, the United States and Europe.
He received the “Merida” National award of poetry (Mexico, 2009) for his book Notebook of Dreams, and the Rudulfo Figueroa Regional award of poetry for his book The Disguises of Fire (Mexico, 2014). In 2016 two different anthologies of his poetic work were published: The Naked Light, in Venezuela; and Before the Mystery, in El Salvador.
Manuel Iris holds a BA in Latin American Literature from the Autonomous University of the Yucatan (Mexico), a MA in Spanish from the New Mexico State University, and a PhD in Romance Languages from the University of Cincinnati. He lives in Cincinnati with his wife and daughter, and is an educator at DePaul Cristo Rey High School.
This program will be in-person and streamed via Crowdcast. It is free and open to the public. The Crowdcast registration link is on our event page linked here.
Copies of the book can be purchased online via Dos Madres Press, or in-person at the program.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
The Mercantile Library, 414 Walnut St #1100, Cincinnati, United States
Tickets
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