An intimate conversation between literary critic Isabel Álvarez-Borland and poet and writer Pablo Medina on the intellectual legacy of their late friend–Lourdes Gil, widely regarded among the best Cuban poets of her generation. They will share personal memories, and highlight her concerns regarding her role as a writer in the U.S., the spiritual and emotional bond with her homeland, as well as other views expressed in her numerous essays, including her prevailing identity as an exiled Cuban, and her preference for the Spanish language throughout her work.
The conversation will also delve into key aspects of her poetic imagery, from an early
neo-baroque style to a more limpid verse, as is manifest in her posthumous book of poems,
Lluvia de piedras.
At the conclusion of the conversation the winner of the 2024 LOURDES GIL LITERARY AWARD in the category of POETRY will be announced. The prize was established this year to honor Lourdes Gil’s legacy as a poet, essayist, and teacher. It is specifically targeted to young writers (in Spanish) between the ages of 15 and 25, and will be given in the categories of Poetry and Essay in alternate years.
The presentation will be followed by a Zoom Q&A with the audience, moderated by Lourdes Blanco, director of our Literature Program.
This event is part of our CreateNYC Language Access Series on Cuban History, Art, and Literature. It will be held in Spanish and will be streamed through our YouTube channel.
FREE ADMISSION
TO ATTEND, CLICK HERE ON THE SCHEDULED DATE AND TIME:
https://youtu.be/kTq1AiH4Io0
To participate in the Q&A via Zoom, click here:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89526024766
Pablo Medina was born in Havana, Cuba, and grew up in New York City. He is the author of twenty published works, including poetry, fiction, works in translation, and a memoir. His most recent book is The Foreigner’s Song: New and Selected Poems. He has translated the poetry of Virgilio Piñera, Federico García Lorca, and Tania Díaz Castro, as well as Alejo Carpentier’s seminal novel The Kingdom of This World. He has taught at a number of American colleges and universities and now lives in Williamsville, Vermont.
ISABEL ÁLVAREZ-BORLAND has has published widely
on Cuban and Latin American Literature in scholarly journals. Her books include Cuban-American Literature of Exile: From Person to Persona and Discontinuidad y ruptura en Guillermo Cabrera Infante. She is also co-editor of Negotiating Identities in Cuban American Art and Literature (2009) and Identity, Memory, and Diaspora (2008). She is currently Associate Editor of Hispania and was Co-Director of the 2006 NEH Seminar for College Teachers: Negotiating Identities in Art, Literature and Philosophy: Cuban Americans and American Culture. She is Distinguished Professor Emerita of Arts and Humanities at the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts.
This event is part of our ongoing Contemporary Artists Series, and is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts and the New York State Legislature.
With the promotional cooperation of Rialta, 14yMedio and Diario de Cuba
