ECOS: A Chicago Latine Poetry Festival (opening night): Brenda Cárdenas, Davon Clark, Suzi Garcia, Achy Obejas, Julian Randall, and Erika Sánchez

This event is a part of ECOS: A Chicago Latine Poetry Festival

ECOS: A Chicago Latine Poetry Festival is a three-day series of free, Spanish and English programming celebrating the living connection between Latine poetry and Chicago. 

The festival opens with a reading and reception from Midwest writers featured in Latino Poetry: the Library of America Anthology: Brenda Cárdenas, Julian Randall, and Erika L. Sánchez, who are joined by Davon Clark, former Poetry guest editor Suzi F. Garcia, and Achy Obejas.

6-7:30 Reading 

7:30-8:30 Catered reception with open bar featuring live music from Papo Santiago

Murmurs from the poets:

“I howled for a country I’m mostly made of ghost” 
—Julian Randall, from The Cane Field Testifies Regarding the Assassination of the Mirabal Sisters

“This roll call won’t be silenced, not by glock, not by chokehold. This is our temple of runes, our tomb — its glyphic curve and flow, calligraphic code writ acrylic. This, our relic, our scroll unrolled in catacombs, our flecks of subtext still buzzing… Turn the tonal kaleidoscope.” 
—Brenda Cárdenas, from Placa/Rollcall

“When the crackling stereo 
dithers between stations — amor 
de mis amores, sangre de mi alma —  
a gaggle of silent children 
gather before a sputtering 
trash bin.”  
—Erika L. Sánchez from Kingdom of Debt

“And smoke where their voices should be.” 
—Suzi Garcia, from A Future History

This program is part of the Poetry Foundation’s fall 2024 season, Murmuring Americas. All Poetry Foundation events are completely free of charge and open to the public, though advanced registration is encouraged. The performance space is ADA compliant and wheelchair accessible, and the program will feature CART captioning and ASL interpretation. For more information about accessibility at the Poetry Foundation, please visit our Accessibility Guide.