A seven-week site dedicated to the poetry of Now! and tomorrow / a pop-up cold brew, pour-over coffee, kombucha, and conversation bar in downtown Denver / a space that explores what it means to be a museum Now!
Presented in collaboration with the Biennial of the Americas.
Each week takes a different thematic approach, bringing artists from diverse disciplines together in multi-arts collaborations through workshops, readings, performances, discussions and other programs relevant to the poetry of today.
WEEK TWO : Hearing a New Americas
This week’s theme, Hearing a New Americas, explores the important and complex element of translation and interpretation in poetry. Poetry is a difficult genre to translate, as no poem has just a single meaning. Translating individual words can never accomplish a poet’s intentions in the combination of words, and no two people will ever interpret a poem in exactly the same way. This is the nature of language. As a tool of communication, language brings creative writing and poetry to interesting intersections as seen in documentary writing. What we hear, how we listen, and how we interpret the information rely on many factors, including personal experience, historical framework, and access. Featuring bilingual poets, a documentary poet, and a musician, this week’s programming will deconstruct the power of language through cross-cultural, historical, and interdisciplinary communication. The contributing poets will evoke discussions of how language may be misrepresented, non-translatable, or fluid. By rewriting historical misinterpretations and omissions, they will also examine how poetry can be used to break silences and bear witness to injustices.
Friday, July 24
10:30-11am : Poetry Break. Recite a poem and receive a free pour over coffee.
12-1pm : Lunchtime Poetry Pour Over. Featuring Ana Maria Hernando. Celebrated visual artist and poet Ana Maria Hernando fills an hour with 3-4 minute poetry readings and performances that transition from English and Spanish. These lunchtime programs use the time it takes to make a pour over coffee as time to let in a creative experience. Designed for people to come and go or stay for the hour, the Poetry Pour Overs ask us to take a short break from our daily lives for a poetic moment over a cup of coffee.
Ana Maria Hernando (b.1959, Buenos Aries, Argentina) is originally from Argentina and now based in Boulder, Colorado. Hernando is a visual artist and poet recognized for her innovative approaches to the dynamics of cultural and gender relations. Through her universal, bold, and poetic presence, Hernando personifies the efflorescence of the heart – its joy, sensuality, and transcendent femininity, at once relatable and ancient. Hernando writes all of her poetry in both Spanish and English.
2:30-3pm : Poetry Break. Recite a poem and receive a free pour over coffee.
6:30-7:30pm : All They Will Call You: The People Behind Woody Guthrie’s Deportees. Award-winning author Tim Z. Hernandez presents an evening of storytelling based on the incident and lives behind Woody Guthrie’s famous song, “Plane Wreck at Los Gatos (Deportees),” which has been recorded by musicians such as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Joan Baez, and Pete Seeger, among countless others. This lively presentation sheds light on a popular historical omission involving the deportation of 28 Mexican citizens that occurred in 1948. Hernandez’s presentation not only gives voice to the voiceless, but more importantly, it also is a living testimony to the power of all our stories. The presentation includes musical accompaniment by Mark “Silent Bear,” a Boulder-based folk musician.
Tim Z. Hernandez (b.1974, California) is a poet, novelist and performance artist. He is the recipient of an American Book Award for poetry, the Premio Aztlan Prize for fiction, the Colorado Book Award for poetry, and the International Latino Book Award for historical fiction. In 2011 the Poetry Society of America named him one of sixteen New American Poets, and he was a finalist for the inaugural Freedom Plow Award for his work on locating the victims of the 1948 plane wreck at Los Gatos Canyon. His books and historical research have been featured in the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Public Radio International, and NPR’s All Things Considered. He is currently working on a book project that is based on the historic plane crash at Los Gatos Canyon, an incident made famous by Woody Guthrie’s song of the same name. Hernandez holds a B.A. from Naropa University and an M.F.A. from Bennington College in Vermont. He is currently an Assistant Professor in the University of Texas El Paso’s Bilingual M.F.A. Program in Creative Writing.
Saturday, July 25
10-11:30am : Our Story, Our Lives – workshop led by Tim Z. Hernandez at BMoCA
Award-winning author Tim Z. Hernandez will offer a free morning workshop to local area teens and parents (ages 13+) on the subject of “telling our stories.” This is a fun, learning experience that includes writing and story-sharing, based on our families, friends, and our community. No experience needed, only the desire to participate, and your imaginations!
10:30-11am : Poetry Break. Recite a poem and receive a free pour over coffee.
2:30-3pm : Poetry Break. Recite a poem and receive a free pour over coffee.
4-5pm : Zine Workshop. Caryn Keffer and Barbara Bollini will lead a zine introductory workshop for all ages. Come start your line break zine, and learn more about zine process and creation. Zine, short for magazine or fanzine, is a cheaply made publication, often in black and white, with short production runs via photocopier and bound with staples. Poetry zines allow amateur poets to write and share their emotions and thoughts in a format that can be individualized and more charismatic than popular magazines with larger productions.
Through zines and the zine competition, we invite all line break visitors to document and capture the project and their individual experiences. At the end of the seven weeks, participants can enter their zine into line break / zine competition for a chance to win one of three prizes. For more information or competition rules ask a line break staff member or visit bmoca.org.
Ongoing Programs:
Poetry Stop. Hands-on and informal activities based on line break’s weekly themes. For all ages. Activities are available whenever line break is open.
Mobile App: The mobile app includes additional content, poetry, programs schedule, and poetry and community resources. To access the mobile app, click here.
Zine Competition: Through zines and the zine competition, we invite all line break visitors to document and capture the project and their individual experiences. At the end of the seven weeks, participants can enter their zine into line break / zine competition for a chance to win one of three prizes. For more information or competition rules ask a line break staff member or visit bmoca.org.