By Catherine Marenghi
Poetry Mesa, a global poetry community serving poets and poetry, will present “My Soldiers Are the Words I Wield.” This live Zoom event will feature readings by three noted Ukrainian poets; background on Ukraine’s rich poetic legacy by an authority on Slavic literature; and an engaging discussion moderated by Poetry Mesa co-founders and poets Judyth Hill and Catherine Marenghi, all to benefit Ukrainian relief.
“We organized this event to support the heroic people of Ukraine in their fight for their lives, their land, their culture. We are asking for your generous donations, and Chef José Andrés and his World Central Kitchen will receive 100 percent of the proceeds,” said Hill.
To date, World Central Kitchen has provided more than 5 million meals to Ukraine’s refugees inside war-torn Ukraine. This event is supported by San Miguel Literary Sala, Colorado Poets Center, New Mexico Literary Arts, San Miguel Poetry Café, San Miguel PEN Centre, and Lost Horse Press.
“The horrific crisis in Ukraine has spotlighted the country’s rich literary and cultural heritage, and Poetry Mesa is proud to share this joyful bounty. This evening will not only raise funds, but raise spirits,” added Marenghi.
Contemporary Ukrainian poets Iryna Starovoyt, Halyna Kruk, and Iryna Shuvalova will read from their own works and also from major Ukrainian poets from the past, including Taras Shevchenko, Ukrainka, Bohdan-Ihor Antonych, Vasyl Stus, and Serhii Zhadan.
Starovoyt is a poet, essayist, and associate professor of cultural studies at Ukrainian Catholic University. Author of three volumes of poetry and numerous essays, Starovoyt received the Key to the City award in Lviv and serves as the Head of the Jury for the transnational literary prize, UNESCO’s City of Literature, in Lviv.
Kruk is a poet, fiction writer, literary critic, translator, and scholar of Ukrainian medieval literature. She authored four books of poetry, collected some of Ukraine’s top awards for young poets, and is a member of the Association of Ukrainian Writers.
Shuvalova is a Ukrainian poet, translator, and scholar. Author of five collections of poetry, Shuvalova’s poems are widely anthologized and translated into nine languages. She has been awarded numerous prizes for poetry and translation.
Dr. Vitaly Chernetsky is a literary translator, literary and film critic, professor of Slavic languages and literatures, and director of the Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies at the University of Kansas.
Poetry Mesa will provide a list of ways to support Ukraine from Tetyana Teren of PEN Ukraine, and a Ukrainian poetry reading list.
Pre-registration for this live Zoom event is required at: https://sanmiguelliterarysala.org/product/apr-25-2022-poetry-mesa-ukraine/
Presentation and Fundraiser
“My Soldiers are the Words I Wield”
Three Centuries of Ukrainian Poetry from Kobzars to Rockstars
Mon., Apr. 25, 5–6pm
Via Zoom
Voluntary donation
