Mexican poet Rigoberto Gonzalez, the son of illiterate and undocumented farmworkers, was chosen as the recipient of the PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry this year.
Rich Villar, the Puerto Rican/Cuban author of the poetry collection "Comprehending Forever," has been waging a war with words since he was young, supported in battle by teachers and parents who saw poetry as a vital competent of a well-rounded education.
Bronx Borough President, Ruben Diaz Jr. exited the stage at the Voto Latino Power Summit on April 12, and Voto Latino's CEO and President Maria Teresa Kumar thanked Diaz for his powerful and well-chosen words before she called up a man whom she simply called Lemon. Lemon Andersen (born Andrew Andersen) is a Tony Award-winning poet, spoken word artist and an actor, who was an original cast member of "Russell Simmons' Def Jam" on Broadway, and he has shot four films with Spike Lee.
Xánath Caraza gathered the African roots of Mexico when she created and recited the enthralling poem, entitled "Yanga," named after the leader of the slave rebellion in Mexico during the early stages of the Spanish colonial rule. "Yanga," included Caraza's new short story collection, "Lo Que Trae La Marea/What the Tide Brings," a piece of work that beckons remembrance and is inspired by the rhythms of Caraza's home state of Veracruz, Mexico, and African history.
