transatlantic voices:<em> </em>on latin american feminist poetry</p> <p><em>~workshop series~</em>

everyone is invited to join transatlantic voices: on feminist latin american poetry,* a five-session poetry reading and writing workshop held every other wednesday evening from may 7 to july 2 at perdu’s bookshop — culminating in a communal presentation of participants’ work on july 6. the workshop is facilitated by jimena casas — amsterdam-based poet, visual artist and teacher, originally from buenos aires, and part of perdu’s editorial team.

throughout the workshop, we’ll explore the writing of five contemporary latin american poets — Cecilia Pavón (Argentina), Maricela Guerrero (Mexico), Tilsa Otta (Peru), Mara Pastor (Puerto Rico), and Legna Rodríguez Iglesias (Cuba). stemming from their words, we’ll write our own poems in response, creating space for collective reflection, dialogue, and poetic experimentation.

the workshop centers feminist and queer literary practices, tracing connections between language, place, and identity. we’ll move through themes of desire, ecofeminism, queer love, the cosmic, and the politically urgent. we’ll explore geographical and imaginary migrations, a poetic contagiousness — seeking resonance between amsterdam and latin american voices, and cultivating a dialogic, intentional, and intimate practice.

each session will open with one poet’s biography and literary landscape, creating space for conversation about their work and ours. it will offer a moment to talk about the poems – our thoughts and perceptions of them. from there, we’ll share our poems in progress, dissecting texts side by side and cultivating a space for collectivity and feedback.

participants will receive literary material before each gathering, and a writing prompt as a point of departure. the workshop is open to poets, writers, artists, and anyone who wants to practice and explore poetry writing from different poetic voices.

the workshop will be held in English, but we welcome multilingual practices in sharing poems and throughout the writing process. all materials provided will be bilingual editions.

we’ll end the series with an intimate reading at perdu, curated together by all participants, on a late summer afternoon, on sunday july 6.

*the title is deliberately open-ended (porous), reflecting our intent to embrace a multiplicity of voices and perspectives. it aims to encompass the complexity of poetry by latin american women authors inviting exploration of gender, queerness, and resistance. the title leaves room for the poetry to challenge and redefine identity categories, offering a space for reflection in the face of ongoing struggles, the erosion of women’s rights, femicide, and structural inequality. the project seeks disruption, ambiguity, and generosity— to echo the series’ openness and its desire to include multiple, diverse expressions of latin american poetic voices.

the details

• dates: wednesday may 7, may 21, june 4, june 18, july 2, each time at 19:30. it is important that you can attend every session
• location: perdu bookshop, kloveniersburgwal 86, amsterdam
• cost: €100 (includes digital files of all literary materials and the reading at perdu)
• for more information and to sign up: email jimena@perdu.nl — your spot is confirmed once payment is received. sign-up before sunday 4 may

the sessions

1. may 7 19:30, with the work of Tilsa Ottawe will delve into her poetry collections Hormone of Darkness (2017) and And Suddenly I Was Just Dancing (2019)
2. may 21 19:30, with the work of Cecilia Pavónwe will read selections from her collections Nine Ways to Cry & Other Poems (2022) and Little Joy (circa 2019*)
3. june 4 19:30, with the work of Maricela Guerreromexican poet primarily writing eco-poetics and eco-feminism. We will read from her latest book, The Dream of Every Cell (2022)
4. june 18 19:30, with the work of Mara Pastor
   we will read a selection of poems from Deuda Natal (2015) and Children of Another Hour (2014)
5. july 2 19:30, with the work of Legna Rodriguez Iglesiasthe final session; we will read from A Little Body Are Many Parts (2019)

about transatlantic voices

transatlantic voices is a poetry reading and writing project that brings visibility to contemporary latin american feminist and queer poets in amsterdam. through workshops, readings, and events, the project seeks to amplify female and queer perspectives, opening up a space for resonance and resistance. over the course of nine weeks, transatlantic voices unfolds with events at perdu, including a poetry evening on may 30 with mexican poet Juana Adcock and colombian, amsterdam-based poet María París Borda, and a reading on june 11 with Maricela Guerrero, joined by Lisa Thunnissen and Bernke Klein Zandvoort.

poster drawings by Azul De Monte