Quad Article: Martin Espada Visits WCU

Acclaimed Poet Visits WCU
By Jen James
10/6/09

On Thursday, Sept. 24, 2009, noted poet, author and essayist Martin Espada visited West Chester University as part of WCU's celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.

Espada's visit was supported by The National Endowment for the Humanities and The National Endowment for the Arts and its "Big Read" program.

Dr. Michael Peich and the WCU Poetry Center, Dr. Linda Stevenson, Dr. Victoria Tischio, and Mame Purce also acted as key coordinators for Espada's short story workshop and his poetry reading.

Espada has published numerous collections of poetry both within the United States and around the world. However, two of his poetry books, "Imagine the Angels of Bread" (published in 1996) and "The Republic of Poetry" (published in 2006) received the most critical acclaim.

In 1996, "Imagine the Angels of Bread" won an American Book Award and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. "The Republic of Poetry" won the Paterson Award for Sustained Literary Achievement and was nominated as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2006.

For the evening's poetry reading, Dr. Peich gave the introduction for Espada on behalf of the WCU Poetry Center. Along with recognizing the poet with his various publications and awards, Peich commented:

"In Martin Espada's work, one encounters poetry that describes suffering but is also filled with powerful statements against war, social unrest, and injustice."

Dr. Peich's introduction provided an appropriate segue into Espada's first reading from his poem "En La Calle San Sebastian" which emphasized his connection to his Puerto Rican heritage through a description of the musical influence of West African slaves in Old San Juan.

However, since the poet was raised in Brooklyn, he also described his struggles with recognizing both his American and Puerto Rican heritage.

Espada first visited Puerto Rico at age ten, and his shock at the country's "national inferiority complex," as he described it, led him to write a poem later in life about American influence on the island entitled "Coca-Cola & Coco Frío."

Espada also recalled in great detail the influence his father had in encouraging him to fight for social justice. The poet's father, Frank Espada, was a noted activist for Puerto Rican and other minority communities within New York City.

Espada's father was an early supporter of the Civil Rights movement after being jailed in Mississippi for refusing to sit in the back of a bus; he, along with other Civil Rights activists both famous and unknown, were honored in Espada's poem "Sleeping on the Bus."

Espada also mentioned how his father's work in social activist connected him with West Chester.

Frank Espada was a good friend of West Chester native and Civil Rights activist Bayard Rustin, and while working as a photojournalist, he featured the migrant farm workers in Kennett Square, many of whom were Puerto Rican, as subjects for a news spread.

Eventually, Espada decided to follow in his father's work in social activism and entered law school at Northeastern University in Boston.

While there, he worked as a legal aid for migrant farm workers, but he still gained inspiration for poetic works like "Federico's Ghost," which detailed the physical and mental anguish of a migrant laborer on a farm.

Espada's cultural background and familiarity with the social struggles of Latinos within the U.S. were prominent themes in some of the works he read.

Currently, Espada is a professor of Latino poetry at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. The poet stated that while teaching and giving readings, he makes a conscious effort to answer the questions of aspiring writers.

"I'll always remember the generosity of poets who answered my questions," he said. Espada even composed a poem entitled, "Advice to Young Poets," where he provided his own interpretation of the Shakespeare quote, "To thine own self be true."

The poet also took time to recognize the support and generosity of his mentor, Alexander "Sandy" Taylor, who not only helped him as an editor but also as what he described as a "second father."

Espada read one of his latest works, "The Day We Buried You in the Park," to commemorate the support of his friend and mentor.

In one of the final poems of the evening, Espada recalled his 2004 visit to Chile to honor the centennial of the country's most famous poet, Pablo Neruda. The final verse quoted Neruda's famous words to General Pinochet during Chile's 1973 coup:

"Look around-there's only one thing of danger for you here-poetry." Martin Espada and his prolific work will continue to act as representatives for social justice both within the United States and worldwide.

Jen James is a third-year student majoring in English. She can be reached at JJ655874@wcupa.edu.