Quote and Overview
"a dancer in white with a red red scarf / en la calle San Sebastián, / calls to the gods who were freed by slaves / en la calle San Sebastián"
Dr. Elizabeth Valentin introduces Martín Espada’s poem “En La Calle San Sebastián.” The poem is a celebration of the music and religion brought by slaves to Puerto Rico. The slaves’ music and culture survived throughout history even though the Spanish tried to erase it, and today, San Sebastián Street has an annual festival where this music continues to thrive. Though the poem was published in 2003, it is set in 1998, and it draws on the rich history of Puerto Rico. Martín Espada will be visiting Susquehanna University in Fall 2018.
Discussion Questions
1. Why do you think the author chose to write this experience in the form of a poem? How does a poem tell a story differently than a traditional narrative does?
2. How does this poem relate to the theme of resilience?
3. Why does the author keep repeating the phrase "En la Calle San Sebastian"?
Martín Espada
- Common Reading Visiting Author SeriesCOMMON READING LECTURES
Martín Espada, JD
Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018—7:30 p.m.
Espada is a poet, editor, essayist and translator. He is a professor of English at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
When award-winning poet, editor, essayist and translator Martín Espada visits Susquehanna on November 1, 2018, he will read his musical poem "En La Calle San Sabastian." The reading will be followed by a chance for students to meet and have books signed.
Martín Espada is the 2018 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize recipient. Awarded annually, the $100,000 prize honors a living U.S. poet whose lifetime accomplishments warrant extraordinary recognition. It is one of the most prestigious awards given to American poets. Author of almost twenty books, Espada's many other awards include the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Shelley Memorial Award, the Robert Creeley Award, the National Hispanic Cultural Center Literary Award, an American Book Award, the PEN/Revson Fellowship, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. In addition, his piece The Republic of Poetry, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Espada is now a professor of English at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
In-Class Activities
1. Have the students write a poem, using language that is straightforward or repetitive, about their culture or family traditions that are important to them.
2. Have students research Puerto Rican history, culture, and poetry, and write an essay about resilience in light of this research.
