On September 20, 2017, Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico, causing massive devastation throughout the island. Flooding, an island wide power outage, lack of potable water, and further damage to the economic crisis were just some of the challenges that came from Hurricane Maria. One year later, Puerto Rico is still recovering from the hurricane, pero Puerto Rico se levanta. Poets for Puerto Rico DC will bring together artists to raise money for Crearte Inc. in Puerto Rico, raise awareness of how life has changed since Maria, and to celebrate a strong people.
Crearte Inc. is a non-profit organization based in Puerto Rico with the mission of encouraging the social and emotional development of the youth (ages 6-21) through art and recreation with an educational basis.
This event is presented to you with the direct support of Duende District and the American Poetry Museum with special thanks to the Anacostia Arts Center, including performances by Naomi Ayala, Dwayne B, Cherelle Dessus, Tatiana Figueroa Ramirez, Rodney Johnson, Evelyn Mejia, Sami Miranda, Anthony Morales, Noel Quinones, Dimitri Reyes, Ivelisse Rodriguez, Modise Sekgothe, Tiana Spencer, C. Thomas, Seve Torres, Jonathan B. Tucker, and Tara Villanueva.
For more information, please email Tatiana Figueroa Ramirez at tatiana@sincerelytatiana.com.
This poignant, street-smart collection follows idealistic teenagers and weary mothers battling over what it means to be a woman in love.
“Love War Stories is sublime.” —Cristina García, author of Dreaming in Cuban
Puerto Rican girls are raised to want one thing: true love. Yet they are brought up by women whose lives are marked by broken promises, grief, and betrayal. While some believe that they’ll be the ones to finally make it work, others swear not to repeat cycles of violence. This collection documents how these “love wars” break out across generations as individuals find themselves caught in the crosshairs of romance, expectations, and community.
Born in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, Ivelisse Rodriguez earned a PhD in English creative writing from the University of Illinois at Chicago and an MFA from Emerson College. She has published fiction in All about Skin: Short Fiction by Women of Color, the Boston Review, the Bilingual Review, and others. She is a senior fiction editor at Kweli, a Kimbilio fellow, and a VONA/Voices alum.