Tag Archives: Author’s Reading

Word Up Reading: Sussy Santana Domestic Poems/Poemas Domesticos

Sussy Santana’s sincere and emboldened voice returns in her second book Domestic Poems. In her poems, she places a necessary mirror in front of herself and us as her reader. Its poetry takes us through moments of introspection and decisiveness about what we accept and create as the standard in our world. She is able to capture the visceral realities of women through her delicate yet forceful poetic play with words. Her line, “a woman without a tongue is a town without a future”, captures the urgency of “reclaiming” the ability to make our own life decisions and the ability to maximize the use of voice. Santana makes us defintively look at voice, body and actions throughout her book. What may seem like a basic rite of passage is revealed to be an oppressive force that stymies the personal growth of a woman in her world. Her poems identify the role of playing with dolls or cooking as the walls that contain and domesticate girls throughout their development. Domestic Poems goes beyond calling out the societal expectations. Santana succeeds in giving examples of approaching these moments through the language of her introspective poetry. “To say no” in her poem “The no rhymes” is a repetitive phrase that becomes an affirmational phrase for us to learn and to use. Sussy Santana’s book brings us home, points to the areas that need dusting and inspires us to do the same in our own lives.

En su segundo libro Poemas Domésticos, regresa la animada y sincera voz de Sussy Santana. En su poesía, posiciona un espejo frente de ella y de nosotros. Los poemas decisivamente e introspectivamente nos hace reflexionar sobre lo que creemos y aceptamos como lo normal en nuestro mundo. En su poesía, la cual es delicada y a la misma vez audaz , ella es capaz de captar la realidad de ser mujer. En su poema ella escribe, “una mujer sin lengua es un pueblo sin futuro”, lo cual capta la urgencia de “reclamar” la habilidad de tomar nuestras propria decisiones y la habilidad de maximizar el uso de nuestra voz. En su libro, Santana nos hace analizar lo capacidad de nuestra voz, cuerpo y acciones. Lo que aparanta ser rito se revela como una fuerza opresiva que obstruye el potencial de la mujer. Sus poemas identifican el jugar con muñecas y cocinar como ritos que domestican a las mujeres. Poemas Domésticos, no nada mas pone en claro lo que está pasando, sino que tambien nos presenta con el vocabulario para usar hacia esos momentos. En su poema, “The no rhymes” ella repite la frase ‘decir que no’ hasta al punto que convierte la frase en una afirmación para nosotros aprender y usar. En su libro, Sussy Santana nos trae devuelta a casa y nos invita a reflexionar.

May Above the Bridge Writers’ Café, “Mothers and Fathers: Sharing Our Stories”

It’s May, which means one of our very favorite themes, “Mothers and Fathers: Sharing Our Stories.” Join us this Monday for a Writers Cafe featuring the work of: Scott Chasolen, Rebecca Dee, Sheila Kehoe, Varese Layzer, Rebecca Mason, Rosa Naparstek, Corinne O’Shaughnessy, Sandra Stein . We hope to see you there! Seating is limited.

***If you plan on eating during the event, please make sure that you arrive in time for the food to be brought to you before 8pm. We will not open the door while someone is reading because it can be disruptive, and we don’t want your food to get cold. Thank you!***

Above the Bridge is a playground for writers. It is a place to encourage and cultivate neighborhood writers and provide them with an audience for their work.

Here’s How It Works:
A theme is chosen for each month. Writers may submit five minutes (FIVE, PLEASE!) of material of any genre or style (poetry, plays, fiction, non-fiction, blogs, etc.) that reflect the month’s theme.
Pieces will be chosen by the Above the Bridge selection team to be read by the author at the next reading series. There will be a short rehearsal prior to the event.

Requirements for Writers:
Writers must live in Washington Heights or Inwood. Please attach your name, address and phone number with your submission. Pieces should be no longer than 5 minutes, but all work will be considered. You do not have to be a professional writer. New and existing works accepted.

Send all submissions or inquiries to: abovethebridge@gmail.com

Please write the theme/month for which you are submitting in the subject line. Also, please make sure that your name is also attached to your piece. We’re just looking out for you and your precious work!

 

May’s “Bloom, The Reading Series at HVG”

Join us for our season finale with Carol Goodman, celebrating her 20th literary mystery, “The Other Mother,” Barbara Fant, poet, author of “Paint Inside Out,” Michael Homolka, poet, author of “Antiquity” and the gardeners of Hudson View Gardens–poet, Sam Turner, and on piano Guy Strobel! $7 suggested donation includes wine and light fare in an elegant setting.

May Razor Blade Readings at Tannat Wine & Cheese

Shannon Azzato Stephens holds degrees in creative writing from Carnegie Mellon University and Trinity College, Dublin. Her work has been featured or is forthcoming in Guernica, Buzzfeed, and Southwestern American Literature, among other publications. She teaches college-level writing in New York City.

Christopher Salerno is the author of four books of poems and the editor of Saturnalia Books. His most recent collection is Sun & Urn, selected by Thomas Lux for the 2016 Georgia Poetry Prize (University of Georgia Press, 2017). Previous books include ATM, (Georgetown Review Poetry Prize), Minimum Heroic (2010 Mississippi Review Poetry Prize), and Whirligig (2006). He is also the author of the chapbooks “Aorta” and “Automatic Teller,” the latter of which won the Laurel Review Midwest Chapbook Prize. A recipient of the Prairie Schooner Glenna Luschei Award, his poems have also appeared in The New York Times Magazine, American Poetry Review, The Academy of American Poets series, Guernica, Gulf Coast, Fence, Boston Review, Los Angeles Review, and elsewhere. A New Jersey State Council on the Arts fellow, Salerno is currently an Associate Professor of English at William Paterson University in New Jersey where he also teaches in their MFA Program for Creative and Professional Writing. He can be found at www.csalernopoet.com

JOHN DEMING is the author of HEADLINE NEWS from Indolent Books. He has published poems and articles in Boston Review, Salon, Fence, New Orleans Review, A Public Space, Critical Studies in Men’s Fashion, and elsewhere. He is editor in chief of Coldfront and lives in New York City, where he directs the writing center at LIM College and, with Jason Schneiderman, co-curates KGB Monday Night Poetry in the East Village.