Through a collective exercise, the writers, translators, and/or poets participating in the workshop—Mateo Díaz Choza, Carla Faesler, Heather Cleary, Lilith Sullivan, Isabel Zapata, SC Cornell, Brenda Lozano, Lia Quezada, Maren García, Paloma Contreras, Tatiana Lipkes, and Catalina Berarducci—gathered at La Americana bookstore to engage with John Giorno’s work through a range of voices and perspectives. Together, they collaboratively translated eleven of Giorno’s poems, including Everyone Gets Lighter, Life Is a Killer, and Thanx 4 Nothing.
As a result of the workshop, two public readings of the translated poems will take place, alongside the presentation of a zine featuring the texts in both languages. The readings will be recorded and subsequently broadcast through Montez Press Radio, an experimental online radio station based in New York.
Poetry Reading
Saturday, September 5, 12 pm
kurimanzutto Mexico City
This first session will feature a reading of the poems collectively developed during the workshops. The zine produced as a result of this process will also be presented. The session will also feature Ghostin Magic, a musical project that explores tender and twisted melodies through guitar and lap steel, drawing on influences from freak folk.
Poetry Reading
Saturday, September 19, 12 pm
kurimanzutto Mexico City
This second session will continue the reading of the poems collectively developed during the workshops. The event will feature ZafiroAjedrezClub, a traveling chess club organized by Diego Gamaliel and Daniel Damski. The initiative seeks to foster spontaneous social gatherings around chess through games and tournaments of different formats and categories, creating an open and accessible space for players of all levels.
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La Americana is a bookstore specializing in literature from the Americas. Their catalog consists of books written by Latin American authors and published by Latin American publishing houses. It is divided into three main genres—fiction, poetry, and nonfiction—with a special focus on independent publishers and rare books. They’re also a bar because their goal is for literature to flourish through connecting with others—whether over a drink, participating in a workshop, or attending a presentation or reading.
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+ about john giorno: life is a killer