In 2009, espada performed in the people speak, a documentary feature film that uses dramatic and musical performances of the letters, diaries, and speeches of everyday americans, based on historian howard zinn s a peoples history of the united states. My favorite poetry has a profound sense of place, and most of these poems do. This was followed by trumpets from the islands of their eviction 1987 and rebellion is the circle of a lovers hands. The people speak is a beautiful and moving film inspired by howard zinn s books a people s history of the united states first published in 1980 and one of the bestselling history books in the united states. Martin espada born 1957 is a latino poet, and professor at the university of massachusetts amherst, where he teaches poetry. Poet martin espada wrote a poem to honor howard zinn called castles for the laborers and ballgames on the radio. His collection imagine the angels of bread won the american book award. My last book was dedicated to five different people who had died, including such people as howard zinn. Espada will be teaching a poetry writing class at castle hill the week of aug. Alabanza means praise in spanish, and espada praises the people whitman called them the others are down upon.
A former tenant lawyer, he teaches in the department of english at the university of massachusetts at amherst. We recently asked espada to talk more about these issues. The book is full of poetry and essays that will appeal to high school students. Its in the elegies that espada does his most satisfying work. He was introduced to political activism at an early age by his father, a leader in the puerto rican community and the civil rights movement. Henry david thoreau and howard zinn, four great icons of resistance in this country. As a poet, essayist, translator, editor, and attorney, martin espada has dedicated much of his career to the pursuit of social justice, including fighting for human rights and reclaiming the historical record. Forum network howard zinn and the freedom to write. This is a very real poet who keeps it real, as in his more direct work, such as the dramatic monologs he performs in the people speak, a film documentary on the writings, diaries, journals and letters of wellfleets famed historian, howard zinn. His latest collection of poems, the trouble ball norton, 2011, is the recipient of the milt kessler award, a massachusetts book award and an international latino book award.
The rumpus in this new collection of poems, martin espada crosses the borderlands of epiphany and blasphemy. He is the recipient of the national hispanic cultural center award. The new book, coedited by zinn with anthony arnove, will collect speeches, articles and essays, poetry and more from people who were part of the struggles chronicled in a peoples history. He is the first latino poet to win this award since its inception in. Martin espada on banned books, poetry, and resistance. His critically acclaimed collections of poetry celebrateand lamentthe working. Ten choice poetry picks of the last decade communist. The author of four books about the history and business of sports, zirin contributed a peoples history of sports in the united states, to howard zinn s peoples history series for the new press. Never mind the new hampshire primary, the real agents of change were at the cutler majestic theatre yesterday. To share those concerns, he takes readers on a poetic journey to a variety of places including the streets of brooklyn, a city in wisconsin, and a detention center in chile. This poem is a tribute to the music of puerto rico, especially the music brought by the slaves from africa with their religion.
Martin espada reads the poem he wrote to honor his good friend, historian and activist howard zinn, whom espada calls the most decent, most generous human being i have ever known. Martin, thanks for taking the time to talk with us about poetry and resistance. He has published thirteen books in all as a poet, essayist, editor and translator. His goal is to capture the spirit of a persons life, so these poems feel less like theyre trying to make one particular argument if only because the ideology comes laterally, from the. The new book will be called voices of peoples history, and it is due to be published in 2004 by seven stories press. For every time i heard howard zinn speak, he would recite poetry, usually from marge piercy, so im delighted to say that were publishing an original from marge piercy in the next issue of the progressive. The people speak is a beautiful and moving documentary film inspired by howard zinn s books a peoples history of the united statesone of the bestselling history books in the united statesand voices of a peoples history of the united states, the primarysource companion to a peoples history of the united states, edited with anthony arnove. Espada s poem on zinn is in his newly released book, the trouble ball. Espada referred to zinn as the most decent, most generous human being i have ever known. The film features the actual words in letters, songs, poems, speeches, and manifestoes of rebels, dissenters, and visionaries from our. Espada was the first latino recipient of the honor. In words and script, mother jones, eugene debs, martin luther king jr. Books poems readings clips contact from the ruth lilly prize portfolio. The republic of poetry quotes showing of 3 in the republic of poetry, poets rent a helicopter to bombard the national palace with poems on bookmarks, and everyone in the courtyard rushes to grab a poem fluttering from the sky, blinded by weeping.
His critically acclaimed collections of poetry celebrateand lamentthe working class experience. Mexicounited states free trade conference 63 rethinking the nafta record 77 after nafta. Two poems by martin espada, a member of the faculty of. Castles for the laborers and ballgames on the radio. Although the book is just about chicago, this could serve as a fine poetry accompaniment to howard zinn s a peoples history of the united states. In praise of local 100 now the dead will dance the mambo.
In 2009, espada performed in the people speak, a documentary feature film that uses dramatic and musical performances of the letters, diaries, and speeches of everyday americans, based on historian howard zinn s a. I would have been more satisfied if the book had ended with the elegy to howard zinn. As former yankee and ball four author jim bouton said of this work, finally, the longawaited prequel to all the sports books youve ever read. A onetime lawyer and advocate, espada has published more than 15 books of poems, translations, and essays, including his latest poetry collection, the trouble ball. He has published more than fifteen books as a poet, editor, essayist and translator. Instead of going back inside, the elderly writer takes a bucket and throws a handful of sand in the air like bread for pigeons and delicately feels his way down, step by step. Under threat of losing millions of dollars in educational funding from the state, the school board of the tucson unified school district tusd voted 41 to. The poem is entitled castles for the laborers and ballgames on the radio. He was older than the bread lines of the great depression. Puerto rico has frequently been featured as a theme in his poems. Espada learned this week that he is the winner of the 2018 ruth lilly poetry prize. Series 11, personal affairs, 19572003, includes a wide variety of personal material, including juvenilia childhood drawings, writings, and family photographs. In 1982, espada published his first book of political poems, the immigrant iceboys bolero, featuring photography by his father.
Upon learning that the book was banned, espada issued a statement. For howard zinn 19222010 we stood together at the top of his icy steps, without a word for once, squinting at the hill below and the tumble we were about to take, heads bumping on every step till our bodies rolled into the street. The stirring final poem, litany at the tomb of frederick douglass seems destined to become a contemporary classic. Its called hope is a long slow thing, and the last stanzas read. Whether narrating the struggles of immigrants as they adjust to life in the united. The journalist james graham, in his book the enemies of the poor, witnessed my fathers work as a community organizer in brooklyn back in the 1960s and compared him to a guerrilladisciple. Two poems by martin espada, a member of the faculty of university of southern maines stonecoast mfa program.
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