An afternoon of poetry with Juan Felipe Herrera and Claudia Castro Luna

ArtX Contemporary (formerly ArtXchange Gallery) is a Seattle-based gallery at the intersection of contemporary art and global culture. The gallery aims to reflect the diverse influences shaping our region to inspire conversation and connection in our community.

ArtX Contemporary

ArtXchange Gallery

UPDATE 9/17: Out of care for the safety of our community, our Saturday 9/18 event with Fulgencio Lazo, Juan Felipe Herrera, and Claudia Castro Lunas has been cancelled due to a potential exposure of COVID-19. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. We hope to reschedule this as a virtual event and will reach out to you via Eventbrite with an update.You are welcome to visit the gallery to view Fulgencio Lazo’s exhibition Estrellas del Norte al Sur through Sept 25, 2021. Sincerely, The ArtXchange Gallery Team--As part of the city-wide MEXAM NW Festival 2021, ArtXchange Gallery is proud to present poetry readings by Juan Felipe Herrera, the first Latino US poet laureate, and Claudia Castro Luna, the Washington State Poet Laureate, that explore the themes in Fulgencio Lazo's exhibition Estrellas del Norte al Sur. Please note that while this event is still happening in person, Juan Felipe Herrera will be reading to the audience virtually via a large screen in the gallery, as unforeseen circumstances prevent him from travelling to Seattle. Claudia Castro Luna will be reading in person, and artist Fulgencio Lazo will be in attendance to discuss his work with guests. Proof of vaccination is required to attend this event, and all guests must wear a mask inside the gallery. Please bring your vaccination record card or a photo of the card, along with matching photo ID. Children under 12 years are exempt from the vaccination requirement, but must wear a mask. Parking: Seattle Dept of Transportation (SDOT) sent a notice that First Avenue South will be closed to vehicular traffic on Saturday 9/18. However, there is plenty of parking in Pioneer Square/Lumen Field, just a block away from the gallery.This event is supported by <a href="https://www.seattle.gov/arts" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Seattle Office of Arts &amp; Culture</a>, <a href="https://www.lasalanw.org/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">La Sala</a>, <a href="https://www.soundtransit.org/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Sound Transit</a>, and the Consulate of Mexico in Seattle.

Juan Felipe Herrera, U.S. Poet Laureate emeritusJuan Felipe Herrera was named the 21st U.S. poet laureate in 2015. He is the first and only Latino writer to receive this honor. The son of migrant farm workers, Herrera was educated at UCLA and Stanford University, and he earned his MFA from the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop. His numerous poetry collections include 187 Reasons Mexicanos Can’t Cross the Border: Undocuments 1971-2007, Half of the World in Light: New and Selected Poems (2008), and Border-Crosser with a Lamborghini Dream (1999). In addition to publishing more than a dozen collections of poetry, Herrera has written short stories, young adult novels, and children’s literature.Herrera is also a performance artist and activist on behalf of migrant and indigenous communities and at-risk youth. His creative work often crosses genres, including poetry opera and dance theater. His children’s book, The Upside Down Boy (2000), was adapted into a musical. His books for children and young adults have won several awards, including Calling the Doves (2001), which won the Ezra Jack Keats Award, and Crashboomlove (1999), a novel-in-verse for young adults which won the Americas Award. His book Half The World in Light was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle prize in 2009.

Claudia Castro LunaClaudia Castro Luna is an Academy of American Poets Poet Laureate fellow (2019), WA State Poet Laureate (2018 – 2021) and Seattle’s inaugural Civic Poet (2015-2018), the author of One River, A Thousand Voices (Chin Music Press), the Pushcart nominated Killing Marías (Two Sylvias Press) also shortlisted for WA State 2018 Book Award in poetry, and the chapbook This City (Floating Bridge Press). Her most recent non-fiction is forthcoming in There’s a Revolution Outside, My Love: Letters from a Crisis (Vintage) due out in May 2021. Born in El Salvador she came to the United States in 1981. Living in English and Spanish, Claudia writes and teaches in Seattle on unceded Duwamish lands where she gardens and keeps chickens with her husband and their three children.

<a href="https://artxchange.org/show/artxchange-gallery-fulgencio-lazo-estrellas-del-norte-al-sur" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Click here to learn more about Fulgencio Lazo's exhibition at ArtXchange Gallery.</a>

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