Foreign language speakers, ranging from French to Nahuatl, filled the Karl Anatol Center for the fourth annual Poetry Without Borders event on Tuesday evening.
Sponsored by the department of Romance, German and Russian Languages and Literatures (RGRLL), the event hosted more than 140 people as students, staff, faculty and alumni read poems from all over the world in the pieces’ original languages. An English translation of each poem was projected onto a screen behind the speaker.
“I could feel the intonations in the words,” graduate student Berenice Gómez said. “I could feel the passion. It was warm. It surprised me that no one read in English.”
Speakers read poems from 12 different dialects, including Spanish, Chinese, Bosnian, Farsi and more.
The reading was meant “to expose students to other languages so they can appreciate the languages they are studying,” according to event organizer Enrico Vettore from the RGRLL department.
Poetry in this year’s event shared the encompassing theme of “love and other ailments,” expressing times ranging from the happiest to the worst. Vettore said the theme changes for each event.
“You make those words come alive,” graduate student and speaker Dalia Gómez said. “When you have a message, just by voicing it, it’s like being the medium of expression.”
Professors and a Cal State Long Beach librarian read poems as well, but most of the speakers were students, according to the event’s program.
Vettore said the event can sometimes be a challenge for students, but that the event is created for them.
“It’s a great opportunity,” said Rita Palacios, another organizer of the event. “We like to highlight the importance of speaking other languages … We have a lot of people declaring minors [in our department] after this.”
Poems read at the event included Lauren Greenwood’s “Echo’s Agony in Love,” an honorary mention at the 2011 RGRLL Poetry Contest, the second one held. The contest winner, José Martinez, could not be present to read his poem.
A small reception was held after the reading of 29 poems, where students, faculty, staff and alumni could interact and discuss the poetry over food and drink.
Palacios and Vettore said they thought the event was a success.
“We don’t have many opportunities to meet, so it’s nice to do this,” Palacios said.
The reading used to be held biannually, but as its popularity grew, planning the event became too much work to handle, Vettore said.
Graduate student Stephanie Fehrmann said her favorite part was just listening to the dialects. She and Berenice Gómez said they came to the event in support of fellow students in the Spanish master’s program.
“I learned, and I enjoyed,” Berenice Gómez said.
Disclaimer: The Daily 49er is not responsible for Postings made on www.daily49er.wpengine.com. Persons commenting are solely responsible for Postings made on this website. Persons commenting agree to the Terms of Use of the website. If Postings do not abide by the Rules of Conduct or Posting Regulations as listed in the Postings Policy, the Daily 49er has all rights to delete Postings as it deems necessary. The Daily 49er strongly advises individuals to not abuse their First Amendment rights, and to avoid language suggestive of hate speech. This site also encourages users to make Postings relevant to the article or other Postings.