Poet Janine Pommy Vega will perform her poetry at the National Hispanic Cultural Center (NHCC) on June 30 at 6:00 PM in the Salo´n Ortega of the History and Literary Arts building. It is a FREE EVENT held in conjunction with Acequia Booksellers of Albuquerque. The NHCC is located at the southwest corner of 4th Street and Avenida Ce´sar Chávez.
Vega began her career as a poet influenced by the Beat generation of the late ‘50s and early ‘60s. Her work spans five decades and includes work on controversial topics as well as works on nature and life’s tribulations. The author of over 15 books, she has been anthologized in numerous volumes and has published her work in English, Spanish and Italian. She is an author, lecturer, teacher and performance artist.
Her books include: The Green Piano (Black Sparrow Press, 2005) Tracking the Serpent (Nurtimenti, Rome, 2007); In the Age of Grasshoppers (Casa della Poesia, 2004); The Walker (Shivastan Publishing, 2003); Mad Dogs of Trieste (Black Sparrow Press, 2000) and many more.
On June 30 she will perform a retrospective of her work as well as tracks from her latest CD Across the Table which includes cuts like Habeas Corpus Blues, Mean Ole Badger Blues, The Mad Dogs of Trieste, Madre de Tabolieri, etc. Vega performs with musical accompaniment which underscores the drama and impact of her poetry. Having spent years working in prisons and detention centers, some of her work offers a critical look at the prison industry. Having lived in Latin America for many years, she also performs her work in Spanish that deals with many different subjects. For more information, please call 246-2261, ext. 123 or 890-5365.