With delicate hand gestures and melodic voice intonations, poet Martin Espada shared with his audience the mission of every poet -- "to make the invisible visible."
Last night in the Benjamin Franklin Room of Houston Hall, renowned writer Espada captivated audience members with his modern poetry, as part of the Greenfield Intercultural Center's yearlong 20th anniversary celebration.
Espada, who coined the phrase "poetry of advocacy" to describe his effort to give a voice "to those who do not get the chance to speak," entertained members of the Penn community with his poems and personal anecdotes.
As a Latino lawyer and educator, he incorporated themes in his writing ranging from his experiences with the justice system, to a humorous account of Thanksgiving dinner with his in-laws.
Most of Espada's poems, however, were marked by serious or satirical commentary on his identity as a bilingual Puerto Rican American.
GIC Director Valerie De Cruz said she felt Espada was an ideal speaker for the celebration. She noted that Espada "challenges people in a very humane and eloquent manner. His poetry is beautiful, but it is also inspiring."
De Cruz also commented on Espada's relevance to the Penn community by saying Espada's poetry "helps students see how everything they learn to do now, all that they do to inspire others" will be a lasting contribution.
Hugo Najera, program director for La Casa Latina, supported De Cruz's statement on Espada's pertinence to Penn by pointing to the large population of Puerto Ricans in the Philadelphia area and in the Northeastern United States in general.
Preceding Espada's performance, two members of Penn's spoken word poetry group, the Excelano Project, opened with their own pieces. Both College junior Caroline Rothstein and College freshman Deepak Sambhara echoed Espada's commitment to political themes.
As the director of the Excelano Project, Rothstein said she was impressed by Espada as both a poet and an activist.
"I'm so thankful to be at a university that supports artists like this," she said.
Although the event was inspiring to the approximately 20 people who attended, some audience members were disappointed by the low turnout. Rothstein said that, when not many members of the Penn community show up, they are missing a great opportunity.
The GIC organized this event in conjunction with La Casa Latina.
