By Catherine Marenghi

 

Three inspired poets with roots in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico will kick off the 2020–2021 season of the San Miguel Poetry Café on Sep 10, 2020, at 5pm. It will be the first time the Poetry Café will be broadcast via Zoom, reaching a multinational audience for the first time.

 

A native of Massachusetts, Catherine Marenghi is an award-winning poet and memoirist. She will read from her new poetry book “Breaking Bread” (Finishing Line Press, 2020), as well as recent poems. Her poetry has appeared in “Crossroads,” “Solamente en San Miguel,” “Cider Press Review,” “Sisyphus,” “Peregrine Journal,” “Italian Americana,” “Mobius,” “Conclave,” and other journals and anthologies, and she has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She is also the author of “Glad Farm: A Memoir” (2016), an acclaimed story of poverty, loss, and resilience, and the power of a house to shape our destiny. She earned an M.A., B.A. in English from Tufts University, and she has studied poetry under Denise Levertov, X. J. Kennedy, Richard Blanco, Judyth Hill, and others. “Breaking Bread: Poems” is available here: www.amazon.com/dp/164662114X/. 

 

Known for her artwork, Joan Hall’s collages and assemblages have been exhibited in galleries and museums worldwide, including the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris and the Museo Rufino Tamayo in Mexico. Joan illustrated “The Policeman’s Beard Is Half-Constructed,” the first book ever written by a computer. Joan has also been writing poetry since she was a child. She is a winner of the Miriam Chaikin Foundation 2018 award for her poetry. Her first book of poems, “Journey to Somewhere,” and her just-completed “Behind My Mind: Rhymes and Collages” are available on Amazon. Joan resides in New York City and spends winters in San Miguel de Allende. “Behind My Mind: Rhymes and Collages” is available here: www.amazon.com/dp/B08GFSYGM8/. 

 

Jan Baross is an award-winning writer, filmmaker, and artist who has been writing poetry for many years. “Jose Builds a Woman,” her first novel, garnered first place for fiction in the Kay Snow Awards, and Ursula LeGuin gave it a “thumbs up” review. She has also authored travel books and a coloring book. Her career began with painting, then documentary filmmaking, and photography. Her film “Pioneer Women” premiered on the A&E Channel. She taught filmmaking at Oregon State University, has written award-winning plays and screenplays, and worked as a newspaper film critic. She was a librettist for an opera based on her play, “Mata Hari,” that opened in Dallas, Texas. Her book “Jose Builds a Woman” is available at www.janbaross.com/novels/.

 

Founded in January 2016, the San Miguel Poetry Café convenes monthly, September through April, and also holds special events. The all-volunteer organization presents local and visiting poets, both established and emerging.

 

Pre-registration is required. Register here: sanmiguelliterarysala.org/. 

 

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