On Thursday, November 21, about 30 people from across the campus community came to the library to celebrate International Education Week with a Critical Global Citizenship Education (CGCE) Poetry Reading event. The CGCE team hosts invited their Skyline College Community members to bring in a poem of their choice in a non-English language, share it, and read a translation or summary of it in English.
Pia Walawalkar, Outreach and Equity Librarian, and Rob Williams, Professor of English and Creative Writing, facilitated the event. Attendees said a short greeting in their chosen languages. Hola! Namaste and other fun words of welcome set the mood for a fun circle of camaraderie.
14 poems were then read aloud:
- David Garcia (a Studio Arts student of Salvadorian descent) read “Bien Tomades de la Mano” by Douglas Wright a New Zealander Dancer/Choreographer. “Holding Hands Firmly” in English.
- Thanh Nguyen read “Wave” in her native Vietnamese language.
- Giti Abbasi read her own poem, “A Tale of Love” in the Farsi language of Iran.
- Lucia Lachmayr (English Dept & Puente) read “Puedo Escribir las Versas Mas Triste Esta Noche” by Pablo Neruda. “Tonight I can Write the Saddest Lines”.
- Chelssee De Barra (Interim Director of the Learning Commons & ASLT) played a recorded video of her young son reciting a poem in Irish Gaelic (in the Ulster Dialect). First without and then again with hand and body choreography that went along with the poem, he read and performed “I’m a Postman”.
- John Obst read a Scottish Gaelic poem by Iain Maclean called, “Song of America” about the experience of Highland immigrants moving to the US.
- Yesika Wong read “Poemas Sin Nombre II” by Cuban/Spanish poet Maria Dulce Loynaz.
- “Into Memories” in Tagalog. Student reader
- An engaged student shared “Poema de Passion” by Dulce Sanchez.
- Skyline Chemistry Instructor, Suzanne Schubert, read “The Wheel Change” by Berthold Brecht in her native German.
- Deema Awadalla read a very moving Palestinian poem called “Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear.”
- Dr Sanjyot Pia Walawalkar read a Bengali protest poem, “Rabindranath Tagoe Ekla Chalo Re” which was written circa 1907 while India was actively seeking independence from Great Britain.
- Another student read “One Sky” in English.
- And another read a poem called “Transcendence” in their native Burmese.
After the readings, there was time for international snacks and drinks. Those in attendance were able to mingle informally, ask questions, and give lots of encouragement and gratitude to one another. A display of books and poetry, put together by Library Specialist, Saul Milan, was admired and provided inspiration for discussion. It was a beautiful way to start off the winter holiday season! More information about Critical Global Citizenship can be found here.
Article by Jennifer Vega, MLIS
Photos by Sherri Wyatt
