The Department of Spanish and Portuguese is partnering with the New Orleans Poetry Festival to sponsor an evening of Brazilian poetry at the Stone Auditorium in the Woldenberg Art Center on April 14, 2023. They have invited five Brazilian poets, two based in Rio de Janeiro, and three in the United States, to participate in the festival.

The two Rio-based poets are leading Afro-Brazilian literary figures who have been active for decades. The other three are younger poets pursuing or have completed PhD degrees in the United States (Princeton, Harvard, University of Illinois). These five poets will join Pulitzer-prize-winning poet Tyehimba Jess as the featured presenters.

Founded in 2016, the mission of the New Orleans Poetry Festival is to create a space for an inclusive and diverse group of writers to collaborate, share and influence each other while also being immersed in the distinct literary culture of New Orleans. The festival brings in poets and performers from across the globe to share their work and research on topics specific to writing and cultural, political, and activist needs relevant to the current climate. The festival is highly participatory, with events ranging from workshops to open mics. It is free and open to the public.

This event is sponsored by the Center for Scholars of Liberal Arts, the Stone Center for Latin American Studies, the Department of Music, the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, and Africana Studies of Tulane University in conjunction with the New Orleans Poetry Festival. The evening is organized by Christopher Dunn, Professor, and Chair of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, Tulane University.