The Jack Ridl Visiting Writers Series of Hope College will feature poet Marjorie Agosin on Monday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m. at the Knickerbocker Theatre.
She will also be featured during a question-and-answer session on Monday, Nov. 12, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the DeWitt Center Herrick Room.
The public is invited to both events. Admission is free.
Pulling stories from the margins of society, poet and human rights activist Marjorie Agosín illuminates pain and beauty in the lives of those often overlooked. In her most recent book of poems, "Secretsin the Sand: The Young Women of Juarez," as in her more than 20 other published volumes, Agosín focuses on the plight of women in developing countries.
Her book, "Scraps of Life: ChileanArpilleras" (Red Sea Press, 1987, translated by Cola Franzen), tells of Chilean women who make their struggles known to the world through the exposition of "arpilleras," folk tapestries which tell of their bravery and hardships in the face of oppression. Money from the sale of these handicrafts aids them in supporting families in which the men have been arrested or murdered, or have simply "disappeared." Her concern for women in Chile has also been the focus of feature articles in "The New York Times," "The Christian Science Monitor," "Ms. Magazine," and the "Barnard Occasional Papers on Women's Issues."
Among her many honors, Agosín has received the Neustadt International prize for world literature, the United Nations Award on Human Rights and the Letras de Oro - distinctions that showcase her seamless pairing of poetry with human rights advocacy. As acclaimed writer Julia Alvarez has observed, "Agosín gives voice to the voiceless, songs to haunt us and move us to tears and compassion."
The Hope College Jazz Ensemble will precede the reading at the Knickerbocker with a 6:30 p.m. performance.
Additional information may be obtained online by visiting www.hope.edu/vws.
The Herrick Room is located in the southwest corner of the second floor of the DeWitt Center, which is on Columbia Avenue at 12th Street. The Knickerbocker Theatre is located in downtown Holland at 86 E. Eighth