Jeremy Paden
June 26
7 p.m.
JEREMY PADEN was born in Milan, Italy and raised in Central America and the Caribbean. He is a Professor of Spanish and Latin American literature at Transylvania University in Lexington, KY and the author of several chapbooks of poems in English: Broken Tulips (Accents Press, 2013), ruina montium (Broadstone Books, 2016), and prison recipes (Broadstone Books, 2018). He also has a chapbook of translated poems: Delicate Matters (Winged City Press, 2016) and is co-editor of an anthology of Affrilachian poetry, Black Bone: 25 Years of the Affrilachian Poets (University of Kentucky Press, 2018). His collection ruina montium has recently come out in Spanish (Valparaiso Ediciones, 2018). His poems and translations have appeared in such places as: Asymptote Journal, Beloit Poetry Journal, California Quarterly, Cincinnati Review, Cortland Review, Louisville Review, Rattle, Words Without Borders, and other places. He can be reached at jpaden@transy.edu
Word of Mouth Cincinnati, which began in January 2014, is co-hosted by fellow writers Jim Palmarini and Mark Flanigan. It was founded in memory of the late Aralee Strange who, after many years living, writing and producing work in the Cincinnati area, moved to Athens, Georgia where she co-founded Athens Word of Mouth. WoMC is an intentional arc of both past and future utterance, inspired by our most revered voice, with a nod to her Athens, GA compatriots. Word of Mouth asks poets to Show Up, Mouth Off and Pay Attention. Admission to Word of Mouth Cincinnati is free and open to all ages, although some content may contain adult themes and language. MOTR Pub 1345 Main Street Cincinnati, OH 45202. |
"ingredients"
you might expect a pinch of pluck/of backbone a lb. or more/heart/firm & resolute/ might hope for clear/specific steps/whip the whites to glossy peaks/take care to stop before dry/before chunks of brittle fluff break off/before the clear liquid/colored like plasma from a scab/leaks out/fold the whites in gentle/& all will be well /all fine/& your cake will rise spongy/soft/ leave in the oven until golden/sweet/ when all that can be said is/I was/we were/here/ lemons & apples/forget these/sugar save then share/eggshells/breadcrumbs/toothpaste/milk/ salt/tea/socks/paper/smokes/save as if soul/trade as if blessing & you the devil/ should guards find & burn your stash/rats raid it/mold & rot set in/remember it is but ash & shadow/a mere trifling * * * "smooth pour" let the minor accidents of drought & flood color the kernel/temper the grain/ the seed must be strong enough to pass through fire it must die to save the sugars & in dying remember its first death/the darkness of earth/ beauty is born from pain it rises up from the trampling floor wash the wounded seed abandon it to the baptismal font let it stew & ferment I speak of conversion/of the waters of life/ of how fire is a great & mighty transformation hide that water cured by flame in oak for an age or two let it rust/mingle with years of drought & plenty I speak of how conversion is a fire how beauty is born in maceration & want |