Texas A&M will receive a visit from Cuban poet Reina Mar?a Rodr?guez Thursday afternoon as she presents a selection of her own works to Evans Library.
Rodr?guez, who was born in Havana just a few years before the start of the Cuban revolution, uses her poetry to advocate for cultural spaces not policed by the state.
Rodr?guez received the Pablo Neruda Iberia-America Poetry Award Tuesday afternoon, said Anton duPlessis, curator of the Colonial Mexican Collection at Cushing Memorial Library. This can be considered one of the highest awards a Spanish-speaking poet can win, he said.
DuPlessis said it’s rare to have a major poet visit A&M and present their work for the school’s collection, which is why he encouraged students to attend the event.
“It’s unusual of course, one to have a major poet here on campus, particularly someone who is from Cuba, and so she had to get permission to travel from Cuba to the United States,” duPlessis said. “One of the big things she is known for is advocating having rooftop readings and discussion if you will, clamoring for where people have cultural events that are not controlled by the state.”
From a political standpoint, duPlessis said Rodr?guez is an engaging speaker as she reacts against the controlled system she grew up in.
“Here’s a chance to see someone who is, you know, very well-known for being recognized for that, while being in a system of controlled regime,” duPlessis said. “She is agitating against that.”
The event will be in Evans Library at 4 p.m. Thursday.