| Curator and MC, Rey Andújar |
Two Wednesday ago, on February 15th, back I caught an evening of the Guild Complex's "Palabra Pura" reading series (h/t to my colleague Reg Gibbons who reminded me it was taking place), titled "Migrant Bodies/Cuerpos Migrantes," at La Bruqueña restaurant and bar on the West Side. I especially wanted to catch it because Rey Andújar, about whom I've written before, was serving as the curator and MC. I had no idea, until a few months ago, that this blazing light of Dominican/Latino/Spanish language literary arts and culture (he writes poetry, fiction, plays, and as you'll see below, scorches the stage), was living in Chicago. The last time I'd checked, he was mounting productions in San Juan.
Also on the program were his pana, the hilarious Juan Dicent (whose little book Summertime I picked up back in 2006 during a trip down to DR), and Jorge Frisancho, a native of Spain who grew up in Peru. Both Dicent and Frisancho did their thing, and I arrived just after Andújar had concluded what Reg said was his marvelous intro, but the Guild Complex was taping the event, so you can see what I missed and as well as a snippet of each of the other two talented writers whom I did get an opportunity to hear and enjoy. Take note that Andújar's intro includes some singing and is in Spanish, so if you don't speak the language, just listen and let the music of the words, the rhythms and speed and sonorities, light a fire in your ear. Here they are (¡mucho disfrute!):
Rey Andújar
Juan Dicent
Jorge Frisancho