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DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240911T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240911T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T150204
CREATED:20240724T205850Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250116T200635Z
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SUMMARY:LitMinds Book Club
DESCRIPTION:Join us for the Lit Minds Book Club at Gemini Ink. We’re reading Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451.\nRegister\nNearly seventy years after its original publication\, Ray Bradbury’s internationally acclaimed novel Fahrenheit 451 stands as a classic of world literature set in a bleak\, dystopian future. Today its message has grown more relevant than ever before. \nGuy Montag is a fireman. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities\, the printed book\, along with the houses in which they are hidden. Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce\, returning each day to his bland life and wife\, Mildred\, who spends all day with her television “family.” But when he meets an eccentric young neighbor\, Clarisse\, who introduces him to a past where people didn’t live in fear and to a present where one sees the world through the ideas in books instead of the mindless chatter of television\, Montag begins to question everything he has ever known \n\n \nRay Bradbury was an American fantasy and horror author who rejected being categorized as a science fiction author\, claiming that his work was based on the fantastical and unreal. His best known novel is Fahrenheit 451\, a dystopian study of future American society in which critical thought is outlawed. He is also remembered for several other popular works\, including The Martian Chronicles and Something Wicked This Way Comes. Bradbury won the Pulitzer in 2007\, and is one of the most celebrated authors of the 21st century. — Biography.com
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/litminds-a-book-club/
LOCATION:Gemini Ink\, 1111 Navarro St\, San Antonio\, TX\, 78205\, United States
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/bradbury1.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240918T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240918T203000
DTSTAMP:20260403T150204
CREATED:20191105T075945Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251006T163755Z
UID:9487-1726684200-1726691400@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Veterans Writing Collective with Sarah Colby
DESCRIPTION:The Veteran’s Writing Collective (VWC) encourages the art of writing in a workshop environment where participants are offered honest\, positive\, and constructive peer-to-peer and mentor feedback. The workshop is open to all active-duty military\, veterans\, retirees\, and their immediate family members. Writers of all levels working in all genres are welcome. \nThe VWC meets monthly online via Zoom.\nIf you would like an invitation to this class\, send an email to veteranscollective@geminiink.org\n\nSarah Colby was born in northern New Mexico and raised in the Rocky Mountains. She is married to a retired Army Chaplain and is mother to a son in the Navy. Sarah has an MFA in Creative Writing from Sierra Nevada College and an exuberant interest in making the ordinary luminous. Her war-time experiences have motivated her to be a voice for the mostly untold stories of families and loved ones during these years of protracted conflict. She is currently working on a manuscript of poems about her experiences as a military family member.\n \n 
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/veterans-writing-collective-2020-07-15-2021-11-17-2023-08-16-2023-12-20/2024-09-18/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Event,Online Workshop,Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/homepage-footer-1250-x-600-1.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Sarah Colby":MAILTO:veteranscollective@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240918T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240918T203000
DTSTAMP:20260403T150204
CREATED:20240911T175012Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240916T190916Z
UID:10826-1726686000-1726691400@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:The Big Texas Author Talk featuring Ayokunle Falomo
DESCRIPTION:RSVP\n\n\nWednesday\, Sep 18th\, 2024 via Zoom @ 7PM CST\nUp Next: AYOKUNLE FALOMO\, author of Autobiomythography of .\nAutobiomythography of sifts through Nigerian stories and mythologies\, both inherited and invented\, to explore the self\, family\, and nationhood. \nAYOKUNLE FALOMO is Nigerian\, American\, and the author of Autobiomythography of (Alice James Books\, 2024)\, AFRICANAMERICAN’T (FlowerSong Press\, 2022—finalist for Texas Institute of Letters’ Helen C. Smith Memorial Award for Best Book of Poetry)\, two self-published collections and African\, American (New Delta Review\, 2019; selected by Selah Saterstrom as the winner of New Delta Review’s 8th annual chapbook contest). A recipient of fellowships from Vermont Studio Center\, MacDowell\, and the University of Michigan’s Helen Zell Writers’ Program\, where he obtained his MFA in Creative Writing—Poetry\, his work has been anthologized and widely published. \nAutobiomythography of \n“Mythmaking serves to create a bridge between what the human mind can understand and what we yet have language for. Yet here in this visually lush and lyrically dexterous collection of poems\, Falomo offers his readers work that bends and reimagines the limits of language\, blends the Divine with the digital present\, contemporary music with the voices of the past while the speaker traverses the friction between their American & Nigerian heritage.”\n—I.S. Jones\, author of Spells of My Name \nSeptember 2024 \nISBN: 9781949944655
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/the-big-texas-author-talk-featuring-ayokunle-falomo/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Ayokunle-Falomo.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240926T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240926T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T150204
CREATED:20240812T205032Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240912T200422Z
UID:10576-1727375400-1727380800@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Eddie Vega & Friends & Community Open Mic
DESCRIPTION:Join Gemini Ink on Thursday\, September 26th\, for a night of poetry and performance as we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month 2024 and honor our new San Antonio Poet Laureate Eddie Vega!  \nEddie is a poet\, educator\, open mic host\, and voice for the people\, who’s poetry focuses on the routine struggles and small beauties of life in South Texas. He will be accompanied by award- winning poet Violeta Garza and veteran educator and poet Jacinto Jesús Cardona. \nFollowing the featured reading\, we will host a community open mic. Bring your poems\, stories\, and thoughts to share (there will be a 3-minute limit for each reader). Open mic sign-up in person\, starting at 6pm. \n\nVioleta Garza is a non-binary Latinx poet and member of the Macondo Writers Workshop. Her work has been published in Acentos Review\, Boundless\, and riverSedge\, among others. \nJacinto Jesús Cardona is a San Antonio poet whose two poetry books\, PAN DULCE and AMAPOLASONG celebrate his growing up Tex Mex in Alice\, the Hub of South Texas. In 2016 New York Symphony Space selected his poem “Bato Con Khakis” to be performed as part of their literacy program. Among Cardona’s awards are a Gemini Ink Voz de San Antonio Poetry Award and his poetry is documented in Voices From Texas by San Antonio filmmaker Ray Santiesteban. Cardona teaches English at Incarnate Word High School. \nEddie Vega (the Taco-Poet of Texas) is a poet\, storyteller\, and educator. The author of Chicharra Chorus (FlowerSong Press\, 2019) and Somos Nopales (FlowerSong Press\, 2024)\, his poetry also appears along the San Pedro Creek Cultural Park. He is the editor of Asina is How We Talk\, a collection of Tejano poetry. A Macondo Workshop Fellow\, Vega directs the Mouth Dakota Poetry Project\, a biweekly open mic. He currently serves as the 7th Poet Laureate of San Antonio.
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/reading-and-open-mic/
LOCATION:Poetic Republic Coffee Co.\, 2330 S. Presa St\, San Antonio\, Texas\, United States
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/horizontal-eddie-vega-friends.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240928T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20240928T210000
DTSTAMP:20260403T150205
CREATED:20240923T181115Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240923T181115Z
UID:10869-1727542800-1727557200@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Our Word is Our Vote: A Poetry Pachanga
DESCRIPTION:Don’t Miss Our Word is Our Vote:\nA Poetry Pachanga this Saturday\, Sep 28!\nJoin the dynamic San Antonio poetry community for this special election year event\, encouraging voter registration and using our voice to create the change we want to see:\nSaturday\, Sep 28\, 5-9pm\nUTSA Main Campus\n1 UTSA Circle\, San Antonio\, TX 78249\nRichard Liu Auditorium\, Business Bldg\, 2.01.02 \nRegister to Vote! Free Event! Free Food!\nLive Music from Kitten Mitten\, Mexstep\, and Patsy Torres!\nAnd all the poets—Andi Garcia-Linn\, Alexandra Vandekamp\, Alex Z. Salinas\, Amalia Ortiz\, Anthony the Poet\, Carmen Calatayud\, Carmen Tafolla\, Chibbi Orduña\, Chris Carmona\, E.D. Watson\, Eddie Vega\, Eduardo C. Garza\, Edward Vidaurre\, Fernando E. Flores\, Frances Santos\, Gerard Robledo\, Gume Laurel III\, Jen Yanez-Alaniz\, Jim LaVilla-Havelin\, John Olivares Espinoza\, John Phillip Santos\, Jonathan Fletcher\, Joshua Robbins\, KB Brookins\, Lace Garcia\, Mandy Lynn Lara\, Matthew Tavares\, Myra Dumapais\, Natalia Treviño\, Nazli Siddiqui\, Octavio Quintanilla\, Rooster Martinez\, Sajhar Roshan\, Saúl Hernández\, Tony Diaz\, Violeta Garza\, Zach Sokoloski!
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/our-word-is-our-vote/
LOCATION:UTSA\, 1 UTSA Circle\, San Antonio\, Texas\, 78249
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/word-is-our-vote.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Alexandra van de Kamp":MAILTO:avandekamp@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20241016T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20241016T203000
DTSTAMP:20260403T150205
CREATED:20191105T075945Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251006T163755Z
UID:9488-1729103400-1729110600@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Veterans Writing Collective with Sarah Colby
DESCRIPTION:The Veteran’s Writing Collective (VWC) encourages the art of writing in a workshop environment where participants are offered honest\, positive\, and constructive peer-to-peer and mentor feedback. The workshop is open to all active-duty military\, veterans\, retirees\, and their immediate family members. Writers of all levels working in all genres are welcome. \nThe VWC meets monthly online via Zoom.\nIf you would like an invitation to this class\, send an email to veteranscollective@geminiink.org\n\nSarah Colby was born in northern New Mexico and raised in the Rocky Mountains. She is married to a retired Army Chaplain and is mother to a son in the Navy. Sarah has an MFA in Creative Writing from Sierra Nevada College and an exuberant interest in making the ordinary luminous. Her war-time experiences have motivated her to be a voice for the mostly untold stories of families and loved ones during these years of protracted conflict. She is currently working on a manuscript of poems about her experiences as a military family member.\n \n 
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/veterans-writing-collective-2020-07-15-2021-11-17-2023-08-16-2023-12-20/2024-10-16/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Event,Online Workshop,Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/homepage-footer-1250-x-600-1.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Sarah Colby":MAILTO:veteranscollective@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20241016T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20241016T203000
DTSTAMP:20260403T150205
CREATED:20240930T184518Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241008T180004Z
UID:10934-1729105200-1729110600@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:The Big Texas Author Talk featuring Joshua Robbins
DESCRIPTION:Join us for the Big Texas Author Talk on Wednesday\, Oct 16th\, 2024 via Zoom @ 7PM CST\nUp Next: Joshua Robbins\, author of Eschatology in Crayon Wax\, moderated by George David Clark.\nRSVP\nJoshua Robbins’s highly anticipated and thought-provoking second book\, Eschatology in Crayon Wax\, evokes a sense of being torn between a fragile longing for transformation and a whirlwind of flawed divinity. Robbins firmly asserts\, “Paradise doesn’t care how you get there. Only that you try\,” and is met with divine contempt and a commandment to “shape ashes into ashes” because “besides\, I can’t tell you what on earth I’m doing.” In the world of these poems\, all one can do is survive the contradictions and cruel mysteries embedded in a contemporary life of empty homes\, RFID\, mall shooting bullet casings\, drone targets\, miscarriages\, divorce\, and suicide. These poems engage deeply with the theodicies of the Book of Job\, evangelicalism\, class theory\, and even the manic crises of Berryman’s “Dream Songs.” At times elegiac\, always fearlessly confessional\, and even tragicomic\, Robbins does not resist hope. With intelligence and style to spare\, Robbins displays a fierce concern for this world of things\, caught as we are between what is and what should be. \n\nJoshua Robbins was born in Berkeley\, California\, and grew up in the East Bay. After earning an MFA in Poetry at the University of Oregon and a PhD in English from the University of Tennessee\, he joined the English Department at the University of the Incarnate Word\, where he is an Associate Professor of Creative Writing. His primary teaching areas are poetry writing\, trauma writing\, and creative nonfiction. His first book\, Praise Nothing\, was published by the University of Arkansas Press in 2013 as part of the prestigious Miller Williams Series in Poetry. Eschatology in Crayon Wax was published in 2024 by Texas Review Press. His recognitions include\, the James Wright Poetry Award\, the New South Prize\, Best New Poets\, and a Walter E. Dakin Fellowship in poetry from the Sewanee Writers’ Conference\, among others. He currently lives in San Antonio. Visit Joshua at http://www.joshuarobbins.net/ \n\nAbout the Moderator \nGeorge David Clark is the author of Reveille (Arkansas)\, winner of the Miller Williams Prize\, and Newly Not Eternal (LSU\, 2024). His work has received honors from the Association of Literary Scholars\, Critics\, and Writers (the Meringoff Prize in Poetry)\, Colgate University (the Olive B. O’Connor Fellowship)\, Narrative Magazine (the 30 Below Prize)\, the Sewanee Writers’ Conference (the Walter E. Dakin Fellowship)\, and Valparaiso University (the Lily Postdoctoral Fellowship)\, among others. David’s recent poems can be found in Agni\, The Believer\, The Georgia Review\, The Gettysburg Review\, The Southern Review\, Virginia Quarterly Review\, and elsewhere. Since 2011\, he has edited the journal\, 32 Poems. He teaches creative writing at Washington & Jefferson College and lives in Canonsburg\, PA.
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/the-big-texas-author-talk-featuring-joshua-robbins/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/web-24-joshua-robbins-tbtat3.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20241108T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20241108T213000
DTSTAMP:20260403T150205
CREATED:20240815T191650Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241108T132344Z
UID:10625-1731090600-1731101400@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Razzmatazz & All That Jazz: An Evening in Celebration of Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson
DESCRIPTION:Purchase Tickets and Sponsor Levels\n\n\n\nCelebrating Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson at the McNay Art Museum Moroccan Courtyard and Leeper Auditorium\, Friday\, November 8th\, 6:30-9:30 pm\n\n\n\n\n2024 Award for Literary Excellence\nAndrea Vocab Sanderson \nHonorary Co-Chair\nDr. Eric Castillo\nAssociate Vice Chancellor of Arts\, Culture\, and Community Impact for the Alamo Colleges District \nModerator\nGlo Miles \nEmcee\nMolly Cox \n2024 Inkstravaganza Committee\nCary Clack\, Aminah Dece\, Barbara Felix\, Winifred Hodge\, Zach Jewell\, Andrea Lopez\, Gloria Miles\, Chibbi Orduña\, Aaronetta Pierce\, Gerard Robledo\, Andrea Rodriguez\, Zsaire Shaheid (Shai)\, Aissatou Sidime-Blanton\, Kirsten Thompson\, Maria Williams\, Bria Woods\, Alexandra van de Kamp \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJoin Gemini Ink\, San Antonio’s Writing Arts Center\, at the beautiful McNay Art Museum on Friday\, November 8th\, for an unforgettable\, festive evening celebrating the extraordinary achievements of Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson\, our 2024 Recipient of The Award for Literary Excellence. Enjoy our star-packed lineup (details coming soon!) and mingle with friends and fellow literary fans as we honor this brilliant poet\, multifaceted artist\, performer\, and community leader who is at the heart of the writing arts in our city. \nAndrea “Vocab” Sanderson is a multifaceted artist in the worlds of music\, poetry\, spoken word performance\, and community artistic collaborations\, and to say she is a powerhouse poet and creative performer only scratches the surface of her talent! We couldn’t be more honored to spotlight her as the featured writer of our annual gala in support of the power of the writing arts in our city. Vocab is San Antonio Poet Laureate Emeritus 2020-2023. She facilitates workshops throughout the U.S. and is the author of She Tastes Like Music (Flower Song Press\, 2020). She is an Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellow and was voted Best Local Poet in 2023 and 2021 by The SA Current. Vocab has had the distinct honor of opening up for Dr. Cornell West\, Phylicia Rashad\, and Nikki Giovanni. Her albums and collaborative works can be streamed on all major music platforms. Learn more about her at her website andreavocabsanderson.com.
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/razzmatazz-all-that-jazz/
LOCATION:McNay Art Museum\, 6000 N. New Braunfels Ave.\, San Antonio\, TX\, United States
CATEGORIES:Event
ORGANIZER;CN="Alexandra van de Kamp":MAILTO:avandekamp@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20241113T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20241113T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T150205
CREATED:20240815T190332Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241004T185633Z
UID:10621-1731522600-1731528000@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:LitMinds: A Book Club at Gemini Ink
DESCRIPTION:Join us for the Lit Minds Book Club. We’re reading Half of a Yellow Sun\, a novel by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.\nRegister\nNATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FINALIST • From the award-winning\, bestselling author of Americanah and We Should All Be Feminists—a haunting story of love and war. • Recipient of the Women’s Prize for Fiction “Winner of Winners” award. \nWith effortless grace\, celebrated author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie illuminates a seminal moment in modern African history: Biafra’s impassioned struggle to establish an independent republic in southeastern Nigeria during the late 1960s. We experience this tumultuous decade alongside five unforgettable characters: Ugwu\, a thirteen-year-old houseboy who works for Odenigbo\, a university professor full of revolutionary zeal; Olanna\, the professor’s beautiful young mistress who has abandoned her life in Lagos for a dusty town and her lover’s charm; and Richard\, a shy young Englishman infatuated with Olanna’s willful twin sister Kainene. \nHalf of a Yellow Sun is a tremendously evocative novel of the promise\, hope\, and disappointment of the Biafran war. \n\n \nChimamanda Ngozi Adichie (born September 15\, 1977\, Enugu\, Nigeria) is a Nigerian writer whose second novel\, Half of a Yellow Sun (2006)\, gained international acclaim for its depiction of the devastation caused by the Nigerian Civil War. Her novels\, short stories\, and nonfiction explore the intersections of identity. Learn more at www.chimamanda.com. \n 
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/litminds-a-book-club-2/
LOCATION:Gemini Ink\, 1111 Navarro St\, San Antonio\, TX\, 78205\, United States
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/half-yellow-sun-e1728068259239.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20241120T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20241120T203000
DTSTAMP:20260403T150205
CREATED:20191105T075945Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251006T163803Z
UID:9489-1732127400-1732134600@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Veterans Writing Collective with Sarah Colby
DESCRIPTION:The Veteran’s Writing Collective (VWC) encourages the art of writing in a workshop environment where participants are offered honest\, positive\, and constructive peer-to-peer and mentor feedback. The workshop is open to all active-duty military\, veterans\, retirees\, and their immediate family members. Writers of all levels working in all genres are welcome. \nThe VWC meets monthly online via Zoom.\nIf you would like an invitation to this class\, send an email to veteranscollective@geminiink.org\n\nSarah Colby was born in northern New Mexico and raised in the Rocky Mountains. She is married to a retired Army Chaplain and is mother to a son in the Navy. Sarah has an MFA in Creative Writing from Sierra Nevada College and an exuberant interest in making the ordinary luminous. Her war-time experiences have motivated her to be a voice for the mostly untold stories of families and loved ones during these years of protracted conflict. She is currently working on a manuscript of poems about her experiences as a military family member.\n \n 
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/veterans-writing-collective-2020-07-15-2021-11-17-2023-08-16-2023-12-20/2024-11-20/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Event,Online Workshop,Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/homepage-footer-1250-x-600-1.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Sarah Colby":MAILTO:veteranscollective@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20241120T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20241120T203000
DTSTAMP:20260403T150205
CREATED:20240815T153831Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241120T222137Z
UID:10585-1732129200-1732134600@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:The Big Texas Author Talk featuring Anel Flores
DESCRIPTION:Join us on Wednesday\, Nov 20th\, 2024\, via Zoom for a conversation with Anel Flores\, author of Cortinas de lluvia/Curtains of Rain. Moderated by Dr. Jackie Cuevas.\n\n\n\n\n\n(Zoom Readings Monthly @ 7pm CST)  \nRSVP for Zoom invite\n\n\nCurtains of Rain/Cortinas de Lluvia\, follows the story of Solitaria\, who escapes her small border town\, to arrive at the door of her gay tíos on a quest to queer traditions\, turn trauma into triumph\, and find home. Release date is May 2025 with Jaded Ibis Press.\n\n\nSolitaria Gaviota-Alaniz is a girl on the margins\, growing up in a border town while navigating the complexities of familial relationships\, environmental racism\, and a queer secret that threatens to cleave her from those she cherishes most. Eventually\, towing the line becomes untenable\, and after a traumatic exorcism\, Sol is forced to flee from everything she has ever known. \nFifteen years later\, Solitaria returns to confront the ghosts of homophobia haunting her past. Supported by a found familia of gay tios\, her nonbinary best friend Toni\, and a diverse community of panederas and drag queens in San Antonio\, Sol embarks on a search and rescue mission for her lost self. Soaked in vibrant landscapes of identity and resilience\, Curtains of Rain details one woman’s coming-of-age between cities\, between cultures\, and between budding loves. \n\nAnel I. Flores is a trans-Latina/x writer\, artist\, and activist whose work explores LGBTQIA+ experiences\, Latina/x literature\, and social issues. Anel’s literary contributions have been featured in numerous publications\, including Switchgrass Review and Sinister Wisdom. Their plays have been produced on stage\, and their visual art has been exhibited in galleries worldwide. Anel’s upcoming novel. \n\nDr. Jackie Cuevas is the author of Post-Borderlandia: Chicana Literature and Gender Variant Critique (Rutgers University Press\, 2018) and the poetry chapbook Otherhood\, USA (Tanto Tinto Press\, 2000). Cuevas teaches at UT Austin and is a member of the Macondo Writers Workshop\,
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/the-big-texas-author-talk-featuring-anel-flores/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/unnamed-1.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20241203T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20241203T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T150205
CREATED:20241115T181950Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241126T213444Z
UID:11039-1733248800-1733256000@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Explorations of Home: A Panel on the Latinx Diaspora in Poetry
DESCRIPTION:Tuesday\, December 3rd 6-8pm\, in-person\nSan Antonio Public Library\nLatino Collection & Resource Center\n600 Soledad St.\, San Antonio\, TX\nFree and open to the public \nThis event\, in partnership with the Library of America\, will feature a panel of diverse poets who represent the breadth of the Latinx diaspora. The panel will discuss the facets and multiplicities of home\, from ancestry and linguistics to shifting borders and generational wounds. \nFeatured authors are Jasminne Mendez\, ire’ne lara silva\, and Rod Carlos Rodriguez. They will read from their personal works and engage in a rich discussion with moderator Dr. Carmen Tafolla. Light refreshments will be served. \nPanelist Bios\nJasminne Mendez is a Dominican-American poet\, translator\, playwright\, audiobook narrator\, and award-winning author of several books\, including the Pura Belpre Honor Award-winning middle-grade novel in verse\, Aniana del Mar Jumps In (Dial). Her other books have received prizes from the Texas Institute of Letters\, the Writer’s League of Texas and the International Latino Book Awards. She is an MFA graduate of the creative writing program at the Rainier Writing Workshop at Pacific Lutheran University and a University of Houston alumni. She is the Program Director for the literary arts non-profit Tintero Projects and she lives and works in Houston\, TX. \nRod Carlos Rodriguez has an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the UT–El Paso and is a Lecturer at UTSA’s Writing Program. He is an award-winning poet who has been writing for over 40 years. He has five books of poetry published including Cantos\, Incandescent (Finishing Line Press\, 2024)\, and A History of Echoes: Poems (Gival Press\, 2024). He is the founder/chair of the Sun Poet’s Society\, South Texas’s longest-running weekly open-mic poetry reading (1995-2022). He was nominated for the San Antonio Poet Laureate in April 2012\, 2014\, 2016\, and 2018. He was the poetry editor for Ocotillo Review\, a literary journal/periodical\, and he was the editor of the Texas Poetry Calendar 2023 (Kallisto Gaia Press). \nire’ne lara silva\, 2023 Texas State Poet Laureate\, is the author of five poetry collections: furia\, Blood Sugar Canto\, CUICACALLI/House of Song\, FirstPoems\, and the eaters of flowers; two chapbooks\, Enduring Azucares and Hibiscus Tacos; a comic book\,VENDAVAL; and a short story collection\, flesh to bone\, which won the Premio Aztlán. ire’ne is the recipient of a 2021 Tasajillo Writers Grant\, a 2017 NALAC Fund for the Arts Grant\, the final Alfredo Cisneros del Moral Award\, and was the Fiction Finalist for AROHO’s 2013 Gift of Freedom Award. Ire’ne received the 2021 Texas Institute of Letters Shrake Award for Best Short Nonfiction. Her second collection\, the light of your body\, will be published by Arte Publico Press in Fall 2025. \nModerator\nDr. Carmen Tafolla is the author of over 40 books and the 2015 State Poet Laureate of Texas. Her award-winning books include The Holy Tortilla and a Pot of Beans\, Rebozos\, Curandera\, and Sonnets to Human Beings. Her writing has been recognized by the National Association of Chicana & Chicano Studies for work that “gives voice to the peoples and cultures of this land\,” and her new novel-in-verse Warrior Girl was published by Penguin in 2023. \nThis program is presented as part of Latino Poetry: Places We Call Home\, a major public humanities initiative taking place across the nation in 2024 and 2025\, directed by Library of America and funded with generous support from the National Endowment for the Humanities and Emerson Collective.
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/explorations-of-home-a-panel-on-the-latinx-diaspora-in-poetry/
LOCATION:San Antonio Public Library\, 600 Soledad\, San Antonio\, Texas\, 78205
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/latinx-poetry-24.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20241212T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20241212T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T150205
CREATED:20241125T192818Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241211T183615Z
UID:11130-1734028200-1734033600@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Gemini Ink Holiday Open House
DESCRIPTION:Come Celebrate!\nDate: Thursday\, December 12th Time: 6:30-8pm CST\nLocation: Gemini Ink (In-Person) \nJoin us as we eat\, drink\, and merrily toast the closing of 2024 with our literary community of writers and friends. Drop by when you can\, leave when you need to. \n\nMusic by Excy. Excy Ceiba ili is a Cultural Educator and Musician-Activist from Honduras who employs indigenous instruments and languages in music creation. Instagram: @ceiba_ili\nOpen Mic: 7pm. Show up at 6:30 PM to sign up (12 slots available for 3-minute reads)\n\nStay long enough to have a little eggnog and comfort food. Wine\, non-alcoholic beverages\, and coffee will be served. We will provide the main fare\, but you are also invited to bring a store-bought or prepackaged food item to share. \nKeeping with our annual tradition\, we’ll have a table of books to trade and give away. Feel free to bring a book to share!
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/holiday-open-house-2/
LOCATION:Gemini Ink\, 1111 Navarro St\, San Antonio\, TX\, 78205\, United States
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/homepage-footers-1250-×-600-px.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20241218T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20241218T203000
DTSTAMP:20260403T150205
CREATED:20191105T075945Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251006T163804Z
UID:9490-1734546600-1734553800@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Veterans Writing Collective with Sarah Colby
DESCRIPTION:The Veteran’s Writing Collective (VWC) encourages the art of writing in a workshop environment where participants are offered honest\, positive\, and constructive peer-to-peer and mentor feedback. The workshop is open to all active-duty military\, veterans\, retirees\, and their immediate family members. Writers of all levels working in all genres are welcome. \nThe VWC meets monthly online via Zoom.\nIf you would like an invitation to this class\, send an email to veteranscollective@geminiink.org\n\nSarah Colby was born in northern New Mexico and raised in the Rocky Mountains. She is married to a retired Army Chaplain and is mother to a son in the Navy. Sarah has an MFA in Creative Writing from Sierra Nevada College and an exuberant interest in making the ordinary luminous. Her war-time experiences have motivated her to be a voice for the mostly untold stories of families and loved ones during these years of protracted conflict. She is currently working on a manuscript of poems about her experiences as a military family member.\n \n 
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/veterans-writing-collective-2020-07-15-2021-11-17-2023-08-16-2023-12-20/2024-12-18/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Event,Online Workshop,Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/homepage-footer-1250-x-600-1.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Sarah Colby":MAILTO:veteranscollective@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20241218T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20241218T203000
DTSTAMP:20260403T150205
CREATED:20241127T185531Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241216T222808Z
UID:11219-1734548400-1734553800@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:The Big Texas Author Talk featuring Carmen Calatayud
DESCRIPTION:Join us on Wednesday\, Dec. 18th\, 2024 via Zoom for a conversation with Carmen Calatayud\, author of This Tangled Body. Moderated by Francisco Aragón.\nRSVP for Invite\nThis Tangled Body reads as surreal poetic memoir\, navigating family history\, war\, migration\, and the grit of relationships. Through lyrical language\, the poet searches for ways to rescue a body that knows pain\, addiction\, and generational trauma. Elegies\, love letters\, and concussions cross paths here\, along with planets and stars\, demonstrating that the potential to heal is possible when raw truth and grace are present. Calatayud’s willingness to face the land of the dead and cross all borders is on full display. As she invites us to “leave this continent and/light the path behind us on fire\,” her poetry insists we return to love and love hard. \nCarmen Calatayud is the daughter of immigrants: A Spanish father and Irish mother. Her book This Tangled Body was published by FlowerSong Press\, in conjunction with Letras Latinas\, in 2024. Her first book In the Company of Spirits (Press 53) was a runner-up for the Academy of American Poets Walt Whitman Award and a finalist for the Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize. Calatayud is a Larry Neal Poetry Award winner and a member of the Macondo Writers Workshop. \n  \nFrancisco Aragón is the author of three books of poetry\, including After Rubén (2020)\, Glow of Our Sweat (2010)\, and Puerta de Sol (2005).  He’s also the editor of\, The Wind Shifts: New Latino Poetry (2007). His more than twenty anthology publications include Latino Poetry: The Library of America Anthology (2024); Queer Nature: An Ecoqueer Poetry Anthology (2022) and Why To These Rocks: 50 Years of Poems from the Community of Writers (2021). His poems and translations have appeared in numerous literary journals\, both print and online. A native of San Francisco\, CA\, he is the son of Nicaraguan immigrants. He is on the faculty of the University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Latino Studies\, where he teaches courses in Latinx poetry and creative writing\, and directs Letras Latinas\, their literary initiative. He has read his work widely\, including at universities\, bookstores\, art galleries\, and the Dodge Poetry Festival. For more information\, visit: http://franciscoaragon.net
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/the-big-texas-author-talk-featuring-carmen-calatayud/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Fall-Events-2024.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250115T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250115T203000
DTSTAMP:20260403T150205
CREATED:20191105T075945Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251006T163804Z
UID:11144-1736965800-1736973000@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Veterans Writing Collective with Sarah Colby
DESCRIPTION:The Veteran’s Writing Collective (VWC) encourages the art of writing in a workshop environment where participants are offered honest\, positive\, and constructive peer-to-peer and mentor feedback. The workshop is open to all active-duty military\, veterans\, retirees\, and their immediate family members. Writers of all levels working in all genres are welcome. \nThe VWC meets monthly online via Zoom.\nIf you would like an invitation to this class\, send an email to veteranscollective@geminiink.org\n\nSarah Colby was born in northern New Mexico and raised in the Rocky Mountains. She is married to a retired Army Chaplain and is mother to a son in the Navy. Sarah has an MFA in Creative Writing from Sierra Nevada College and an exuberant interest in making the ordinary luminous. Her war-time experiences have motivated her to be a voice for the mostly untold stories of families and loved ones during these years of protracted conflict. She is currently working on a manuscript of poems about her experiences as a military family member.\n \n 
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/veterans-writing-collective-2020-07-15-2021-11-17-2023-08-16-2023-12-20/2025-01-15/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Event,Online Workshop,Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/homepage-footer-1250-x-600-1.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Sarah Colby":MAILTO:veteranscollective@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250115T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250115T203000
DTSTAMP:20260403T150205
CREATED:20250107T203006Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250113T155347Z
UID:11438-1736967600-1736973000@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:The Big Texas Author Talk featuring Kimberly Garza
DESCRIPTION:Join us on Wednesday\, Jan 15th\, 2025 online for a conversation with Kimberly Garza\, author of The Last Karankawas. Moderated by Elizabeth Gonzalez James.\n\n\n\n(Zoom Readings Monthly @ 7pm CST) \nRSVP for the Google Meet link\n“Beautiful\, complex\, and subversive\, The Last Karankawas is an important book about Texas from a powerful new voice in American fiction. I loved it. These characters and their stories will stay with me.”\n— Elizabeth Wetmore\, New York Times–bestselling author of Valentine \n“Garza debuts with an accomplished account of the ties between members of a Filipino and Mexican community… This is a worthy love letter to Galveston.”\n— Publishers Weekly \n“Devastating in its own clarity and nuance. The Last Karankawas has the power to change the way we see where we’ve been and what we may have left behind. A stunning debut from a talented writer.”\n— Oscar Cásares\, author of Where We Come From \nWelcome to Galveston\, Texas\, a popular tourist destination and major shipping port with a population of 50\,241. While millions visit each year\, few venture beyond the boulevards to Fish Village\, home to generations of island residents. Carly Castillo has only known Fish Village\, her grandmother claiming their family descended from the Karankawas\, an indigenous Texas people. As she grows older\, she dreams of a life undefined by her family’s history. Her boyfriend\, Jess\, a former all-star shortstop turned seaman\, cherishes the salty\, familiar air of Galveston and has turned down opportunities to leave. When news of Hurricane Ike spreads\, residents face a tough choice: stay and protect their homes or flee inland. The Last Karankawas weaves together the lives of these characters\, creating a powerful portrait of survival\, familial ties\, and the histories we create\, reminding us that true bonds are forged\, not by blood\, but by fire. \n\nKimberly Garza (she/her) is a writer of fiction and nonfiction. Her work has appeared in Copper Nickel\, Puerto del Sol\, Creative Nonfiction\, TriQuarterly\, and elsewhere. She holds degrees in English\, Spanish\, and creative writing from the University of Texas at Austin and the University of North Texas\, where she earned a PhD in 2019. A native Texan—born in Galveston\, raised in Uvalde—she is the daughter of a Filipina immigrant mother and a Mexican-American father from the Rio Grande Valley. She lives in San Antonio\, where she is an associate professor of creative writing and literature at the University of Texas at San Antonio. The Last Karankawas is her first novel. \n\nElizabeth Gonzalez James is a screenwriter and bestselling author of the novels\, Mona at Sea and The Bullet Swallower\, as well as the chapbook\, Five Conversations About Peter Sellers. She has taught fiction writing at Grub Street\, Pioneer Valley Writers Workshop\, Story Studio\, and elsewhere. Originally from South Texas\, Elizabeth now lives with her family in Massachusetts.
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/tbtat-kimberly-garza/
LOCATION:Online
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/TBTAT-K-Garza.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250118T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250118T120000
DTSTAMP:20260403T150205
CREATED:20230628T205304Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250109T204917Z
UID:8851-1737194400-1737201600@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Poets & Coffee with Alexandra van de Kamp
DESCRIPTION:Join Gemini Ink’s Executive Artistic Director\, Alexandra van de Kamp\, for an informal craft conversation about what’s happening right now in the world of poetry. \nWe’ll make the coffee. You bring a friend and enjoy a seat in the company of your peers.  \nAlexandra will share some of the poems she’s been reading and discuss a selection of contemporary poets she believes are lighting up the page and stage. Then\, we’d love to hear from you about the poems you’ve been reading and why poetry matters. \nYou’ll benefit from a welcoming poetic community and leave with a bundle of new poems to explore and generative prompts to fuel future writing.  \n\n​​Alexandra van de Kamp is the Executive Director for Gemini Ink\, San Antonio’s Writing Arts Center. Her third book of poems\, Ricochet Script\, was published by Next Page Press in 2022. ​​Her previous full-length collections include: Kiss/Hierarchy (Rain Mountain Press 2016) and The Park of Upside-Down Chairs (CW Books 2010). She has also published several chapbooks\, including A Liquid Bird Inside the Night (Red Glass Books 2015) and Dear Jean Seberg (2011)\, which won the 2010 Burnside Review Chapbook Contest. Her poems have been published in journals nationwide\, such as The Cincinnati Review\, Connecticut Review\, The Texas Observer\, and Denver Quarterly.
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/poets-coffee-with-alexandra-van-de-kamp/
LOCATION:Gemini Ink
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Poets-and-coffee-1.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Alexandra van de Kamp":MAILTO:avandekamp@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250201T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250201T160000
DTSTAMP:20260403T150205
CREATED:20250122T191533Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250122T193535Z
UID:11698-1738418400-1738425600@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Live Storytelling: Voices of San Anto Showcase
DESCRIPTION:You’re invited to a live storytelling show featuring students from our Voices of San Anto Bilingual Storytelling workshop!\nStudents from our workshop\, led by local actor\, performer\, and artist Marisela Barrera\, will share deeply personal stories. Each participant will read a 5-7 minute piece about a significant moment in their life. \nCome experience the power of live storytelling and hear these moving narratives firsthand. \nWe hope you can join us!
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/voices-of-san-anto-reading/
LOCATION:San Antonio Public Library\, 600 Soledad\, San Antonio\, Texas\, 78205
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SP25-VOSA1.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Catherine Burianek":MAILTO:cburianek@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250219T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250219T203000
DTSTAMP:20260403T150205
CREATED:20191105T075945Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251006T163806Z
UID:11145-1739989800-1739997000@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Veterans Writing Collective with Sarah Colby
DESCRIPTION:The Veteran’s Writing Collective (VWC) encourages the art of writing in a workshop environment where participants are offered honest\, positive\, and constructive peer-to-peer and mentor feedback. The workshop is open to all active-duty military\, veterans\, retirees\, and their immediate family members. Writers of all levels working in all genres are welcome. \nThe VWC meets monthly online via Zoom.\nIf you would like an invitation to this class\, send an email to veteranscollective@geminiink.org\n\nSarah Colby was born in northern New Mexico and raised in the Rocky Mountains. She is married to a retired Army Chaplain and is mother to a son in the Navy. Sarah has an MFA in Creative Writing from Sierra Nevada College and an exuberant interest in making the ordinary luminous. Her war-time experiences have motivated her to be a voice for the mostly untold stories of families and loved ones during these years of protracted conflict. She is currently working on a manuscript of poems about her experiences as a military family member.\n \n 
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/veterans-writing-collective-2020-07-15-2021-11-17-2023-08-16-2023-12-20/2025-02-19/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Event,Online Workshop,Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/homepage-footer-1250-x-600-1.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Sarah Colby":MAILTO:veteranscollective@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250219T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250219T203000
DTSTAMP:20260403T150205
CREATED:20250128T222925Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250212T132452Z
UID:11759-1739991600-1739997000@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:The Big Texas Author Talk featuring Octavio Quintanilla
DESCRIPTION:Join us on Wednesday\, Feb 19th\, 2025 via Zoom for a conversation with Octavio Quintanilla\, to discuss his new book\, Las Horas Imposibles / The Impossible Hours (University of Arizona Press); moderated by Monique Quintana.\n\n\n\n\nBrought to you by WritingWorkshops.com and Gemini Ink.\n(Virtual Readings Monthly @ 7pm CST) \nRSVP \n“‘I want to think where I’m going will be free of borders\,’ Quintanilla writes. These poems—informed by an artist’s eye\, the art shifted by a poet’s vision—refuse to ignore thresholds\, strange angles\, and blockades. We lodge in tight corners and find prayers emerge from line and shadow.”\n—Lauren Camp\, New Mexico Poet Laureate and author of In Old Sky: Poems Inspired by the Grand Canyon \n“Las Horas Imposibles / The Impossible Hours pushes against itself and ruptures the poetic grids inhabited by beasts\, storms\, scarecrows\, black cows\, neighbors digging graves at night\, and poems that dismantle the physical and psychological structure of our realities. It invites us to confront our own mortality\, and bears witness to the testimonies of rage and hope tattooed on our flesh/spirit.”\n—Elizabeth Torres\, winner of the 2022 Ambroggio Prize for Lotería: Nocturnal Sweepstakes \n“With alacrity and wit\, the poet pokes and jokes at life and the elements that make human existence a conundrum.”\n—Norma E. Cantú\, author of Chicana Portraits: Critical Biographies of Twelve Chicana Writers \nIn Las Horas Imposibles / The Impossible Hours\, Octavio Quintanilla takes us on a profound journey to witness what it means to erase those boundaries devised by genre and politics intent on stifling memory\, imagination\, and creativity. \nPresented in Spanish with English translations\, this poetry collection comprises lyric and concrete poems—or frontextos—that explore intimacy and different shades of violence as a means to reconcile the speaker’s sense of belonging in the world. From the opening poem to the last in the first section\, Quintanilla captures the perilous journeys that migrants undertake crossing borders as well as the paths that lovers forge to meet their endless longing. These themes are skillfully woven by Quintanilla\, guiding us back and forth across the Rio Grande to encounter the apparitions of the disappeared and to witness the willingness of many to risk life and limb for a better life. The second half of the collection is one long poem\, a letter addressed to a lost lover who will never get to read the speaker’s secret thoughts. Haunted by loss—of parents\, of children\, of the self—the speaker reaches an inevitable epiphany: “[A]nd sometimes it’s hard to know / on which side of the river I stand.” Stylistically\, these poems destabilize our notions and expectations of genre and lyricism. \nLas Horas Imposibles / The Impossible Hours is more than just an exercise in poetic virtuosity; it is an excavation into the complexities of what it means to be a human being in our contemporary world. \n\nOctavio Quintanilla is the author of the poetry collections If I Go Missing and The Book of Wounded Sparrows. He served as the 2018–2020 Poet Laureate of San Antonio\, Texas. His visual work has been exhibited in numerous spaces\, including the Mexican Cultural Institute in San Antonio\, the El Paso Museum of Art\, the Southwest School of Art\, Presa House Gallery\, the Brownsville Museum of Fine Art\, and the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center / Black Box Theater in Austin\, Texas. Octavio is the founder and director of the Literature and Arts Festival and VersoFrontera and the founder and publisher of Alabrava Press. Octavio holds a PhD from the University of North Texas and is the regional editor for Texas Books in Review. He is the recipient of the Nebrija Creadores Scholarship\, which allowed him a month-long residency at the Instituto Franklin at Alcalá University in Alcalá de Henares\, Spain. He teaches literature and creative writing in the MA/MFA program at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio\, Texas. \n\n \nModerator\nMonique Quintana is the author of Cenote City (Clash Books\, 2019). Her work  has been supported by Yaddo\, The Community of Writers\, Sundress Academy for the Arts\, the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center\, and Storyknife. You can find her at moniquequintana.com
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/the-big-texas-author-talk-featuring-octavio-quintanilla/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2025-TBTAT-Octavio-e1738180581452.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250220T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250220T203000
DTSTAMP:20260403T150205
CREATED:20250124T192253Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250207T183205Z
UID:11715-1740076200-1740083400@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Open House: New Year\, New Writing Adventures
DESCRIPTION:Please Join us on Thursday\, February 20th at 6:30pm CST for our open house to rev up your creative engines for the new year! We are excited to introduce our dynamic roster of teaching artists who can help take your writing to the next level.  \nCome connect with talented writers from San Antonio and beyond as they share new work and discuss the classes they’ll be teaching. \nIt all happens at Gemini Ink’s downtown writing arts center at 1111 Navarro Street. Don’t leave without our spring calendar of classes and events!
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/spring-open-house-2/
LOCATION:Gemini Ink\, 1111 Navarro St\, San Antonio\, TX\, 78205\, United States
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/24SP-Open-House.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250306T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250306T203000
DTSTAMP:20260403T150205
CREATED:20250220T181525Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250306T211633Z
UID:11906-1741285800-1741293000@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Floricantos y Tumbaos: A Panel on Latinx Music in Poetry
DESCRIPTION:Join us as we explore the fusion of Latinx music and poetry at this Library of America event. This panel will feature Latinx poets discussing how Latin American musical traditions have inspired\, shaped\, and informed their creative work. \nOur featured authors include flutist Excy Guardado (Ceiba ili)\, renowned poet Urayoán Noel\, and hip-hop artist Marco Cervantes (Mex Step) all of whom will engage in a rich discussion with moderator Amalia Ortiz. Experience the talents of these artists who will share intimate renditions of their work. \nLight refreshments will be served. \nParking\nParking is located directly south of Central Library in a multilevel parking garage. It’s free for the first 3 hours.  \n\nPanelists\nMarco Cervantes\, Mexstep\, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Race\, Ethnicity\, Gender\, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Texas at San Antonio where he researches Black and Brown solidarity and cultural overlap. He also performs as a solo hip-hop artist and is a member of the group Third Root. \nExcy Guardado is a cultural educator and Musician from Honduras\, dedicated to connecting migrant communities\, supporting Indigenous rights\, and advocating for environmental justice. On stage\, she is known as Ceiba ili\, after the statuesque tree\, la Ceiba\, the Mayan tree of life. She lives with her niece\, Excy Veronica. They share a love for music\, dancing\, and best of all\, reading.  \nUrayoán Noel is the author of eight books of poetry\, most recently Transversal (Arizona\, 2021)\, named a Book of the Year by the New York Public Library and longlisted for the PEN Open Book Award. Noel’s other publications include the critical study In Visible Movement: Nuyorican Poetry from the Sixties to Slam (Iowa\, 2014)\, winner of the LASA Latino Studies Book Award\, and\, as translator\, No Budu Please by Wingston González (Ugly Duckling\, 2018)\, adjacent islands by Nicole Cecilia Delgado (Ugly Duckling/DoubleCross/La Impresora\, 2022)\,  and Architecture of Dispersed Life: Selected Poetry by Pablo de Rokha (Shearsman\, 2018)\, a finalist for the National Translation Award. A Letras Boricuas fellow in poetry\, Noel has been a fellow and faculty at CantoMundo and the Macondo Writers Workshop and is an editorial advisor for Latino Poetry (Library of America) and a board member of the Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural Center. Originally from Río Piedras\, Puerto Rico\, Noel lives in the Bronx and serves as Director of Graduate Studies for NYU’s MFA in Creative Writing in Spanish and as editor-in-chief of Intervenxions (The Latinx Project). \nModerator\nAmalia Ortiz is a Tejana spoken word performer\, playwright\, and author of 2 award-winning books of poetry. She was awarded the 2020 American Book Award for Oral Literature\, and appeared on three seasons of Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry on HBO and the NAACP Image Awards on FOX. She was awarded a City of San Antonio Individual Artist Grant  and most recently\, her band\, Las Hijas de la Madre\, were awarded a Democratizing Racial Justice Artist Residency from the Mellon Foundation to complete their new project Diatribas Punk. Amalia received her MFA in Creative Writing from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. \n 
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/floricantos-y-tumbaos/
LOCATION:San Antonio Public Library\, 600 Soledad\, San Antonio\, Texas\, 78205
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Floricantos-y-Tumbaos-e1740663023952.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250312T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250312T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T150205
CREATED:20241125T200842Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250227T133637Z
UID:11191-1741804200-1741809600@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:LitMinds Book Club
DESCRIPTION:Join us for the LitMinds Book Club at Gemini Ink. We’re reading The Family Izquierdo\, by Rubén Degollado.\nRegister\nA Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction Book of 2022\nLonglisted for the PEN/Faulkner Award \nA masterful debut that weaves together the lives of three generations of a Mexican American family bound by love\, and a curse. \nThe tight-knit Izquierdo family is grappling with misfortunes none of them can explain. Their beloved patriarch has suffered from an emotional collapse and is dying; eldest son Gonzalo’s marriage is falling apart; daughter Dina\, beleaguered by the fear that her nightmares are real\, is a shut-in. When Gonzalo digs up a strange object in the backyard of the family home\, the Izquierdos take it as proof that a jealous neighbor has cursed them―could this be the reason for all their troubles? As the Izquierdos face a distressing present and an uncertain future\, they are sustained by the blood that binds them\, a divine presence\, and an abiding love for one another. Told in a series of soulful voices brimming with warmth and humor\, The Family Izquierdo is a tender narrative of a family at a turning point. \n\nRubén Degollado’s work has appeared in Beloit Fiction Journal\, Gulf Coast\, Hayden’s Ferry Review\, Image\, and the anthologies: Bearing the Mystery\, Nepantla Familias\, and Living Beyond Borders: Growing Up Mexican in America. His debut novel Throw won the Texas Institute of Letters Best YA Book for 2020 along with several accolades and his second book\, The Family Izquierdo\, a literary novel\, is a New York Times Editor’s Choice and a PEN/Faulkner Award longlisted book.
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/litminds-book-club/
LOCATION:Gemini Ink\, 1111 Navarro St\, San Antonio\, TX\, 78205\, United States
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Degollado-Izquierdo-e1736806523358.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250319T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250319T203000
DTSTAMP:20260403T150205
CREATED:20191105T075945Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251006T163806Z
UID:11146-1742409000-1742416200@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Veterans Writing Collective with Sarah Colby
DESCRIPTION:The Veteran’s Writing Collective (VWC) encourages the art of writing in a workshop environment where participants are offered honest\, positive\, and constructive peer-to-peer and mentor feedback. The workshop is open to all active-duty military\, veterans\, retirees\, and their immediate family members. Writers of all levels working in all genres are welcome. \nThe VWC meets monthly online via Zoom.\nIf you would like an invitation to this class\, send an email to veteranscollective@geminiink.org\n\nSarah Colby was born in northern New Mexico and raised in the Rocky Mountains. She is married to a retired Army Chaplain and is mother to a son in the Navy. Sarah has an MFA in Creative Writing from Sierra Nevada College and an exuberant interest in making the ordinary luminous. Her war-time experiences have motivated her to be a voice for the mostly untold stories of families and loved ones during these years of protracted conflict. She is currently working on a manuscript of poems about her experiences as a military family member.\n \n 
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/veterans-writing-collective-2020-07-15-2021-11-17-2023-08-16-2023-12-20/2025-03-19/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Event,Online Workshop,Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/homepage-footer-1250-x-600-1.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Sarah Colby":MAILTO:veteranscollective@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250319T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250319T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T150205
CREATED:20250227T220317Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250312T150149Z
UID:11957-1742410800-1742414400@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:The Big Texas Author Talk featuring Melissa Studdard
DESCRIPTION:Join us on Wednesday\, March 19th\, 2025 via Zoom for a conversation with Melissa Studdard\, to discuss her new book\, Dear Selection Committee (Jackleg Press). Moderated by Elena Karina Byrne.\n\n\n\n\n(Virtual Readings Monthly @ 7pm CST) \n\n\nRSVP\nSign up for Melissa Studdard’s class\, The Poetics of You: An Intro to Poetry Workshop on Monday\, April 7th! \n“I buried // everything they told me to bury. Then\, I dug it up again\,” Melissa Studdard writes in Dear Selection Committee\, an apt description of the work these poems do to unearth the incorrigible self and bury conventionality and its offspring\, shame. The speaker revels in her largesse\, claiming\, in one poem’s title\, she’s “Huge Like King Kong\, Like Godzilla\, Like Gulliver\,” and that the “world is my diorama of a world\,” and in another\, that her honeymoon pictures are “the cover / of the 1855 edition of Leaves of Grass.” All of this immensity\, this grand unburying\, is squeezed into the prosaic corseting structure of a job application\, intensifying the split between tame and wild. Even her own birth is enacted with kinetic magnificence: “I broke the kingdom inside her\, broke the gala / of horses straining to get out. I broke the dancehall // mirrors and even the gilded faucet handles. / I was a river that strong. Made for flooding.” Indeed\, these poems are so desirous and animated that they spilled over the edges of the page and into my thirsty soul. “-Diane Seuss \n“The poems in Dear Selection Committee say what I’ve always wanted to say in a job application (and what I’m thinking as I perform the role of Normal Job Person) but never had the guts. Melissa Studdard’s burn-it-down-radical honesty is elating af—exactly what I needed to read—but the poetic attentiveness\, from the first page to the last\, was the real thrill. At the heart of the cyclone\, a dependable\, deepening pulse of self preservation.” -Jennifer L. Knox \n“In the universe of Melissa Studdard’s poems\, both the speaker and the audience will always have their cake and eat it too. After all\, “Life’s never dull when your name’s Melissa\,” and oh my goddess\, does Dear Selection Committee serve hard as a brilliant 21st-century take and critique of the epistolary\, filled with infinite heart and infinite humor and infinite neon signs that point towards the larger-than-life nature of poetry. This is excess. This is extravagance. This is the definition of sensuality. Studdard has the tremendous gift of finding the center of every poem\, giving us the whole damn thing.” -Dorothy Chan \nFramed as a job application and bounding with associative leaps and surrealist underpinnings\, Dear Selection Committee is a subversive\, sexy love song to an endlessly messy self and the burning world it inhabits. Full of apostrophic power\, these poems shift among registers of loss\, desire\, and joy as they wrestle with issues such as climate change\, addiction\, modern distractions\, gender presentation\, religious questioning\, and the nature of pain. Dear Selection Committee attests that although life can feel like a bumpy cab ride to an interview for a job you feel uniquely unqualified for\, if you lay aside the anxieties of self just long enough to peer out the window\, you’ll see great beauty amidst the chaos. \n\nMelissa Studdard is the author of five books\, including the poetry collection I ATE THE COSMOS FOR BREAKFAST. Her work has been published or featured by places such as NPR\, PBS\, The New York Times\, The Guardian\, POETRY\, Kenyon Review\, Psychology Today\, and New England Review. Her awards include The Poetry Society of America’s Lucille Medwick Memorial Award\, The Penn Review Poetry Prize\, the REEL Poetry Festival Audience Choice Award\, the Tom Howard Prize\, and more. \n\nModerator\nA Pushcart Prize and Best American Poetry recipient\, Elena Karina Byrne served as a final judge for PEN’s “Best of the West” award\, for the 2016-2018 Kate and Kingsley Tufts Poetry Awards\, and for the international Laurel Prize in environmental poetry. Her five poetry collections include If This Makes You Nervous (Omnidawn\, 2021). Poems\, reviews\, essays\, and interviews can be found in POETRY\, The Kenyon Review\, The Paris Review\, APR\, Academy of American Poets Poem-A-Day\, Poetry Daily\, Verse Daily\, LA Review of Books\, Plume anthologies\, Reel Verse: Poems About the Movies\, BOMB\, and elsewhere. Former 12-year Regional Director of the Poetry Society of America\, Elena now works as a freelance editor\, lecturer\, reviewer\, and Programming Consultant & Poetry Stage Manager for The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books.
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/the-big-texas-author-talk-featuring-melissa-studdard/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/2025-TBTAT-2-e1740781793601.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250412T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250412T170000
DTSTAMP:20260403T150205
CREATED:20250402T192506Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250402T193149Z
UID:12091-1744448400-1744477200@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:San Antonio Book Festival 2025
DESCRIPTION:Join us at the San Antonio Book Festival on Saturday\, April 12\, 2025\, from 9 AM to 5 PM. Find us on Exhibitor’s Row (Augusta St)\, alongside other community organizations focused on literature\, education\, and culture.. \nThe festival includes author presentations\, panel discussions\, book signings\, activities for children and teens\, and food trucks. It will showcase award-winning and bestselling authors such as Naomi Shihab Nye\, Laila Lalami\, Martín Espada\, Tim Z\, Hernandez\, Diana López\, Stephen Graham Jones\, Nita Prose\, Cristina Rivera Garza\, and more. You can find a more complete list of authors on the festival’s website: San Antonio Book Festival. \nDate: Saturday\, April 12\, 2025.\nTime: 9 AM to 5 PM\nLocation: Central Library and UTSA Southwest Campus in downtown San Antonio.\nAuthors: The 2025 festival will feature over 100 local\, regional\, and national authors.\nCost: Free
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/san-antonio-book-festival-2025/
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/2025-STD.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250416T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250416T203000
DTSTAMP:20260403T150205
CREATED:20191105T075945Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251006T163807Z
UID:11147-1744828200-1744835400@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Veterans Writing Collective with Sarah Colby
DESCRIPTION:The Veteran’s Writing Collective (VWC) encourages the art of writing in a workshop environment where participants are offered honest\, positive\, and constructive peer-to-peer and mentor feedback. The workshop is open to all active-duty military\, veterans\, retirees\, and their immediate family members. Writers of all levels working in all genres are welcome. \nThe VWC meets monthly online via Zoom.\nIf you would like an invitation to this class\, send an email to veteranscollective@geminiink.org\n\nSarah Colby was born in northern New Mexico and raised in the Rocky Mountains. She is married to a retired Army Chaplain and is mother to a son in the Navy. Sarah has an MFA in Creative Writing from Sierra Nevada College and an exuberant interest in making the ordinary luminous. Her war-time experiences have motivated her to be a voice for the mostly untold stories of families and loved ones during these years of protracted conflict. She is currently working on a manuscript of poems about her experiences as a military family member.\n \n 
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/veterans-writing-collective-2020-07-15-2021-11-17-2023-08-16-2023-12-20/2025-04-16/
LOCATION:Online via Zoom
CATEGORIES:Event,Online Workshop,Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/homepage-footer-1250-x-600-1.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Sarah Colby":MAILTO:veteranscollective@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250424T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250424T220000
DTSTAMP:20260403T150205
CREATED:20250214T201952Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250514T025633Z
UID:11877-1745521200-1745532000@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:Three Poets Laureate Speak: An Evening Celebrating the Power of Poetry
DESCRIPTION:The Little Carver Civic Center \n226 N Hackberry St\, San Antonio\, TX 78202 \nPlease see parking information (link to map) \n“This production is not a presentation of the Carver Community Cultural Center or the Carver Development Board.” \nRSVP\nAttendees who RSVP’d by April 15th will be guaranteed entry until 6:45 PM on April 24th. After that\, entry will be available on a first-come\, first-served basis until capacity is reached. \nDon’t miss an unforgettable night showcasing three powerful women poets! \nCelebrate National Poetry Month with a reading\, discussion\, and book signing with 2020-23 San Antonio Poet Laureate Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson\, 2024 Texas Poet Laureate Amanda Johnston\, and 2012-2014 U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey. \n  \n\nThese three distinguished Black women poets will discuss the contributions of African-American writers today and their roles as advocates who use poetry to uplift their communities.  Each of these literary leaders will discuss their own poetic journeys and represent their respective roles as the 2020-2023 San Antonio Poet Laureate\, the 2024 Texas Poet Laureate\, and\, in the case of Ms. Trethewey\, the 2012-2014 U.S. Poet Laureate and the 2007 Pulitzer Prize winner in Poetry. Slam champion and current Houston Poet Laureate\, Aris Kian Brown\, will bring her own magic to the night as our featured moderator. This event will highlight the unique role poetry can play in helping us ignite our creative voice. \nEach of these poets breaks new ground and asks difficult questions through their work; questions that encourage empathy and resilience\, while not shying away from the realities of being Black women writers in contemporary America. Join us for this intellectually engaging evening celebrating poetry and the transformative and joyful ways poetry impacts our communities. \nLight refreshments will be served. \n\n\nPanelists\nAndrea “Vocab” Sanderson is a dynamic poet\, singer\, and spoken word artist from San Antonio\, Texas. Known for her powerful performances and lyrical prowess\, Sanderson has been a driving force in the local arts community\, advocating for the power of words to inspire and heal. She served as the Poet Laureate of San Antonio (2020-2023)\, using her platform to uplift marginalized voices and foster creativity across the city. In 2021\, she received an Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowship for her legacy project\, The Echo Project\, which was featured on KLRN. Vocab’s debut book\, She Lives In Music\, was published by Flower Song Press (2020)\, and her albums are available for streaming on all music platforms. Her second collection of poems\, The Seasoned Woman\, is forthcoming from Gnashing Teeth Press. Her work\, which blends poetry with music and activism\, resonates deeply with audiences\, addressing themes of social justice\, love\, and resilience. \nAmanda Johnston\, 2024 Texas Poet Laureate\, is an acclaimed poet\, educator\, and advocate for social justice. She is the author of Another Way to Say Enter (Argus House Press 2017)\, and her poetry has been widely recognized for its emotional depth and unflinching exploration of identity\, race\, and gender. Johnston is the founder of Torch Literary Arts\, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting the work of Black women and girls in literature. Named one of Blavity’s “13 Black Poets You Should Know\,” Amanda’s work has been featured on Bill Moyers\, the Poetry Society of America’s series “In Their Own Words\,” The Moth Radio Hour\, and the Academy of American Poets Poem-a-Day series. Her work has also appeared in numerous online and print publications\, among them Callaloo\, Poetry Magazine\, Puerto del Sol\, Muzzle\, and the anthologies Furious Flower: Seeding the Future of African American Poetry and Women of Resistance: Poems for a New Feminism. With a passion for empowering others\, she has taught creative writing in various settings and is a Cave Canem fellow. Johnston’s work continues to influence and inspire new and established voices in the literary world. \nNatasha Trethewey is a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and former U.S. Poet Laureate (2012-14)\, who is celebrated for her profound exploration of history\, memory\, and identity. Born in Gulfport\, Mississippi\, Trethewey’s work often delves into the complexities of the American South\, weaving together personal and collective histories. She is the author of several acclaimed collections\, including Native Guard\, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 2007. Having also served as the Poet Laureate of the State of Mississippi (2012-2016)\, she is the author of the New York Times bestseller Memorial Drive: A Daughter’s Memoir (2020); and a book of nonfiction\, Beyond Katrina: A Meditation on the Mississippi Gulf Coast (2010). Trethewey’s lyrical and evocative poetry has earned her numerous accolades and a reputation as one of the most important voices in contemporary American literature. Her writing offers a powerful meditation on the intersection of race\, trauma\, and resilience. \nModerator\nAris Kian Brown is a Houston enthusiast and student of abolition. She ranked #2 in the 2023 Womxn of the World Poetry Slam and #1 at the 2024 Southern Fried Poetry Slam with her team Smoke Slam. Her poems are published with Button Poetry\, West Branch\, Obsidian Lit and elsewhere. She received her MFA from the University of Houston and currently serves as the 2023-2025 Houston Poet Laureate.
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/three-poets-laureate-speak/
LOCATION:The Little Carver Theater\, 226 N Hackberry St\, San Antonio\, Texas\, 78202
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Three-Poets-header-1-1.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Alexandra van de Kamp":MAILTO:avandekamp@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250514T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Mexico_City:20250514T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T150205
CREATED:20241125T202457Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250116T194337Z
UID:11205-1747247400-1747252800@geminiink.org
SUMMARY:LitMinds Book Club
DESCRIPTION:Join us for the LitMinds Book Club at Gemini Ink. We’re reading  Ocean Vuong’s On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous.\nRegister\nAn instant New York Times Bestseller! \nLonglisted for the 2019 National Book Award for Fiction\, the Carnegie Medal in Fiction\, the 2019 Aspen Words Literacy Prize\, and the PEN/Hemingway Debut Novel Award \nShortlisted for the 2019 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize \n“A lyrical work of self-discovery that’s shockingly intimate and insistently universal…Not so much briefly gorgeous as permanently stunning.” —Ron Charles\, The Washington Post \nPoet Ocean Vuong’s debut novel is a shattering portrait of a family\, a first love\, and the redemptive power of storytelling \nOn Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. Written when the speaker\, Little Dog\, is in his late twenties\, the letter unearths a family’s history that began before he was born — a history whose epicenter is rooted in Vietnam — and serves as a doorway into parts of his life his mother has never known\, all of it leading to an unforgettable revelation. At once a witness to the fraught yet undeniable love between a single mother and her son\, it is also a brutally honest exploration of race\, class\, and masculinity. Asking questions central to our American moment\, immersed as we are in addiction\, violence\, and trauma\, but undergirded by compassion and tenderness\, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is as much about the power of telling one’s own story as it is about the obliterating silence of not being heard. \nWith stunning urgency and grace\, Ocean Vuong writes of people caught between disparate worlds\, and asks how we heal and rescue one another without forsaking who we are. The question of how to survive\, and how to make of it a kind of joy\, powers the most important debut novel of many years. \n\nOcean Vuong is the author of the debut novel\, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous\, out from Penguin Press (2019) and forthcoming in 12 other languages worldwide. He is also the author of the critically acclaimed poetry collection\, Night Sky with Exit Wounds\, a New York Times Top 10 Book of 2016\, winner of the T.S. Eliot Prize\, the Whiting Award\, the Thom Gunn Award\, and the Forward Prize for Best First Collection. A Ruth Lilly fellow from the Poetry Foundation\, his honors include fellowships from the Lannan Foundation\, the Civitella Ranieri Foundation\, The Elizabeth George Foundation\, The Academy of American Poets\, and the Pushcart Prize.
URL:https://geminiink.org/events/lit-minds-book-club/
LOCATION:Gemini Ink\, 1111 Navarro St\, San Antonio\, TX\, 78205\, United States
CATEGORIES:Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://geminiink.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/91cYzQxaDL._UF10001000_QL80_-e1732566475518.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="Mandy Lynn Lara":MAILTO:mllara@geminiink.org
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR