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All month long, members of the Syracuse community can gather to listen to readings by poets from around the world through the Point of Contact Gallery’s Cruel April poetry series. After last week’s reading by former U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera, this week will be the first of the series to feature two artists.

“One is a Mexican poet and one is a Cuban poet, and they have two unique stories to share,” said Bryce Preston, office coordinator for the Office of Cultural Engagement for the Hispanic Community. “Presenting these poets together in the same poetry reading will allow their voices to be understood by the audience both individually and as part of a poetic dialogue.”

Cruel April is a poetry reading series put on annually by Point of Contact Gallery, a nonprofit cultural arts organization in residence at Syracuse University that brings contemporary visual and verbal arts to the city. The series, which is free to the public, will run from April 4 to 25 and commemorates National Poetry Month. Readings take place on Fayette Street, Ostico Street and virtually.

Hispanic poets Marcelo Hernandez Castillo and Dashel Hernandez Guirado will read their work in the Nancy Cantor Warehouse on April 11 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

“Corresponding Voices (Vol. 15),” Point of Contact’s annual poetry publication, features both of the poets. They will read new works from the composition, Preston said.

Originally from Cuba, Guirado came to America in 2016 and received his executive master’s degree in public administration at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs in 2018. He currently resides in Miami and defines himself as a “painter that also writes.”

“My profession is in visual art, I began painting as a kid and it became my main focus,” Guirado said. “By the time I was 19 or 20 years old, I realized that writing had become an essential part of my creativity.”

Similarly, Castillo, born in Mexico and raised in California, never considered himself “the best writer” but felt that language was the best medium to explore his love for metaphors.

Castillo travels around the country sharing work from his poetry books, “Children of the Land” “Dulce” and “Cenzontle,” and, more recently, from a manuscript he has been “experimenting with.” He said he enjoys the conversations inspired by his readings and looks forward to the upcoming discussion in Syracuse.

“I learn so much about my poems from other peoples’ reading of them,” Castillo said. “It reminds me that the poems aren’t finished. People give me interpretations on details that I would never think of, and it can be really profound. I am most excited to meet the SU students for this reason.”

As an SU alumnus, Guirado is excited to visit campus for the first time since he graduated. He said he looks forward to seeing old friends and professors and still holds “very fond memories” of his time at SU.

Like many Hispanic writers, Guirado writes in Spanish and refuses to write poetry in English. The works he reads publicly are translated from his three original poetry collections, titled “Meditaciones,” “Iluminaciones” and “El ancho río del silencio.”

“I love English, it is my second language and I can communicate with it fluently,” Guirado said. “But I didn’t come (to America) when I was a child. My mother language is Spanish, and I simply cannot write poetry in English.”

Preston said the night will include the readings, questions from the audience and a book signing opportunity. The event will be followed by a reception where guests can meet the poets, both of whom “offer a unique perspective” to the Syracuse community, Preston said.

Castillo hopes attendees will show up to the reading with an open mind, ready to welcome all perspectives and thoughts that will be present in the room.

“I often tell listeners, ‘You don’t have to understand a poem, you just have to experience it,’” Castillo said. “I don’t have expectations of any grand epiphany or understanding of my work. I hope the audience — especially the college students — can slow down for a little bit and just experience.”

Published on April 10, 2024 at 11:41 pm