The passionate rhymes of slam poetry will fill Café La Verna tonight at 7:30. Poet Willie Perdomo will read from his work, so grab a latte, a comfy seat and some good company and get lost in the world of poetry.
“The Essential Hits of Shorty Bon Bon,” Perdomo’s latest work, landed him as a finalist in the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award in poetry. His other works include “Smoking Lovely” and “Where a Nickel Costs a Dime.” He has also written children’s books about Roberto Clemente and Langston Hughes, a baseball player and a poet.
Perdomo is a Nuyorican, a Puerto Rican writer from New York City, according to Richard Simpson, a professor of English. Simpson’s son and Perdomo both teach at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire.
About two years ago, Simpson said he received an email from his son telling him that a poet had just joined the faculty and had written a book about Clemente. This sparked Simpson’s interest, as he is a huge baseball fan. That spring, Simpson met Perdomo, and they began sharing stories about Clemente. Simpson said he started talking to Perdomo last fall about the possibility of him coming to read at Bonaventure.
“One of the things that universities do well is giving students an opportunity to be in a small room with world-class people,” Simpson said. “That’s a great reason to go, whether you know anything about poetry or not.”
Simpson said the event tonight will give students a culturally diverse insight.
“For students who don’t speak Spanish, it’s a kind of revelation of what it’s like to grow up in this country in a non-English speaking culture,” Simpson said. “In his work, he moves comfortably back and forth between Spanish and English in a really exciting way.”
Simpson said the poetry reading is an opportunity for students who might not enjoy poetry to give it a chance.
“You put students in the presence of poems, and pretty soon there will be a connection,” Simpson said.
Chattertons: St. Bonaventure’s Slam Poetry Society will also be slamming tonight. According to Simpson, a few members of the club will begin the reading, with Perdomo following.
The event is free and open to the public.
kolbee14@bonaventure.edu
