EncantaPalabras: Juana Echeverri y Rodrigo Rojas. Poesía para paz desde Manizales, Colombia.

 https://writing.wisc.edu/nationalpoetrymonth/

 National Poetry Month 

I think the mission of poetry is to create among people the possibility of wonder, admiration, enthusiasm, mystery — the sense that life is marvelous. When you say life is marvelous you are saying a banality. But to make life a marvel — that is the role of poetry. – Octavio Paz

Welcome to the Writing Center’s celebration of National Poetry Month! Poetry is one way that writers make the individual more universal, and that’s something worth celebrating. This site contains many ways to celebrate, such as poems and reading guides, 30 prompts for the 30 days of April, ways to share your poetry, and more. Each week, we will feature a particular poetic form, poet, and a writing prompt for each week. We hope that all writers and readers will find something that piques their poetic interests!

 

Desde Manizales, Colombia: EncantaPalabras

 Juana Echeverri Rodrigo Rojas

Today for National Poetry Month, we have a special treat: 

Meet EncantaPalabras,a collective that is using poetry to build peace 

in Colombia! Juana and Rodrigo,the poet-teacher-activists who 

make up EncantaPalabras, have also worked closely with 

UW-Madison Professor Kate Vieira and the 

Greater Madison Writing Project 

to share the connections between poetry and 

peacebuilding with Madison-area teachers and writers. 

Swipe right to enjoy the Writing Center’s first bilingual writer 

profile and learn more about EncantaPalabras’ perspective 

on the power of poetry.

- What role does poetry play in your life?/ Que papel tiene la poesía 

en sus vidas?
Poetry has a vital role in our lives. Vital like the air, like water, like food: 

the words,  the lines, the syllables stoke our path and fill our senses. 

We believe in poetry as language, emotion and action: poetry as a 

human right that transforms lives, poetry as a path to self-knowledge. 

Poetry is a powerful symbol of healing and forgiveness in territories 

of armed conflict and is a tool of empowerment--not only expressive, 

communicative, but also cultural and social affirmation,

 for educational, ethnic,

 woman, immigrant, and LGBTQ communities. 

La POESÍA tiene un papel vital en nuestras vidas. Vital como el aire, 

como el agua, como el alimento: las palabras, los versos, las sílabas, 

avivan nuestro camino y lo llenan de nuevos sentidos. Creemos en 

la poesía como lenguaje, emoción y acción: poesía como derecho 

humano transformador de vidas, poesía como camino de 

autoconocimiento. 

Poesía como símbolo potente de sanación y perdón en territorios 

de conflicto armado y como herramienta de empoderamiento 

no solamente expresiva, comunicativa, también como afirmación

 cultural, social, para las comunidades educativas, étnicas, 

de mujeres, inmigrantes, lgtbi.