Activism through Poetry: Critical Spanish Poems [F-21-3]

Spanish Literature has played in recent years an active role in the debates surrounding topics such as recovering historical memory of the Spanish Civil War and subsequent dictatorship. In this session we will explore the active role that poetry plays in these debates. We will focus on poets who are activists. Their poetry, known as Social Poetry (poesía social), Critical Poetry (poesía crítica), Poetry of Commitment (poesía comprometida), or Poetry of Conscience (poesía de la consciencia), not only comments on society but, more importantly, wants to have an impact on it. The poems explore cultural, political, social, and ecological issues in the context of contemporary Spain.

Dr. Llorente is originally from Madrid, Spain, but earned her PhD in the US. She has been teaching at SLU for 24 years and her current position is Professor of Hispanic Studies at the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures and Associate Dean for International and Intercultural Studies. Her area of expertise is contemporary Spanish poetry. She has published five books and articles on the intersections between Hispanic literatures, gender and social justice with a focus on contemporary Hispanic poetry analyzed under the theoretical framework of cultural studies. Her current research project explores traces of the Francoism-time in contemporary Spanish poetry focusing on the analysis of poems dealing with violence against women. In her publications she addresses also ethics and the politics of memory in contemporary literature in Spain and Latin America . She teaches elementary, intermediate, advanced Spanish language courses and upper level literature, film, and culture courses as well as student research projects. Dr. Llorente has directed the SLU Program Abroad in Spain four times, founded the Poetry for Peace reading series at SLU and delivered the Piskor Lecture in 2013 on contemporary Spanish poetry and politics.

Dr. Marcella Salvi is Professor of Spanish and Italian Studies and co-chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at SLU. Her research focuses on sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Spanish and Italian drama, as well as on the politics of memory in contemporary literature in Spain and Italy.

Special Instructions: You will be emailed a Zoom invite two days before the class starts. Click on the link in the invite to open your Zoom app.

Cap: 100