Now in its 42nd season, the Inprint Margarett Root Brown Reading Series is still going strong, bringing award-winning writers from around the world to Houston to read from their work and engage in a lively, onstage discussion with Texas-based authors, journalists, and poets.
On Monday, Nov. 14, at Rice University’s Brockman Hall for Opera, the series brings U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo to the stage for a reading and discussion with Texas Poet Laureate Lupe Mendez, who was born in Jalisco, Mexico, in 1976, grew up in Galveston, and is one of the Houston’s best known poets and activists. (Mendez is one of several poets featured in our 2017 article about Houston’s thriving poetry scene.) Harjo, who lives in Tulsa, is a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and is the first Native American to hold the position of U.S. Poet Laureate.
It’s a logical and inspired pairing, as Texas culture is so strongly rooted in that of indigenous tribes who have lived on the land going back thousands of years ago and on up to the present day. Harjo’s writing connects back to the legacies of her ancestors and displacement, drawing inspiration from Navajo horse songs and the rhythms of jazz, and is described by author Sandra Cisneros as “light and elixir, the very best prescription for us in wounded times.” She is the author of nine books of poetry, several plays and children’s books, and two memoirs. And if that weren’t enough, Harjo is also a talented performer, who also plays saxophone and has released seven albums of original music. Her new book, titled Weaving Sundown in a Scarlet Light, is an annotated compilation of poems written over the past 50 years, addressing such profound life events everyone can identify with, such as losing a parent, becoming a mother, and falling in love.
From Your Site Articles
- This Pulitzer-Winning Writer Created a New Poetic Form — Inspired by Houston ›
- From Convent to Couture: Coco Chanel’s Life Retold by Houston Novelist ›
- Popular Children’s Author Will Meet, Greet and Sign Copies of Her New-Kid-in-Town Book ›
- At Inprint Event, UH Alum, Rising-Star Author Is an Open Book ›
Keep Reading
Show less
A TRIO OF top Latin American chefs whipped up a four-course dinner in celebration of Dia de los Muertos at the second annual Black Dinner. The menu was crafted by Houston chefs Arnaldo Richards of Picos and Omar Pereney who were joined by special guest Atzin Santos from Mexico City.
Under a large tent at City Place Plaza in Spring, 60 guests were greeted by a large traditional Dia de los Muertos alter and margaritas from Picos. And, for full Dia decadence, guests were given flower crowns and the opportunity to have their face painted before dinner.
Farmhouse-style tables were decorated by Picnics in the City with large colorful bouquets and black accents. The first three courses, each served with a thoughtfully paired glass of wine, all featured dramatic black foods: black agua chile, huitlacoche — a fungus that grows on corn that was first used in cooking by the Aztecs in the 14th century — and mole. The finale was goat-cheese cheesecake served with a decorative macaron painted to look like a skull.
After dinner, guests enjoyed sipping tequila while dancing to the music of the Latin jazz band Pachangara.
Julia Pardue and Clara Reily
Allison and Travis Reinke
Amanda and Mingo Marquez
Cristina Morales Varga
Cristina Morales Varga
Denise Zimmermann, Nicole Curry-Clark and Jason Clark
Gabi and Steve De La Rosa
Giselle Colón
Juraxi Pastrano, Cristina Morales Varga and Gabriella Sardinas
Pepe Celis and Martha Such
Keep Reading
Show less