Hershman John will read from his debut book of poems, I Swallow Turquoise for Courage, at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 7, at the Cortez Public Library, 202 N. Park. Then, at 10 a.m. Friday, April 8, he will teach a workshop entitled Ekphrasis, a poetic term defined as a reaction to an artistic impression like a photograph, painting or musical piece.
You will use your poetic voice to describe your impression. No rhyming and no wasted words allowed.
Both events are free and everyone is welcome.
Hershman John is a poet, teacher, and unique, creative individual who understands life on both sides of the canyon that divides the Dine people from the white people. Born in California, he spent his formative years on the Navajo reservation in Sand Springs, Ariz., and in boarding schools. He has an undergraduate degree and an MFA in creative writing from Arizona State University. He now teaches at Phoenix College in Phoenix, Ariz. He is definitely an original as he pursues his passions as a writer of poetry and fiction, a teacher and a comic book aficionado to boot. His poems have been published in journals and anthologies, including Puerto del Sol, Haydens Ferry Review and Taste and See: Food Poems.
I Swallow Turquoise for Courage reflects his Navajo heritage in Dine creation stories. Hershman can make you look at the whole world differently as, in one poem where he draws a connection between Van Goghs Irises and the Coyote, a key figure in Navajo mythology. His vivid and descriptive language sets him apart from his contemporaries in the poetry world. He absorbs every mode and style and reconfigures them through his distinct imagination and voice. He uses such stunning details that you, the reader, can let your imagination slip into a totally different perspective that has the ability to transform you.
Along with his dynamic poetry, Hershman will translate from the Navajo as he narrates a Dine animated short called Coyote and the Lizard. Its an old low-tech film that has been described by many as hilarious.
For more information, contact the library at 565-8117.
