Local poets Ire’ne Lara Silva, Saúl Hernández and Eddie Vega visited campus for a poetry reading and discussion hosted by SAC’s Mexican American Studies program in the Nursing & Allied Health Complex (NAHC) Tuesday.
The event was part of a nationwide initiative by the Library of America titled “Latino Poetry: Places We Call Home,” which celebrates the publication of Latino Poetry: The Library of America Anthology.
“In celebration of the new anthology released in the fall, the Library of America has this nationwide public humanities initiative, encompassing conversations and poetry readings that are centered on themes in the anthology,” said Valarie Peyer, an English instructor at SAC.
The event’s theme, “Creating in Resistance,” highlighted the role of art as a response to political and cultural challenges. The poets discussed recent budget cuts and staff reductions at the National Endowment for the Humanities and other federal organizations, underscoring what they described as increasing attacks on the arts.
“We’re in a presidency where these agencies, nonprofits and organizations are being cut and defunded,” Hernández, who was selected as a 2025 National Endowment for the Arts fellow, said. “Creating resistance means being available in whatever capacity I can for my community, city and state, but also creating resistance through my work and writing.”
In addition to the discussion, the poets read selections from their work, addressing themes such as abuse, assimilation, identity, language and health — issues prevalent in many Hispanic communities.
“One aspect that makes artists artists is the kind of art that comes along and either saves your life or gives your life meaning,” Silva, who was the 2023 Texas State Poet laureate, said. “I come from a background of violence and addiction that were meant to program my mind for self-destruction. Part of the reason it’s so important to make art is that we’re responding to the art that saved us. We want to offer something to somebody else that might take them out of a dark place and give them hope.”
Two copies of Latino Poetry: The Library of America Anthology are available at the SAC Library for students to check out.
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