516 WORDS: Poetry reading
with Sara Marie Ortiz, Mitch Rayes, Chris Boat and Allen C. Jones
Friday, March 23, 8pm
516 ARTS invited the public to a free poetry reading for 516 WORDS, an ongoing literary arts series presented in partnership with the UNM MFA in Creative Writing program. This event marked the closing of two exhibitions at 516 ARTS - Mapping Bodies: The Art & Artifice of Science and Eye to I: Self Portraits by Women Artists (both ended Saturday, March 24).
Sara Marie Ortiz is a young Acoma Pueblo writer, poet and scholar born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico and currently residing in Santa Fe. She is a recent graduate of the Institute of American Indian Arts with her BFA in Creative Writing and is working on her MFA in Creative Writing at the University of New Mexico. Ms. Ortiz is the recipient of several prestigious awards, among them, the Truman Capote Literary Award and a first place award in creative non-fiction, which she won at the age of 15, from the Southwest Writers Workshop. Her latest publications include Letters from Young Activists published by Nation Books, A New Vision of Native Literature published in THE Magazine, and Scrimshaw: Neo-Modern Literature from the Institute of American Indian Arts, of which she is also co-editor. Ms. Ortiz is awaiting the publication of her latest work of creative non-fiction called Creation Story, slated for publication in Sovereign Bones, published by Nation Books/Amerinda in the fall of 2007.
Mitch Rayes was born breech to a former Irish nun and a Lebanese chemist in Detroit. By the age of eight, his stated ambition was to become a bum. He spent many years in Mexico, working as a guide and outfitter specializing in remote areas of Chiapas. His mountain cabin near San Cristobal was seized by armed indigenous rebels in 1994. Mitch has distinguished himself in many fields, including as a poet, translator, musician, sound designer, arts organizer, outfitter, and construction tradesman. His new book, Soundings, will be published soon by someone. He married Dona Sinkevicius at the bottom of a sinkhole in the summer of 1982. They currently reside on Albuquerque’s west bank with their two kids, Nick and Sirena. Check out Mitch’s web site at www.mitchrayes.com.
Chris Boat is a graduate student at UNM. He is currently working on his MFA in creative writing (fiction). Chris was born in Salt Lake City, Utah but did most of his growing up in Albuquerque. He spends his summers in Japan, where he met his lovely wife, Junko. Chris is currently working on a novel, a book of short stories, and (when no one is looking) a bit of poetry.
Allen C. Jones just turned in his MFA dissertation, and those giant bags under his eyes are the marks to prove it. He is originally from Northern California, and much of his poetry is rooted in the Cotati Valley and the alternative community where he was raised. His poetry has been published in The Bitter Oleander, gsu review, Zillah, and Flaming Arrows in County Sligo, Ireland. In the coming year he will be pursuing a Ph.D. at whichever school gives him money to continue burning ye-olde-midnight oil in front of his computer.