Randall A. Gornowich will be sharing photographs and anecdotes from his 6 month journey stumbling alone through the Americas. His positive attitude and openness to new experiences were some of the tools that would carry him into many an adventure. The small handicap of not being able to speak Spanish would only add to his rich understanding of how kind our neighbors to the South can be. Randall's life changing decision to purchase a one way ticket landed him in Mexico City on the 7th of November 2006. It would take him till April of 2007 to make it to the bottom of Chile. His photographs include a first hand document of the student protests in Oaxaca, Mexico, the virgin of Guadalupe parade in Honduras, images from the unique Blanco y Negro Festival in Colombia and many other places. Don't miss this opportunity to see a large part of the Americas from outside the bubble of a traditional tourist. Come and witness the photos of Randall A. Gornowich. In his words..."Sometimes it's good to be vulnerable, that's where you learn the most about yourself."
Three artists, three different perspectives and one topic: Cuba. The presentation "El Arte en Cuba" features two artists that were born and raised in Cuba and an American artist who has traveled more than 50 times to the island. The Artists will take the viewers on a journey to many corners of the island and will discover the true traditions of Cuba, its people, its culture and its art.
An evening of words from the heart, a recital of Latin American poets, residents of western Michigan. Poets include:
Aurora Arias
Poet and storyteller, Aurora was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. She has published several books, which include: "Viviendo de Pajaro" (poetry, 1987); "Piano lila" (poetry, 994); "Invi's Paradise" (short stories, 1998); "Fin de mundo y Otros Relatos" (stories, 2000); and "Emoticons" (stories, 2007). Her short stories and poems have appeared in various anthologies and have been translated into Italian, German, Icelandic, and Bengali. Aurora currently lives in the United States.
Rebeca Castellanos
Maria Rebeca Castellanos was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Rebeca has had two poems books published: "Eva 2000" (Miami: Torre Paper, 2000) and "Suenos de Nebuhla" (Cordoba: Zone of Tolerance, 2005). She holds a PhD in Spanish medieval literature from the University of Texas (Austin) and is currently teaching at Grand Valley State University (Grand Rapids, Michigan) as a visiting professor.
Medar Serrata
Medar is a Dominican professor of poetry and has lived in the United States since 1989. He did his undergraduate studies in Hispanic Literature at Florida International University, and later received his masters and PhD in Latin American Literature at the University of Texas (Austin). Medar currently teaches Latin American Literature at Grand Valley State University. He has published two books, "Las Piedras del Abaco" and "Rapsodia Para Tontos." Also, his poems have appeared in several anthologies, including "Los Nuevos Canibales, Vol. 2" and "Antologia de la Mas Reciente Poesia del Caribe Hispano."
Hugo Riquelme
Hugo Riquelme Recabarren was born in Chile and has now lived in Holland, Michigan for several years. Before coming to Holland, Hugo has traveled throughout Latin America and has lived in Argentina, Bolivia, Puerto Rico, and for a short period in Israel. He has also resided in Miami, New York City and Chicago. Hugo has had his work exhibited in his country of origin, and most recently, in Holland and Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Hugo was able to attend La Escuela Superior de Educacion Artistica in Santiago, Chile and study under the guidance of other great Chilean artists with a scholarship granted to him by the Chile Ministry of Education. In addition, Hugo has studied both print making and photography at Hope College in Holland, Michigan.
