WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:00.570 align:middle line:90% 00:00:00.570 --> 00:00:01.509 align:middle line:90% How is everybody? 00:00:01.509 --> 00:00:02.009 align:middle line:90% Good. 00:00:02.009 --> 00:00:02.550 align:middle line:90% Good? 00:00:02.550 --> 00:00:04.450 align:middle line:90% Can you hear me in the back OK? 00:00:04.450 --> 00:00:04.950 align:middle line:90% Yes. 00:00:04.950 --> 00:00:05.670 align:middle line:90% Good enough? 00:00:05.670 --> 00:00:09.307 align:middle line:84% If you can't, do a big wave and I'll be louder. 00:00:09.307 --> 00:00:11.640 align:middle line:84% Really happy to have this crowd here-- thank you so much 00:00:11.640 --> 00:00:14.070 align:middle line:84% everyone for choosing to do this on a Friday night. 00:00:14.070 --> 00:00:17.670 align:middle line:84% It's an awesome choice, and you will not be sorry, so grateful 00:00:17.670 --> 00:00:18.850 align:middle line:90% that all of you are here. 00:00:18.850 --> 00:00:19.870 align:middle line:90% My name is Tyler Meier. 00:00:19.870 --> 00:00:22.050 align:middle line:84% I work as the executive director at the University 00:00:22.050 --> 00:00:23.520 align:middle line:90% of Arizona Poetry Center. 00:00:23.520 --> 00:00:25.110 align:middle line:84% I just want to say some quick thank you's and tell you 00:00:25.110 --> 00:00:26.280 align:middle line:84% about some things that are coming up 00:00:26.280 --> 00:00:28.500 align:middle line:84% this spring here in the collaboration with the art 00:00:28.500 --> 00:00:29.273 align:middle line:90% museum. 00:00:29.273 --> 00:00:31.440 align:middle line:84% And first off, I just want to thank our lead sponsor 00:00:31.440 --> 00:00:32.880 align:middle line:84% for these series, these programs. 00:00:32.880 --> 00:00:36.150 align:middle line:84% The Virginia Piper Center at Arizona State University-- 00:00:36.150 --> 00:00:38.315 align:middle line:84% gratitude to you for your support and belief 00:00:38.315 --> 00:00:39.690 align:middle line:84% in these readings that we've been 00:00:39.690 --> 00:00:42.120 align:middle line:84% doing where we do for poetry readings a year in Phoenix. 00:00:42.120 --> 00:00:45.300 align:middle line:84% So thank you very much to the Piper Center for your support. 00:00:45.300 --> 00:00:46.580 align:middle line:90% [APPLAUSE] 00:00:46.580 --> 00:00:49.910 align:middle line:90% 00:00:49.910 --> 00:00:50.790 align:middle line:90% There are others. 00:00:50.790 --> 00:00:52.557 align:middle line:84% I also want to thank Superstition Review, 00:00:52.557 --> 00:00:54.890 align:middle line:84% Performance in the Borderlands, and the Creative Writing 00:00:54.890 --> 00:00:58.220 align:middle line:84% Program at ASU as well as the Literary and Prologue Society 00:00:58.220 --> 00:00:59.870 align:middle line:84% and, of course, the Phoenix Art Museum. 00:00:59.870 --> 00:01:02.277 align:middle line:84% We're grateful for your support to help make this happen. 00:01:02.277 --> 00:01:03.110 align:middle line:90% So thank you so much 00:01:03.110 --> 00:01:04.766 align:middle line:90% [APPLAUSE] 00:01:04.766 --> 00:01:08.000 align:middle line:90% 00:01:08.000 --> 00:01:10.430 align:middle line:84% There's a very special group of people here tonight, 00:01:10.430 --> 00:01:12.980 align:middle line:84% and I'm so excited to be sharing this space with them, to be 00:01:12.980 --> 00:01:15.290 align:middle line:90% sharing this state with them. 00:01:15.290 --> 00:01:17.120 align:middle line:84% And that's the Poetry Coalition, which 00:01:17.120 --> 00:01:20.150 align:middle line:84% is a national group of leadership 00:01:20.150 --> 00:01:23.480 align:middle line:84% from poetry organizations who have flown to Arizona. 00:01:23.480 --> 00:01:25.340 align:middle line:84% We've had some meetings today in Tucson. 00:01:25.340 --> 00:01:28.610 align:middle line:84% We drove up I-10 on a bus to do this. 00:01:28.610 --> 00:01:30.350 align:middle line:90% We're very happy to be here. 00:01:30.350 --> 00:01:31.652 align:middle line:90% We have some meetings tomorrow. 00:01:31.652 --> 00:01:33.110 align:middle line:84% So I just want to acknowledge there 00:01:33.110 --> 00:01:35.090 align:middle line:84% are many, many groups that are here 00:01:35.090 --> 00:01:38.540 align:middle line:84% that are doing work on behalf of poetry and the country, 00:01:38.540 --> 00:01:40.758 align:middle line:84% and they're all in Arizona this weekend 00:01:40.758 --> 00:01:42.800 align:middle line:84% to take part and be a part of this great reading. 00:01:42.800 --> 00:01:44.550 align:middle line:84% So if you're part of the Poetry Coalition, 00:01:44.550 --> 00:01:48.360 align:middle line:84% will you just raise your hands so people can see who you are. 00:01:48.360 --> 00:01:48.860 align:middle line:90% Thank you. 00:01:48.860 --> 00:01:50.788 align:middle line:90% [APPLAUSE] 00:01:50.788 --> 00:01:55.610 align:middle line:90% 00:01:55.610 --> 00:01:58.350 align:middle line:84% It's amazing, amazing, amazing to be working with them. 00:01:58.350 --> 00:02:01.253 align:middle line:84% We also have leadership tonight from the National Endowment 00:02:01.253 --> 00:02:03.170 align:middle line:84% for the Arts and from the Library of Congress. 00:02:03.170 --> 00:02:05.630 align:middle line:84% And we're just so excited to have all of these great people 00:02:05.630 --> 00:02:07.790 align:middle line:84% here with us tonight, so thank you. 00:02:07.790 --> 00:02:09.674 align:middle line:90% [APPLAUSE] 00:02:09.674 --> 00:02:12.980 align:middle line:90% 00:02:12.980 --> 00:02:15.692 align:middle line:84% Some last things-- so the spring events in this series 00:02:15.692 --> 00:02:17.150 align:middle line:84% are coming up, and there's an event 00:02:17.150 --> 00:02:19.220 align:middle line:90% in February, an event in April. 00:02:19.220 --> 00:02:21.050 align:middle line:84% In February, the poet Khaled Mattawa 00:02:21.050 --> 00:02:22.790 align:middle line:90% will be visiting and reading. 00:02:22.790 --> 00:02:26.150 align:middle line:84% And then in April, the poet Ada Limón will be here reading 00:02:26.150 --> 00:02:27.300 align:middle line:90% as well. 00:02:27.300 --> 00:02:28.970 align:middle line:84% And so this is a "hot off the press" 00:02:28.970 --> 00:02:30.740 align:middle line:90% postcard that has those details. 00:02:30.740 --> 00:02:32.480 align:middle line:90% We'll have these. 00:02:32.480 --> 00:02:34.520 align:middle line:84% You can pick up in the back at the book sale 00:02:34.520 --> 00:02:35.720 align:middle line:90% after the reading. 00:02:35.720 --> 00:02:37.595 align:middle line:84% They still smell fresh from the printer. 00:02:37.595 --> 00:02:39.140 align:middle line:90% [LAUGHING] 00:02:39.140 --> 00:02:40.013 align:middle line:90% They're delightful. 00:02:40.013 --> 00:02:41.555 align:middle line:84% It made the bus ride so much better-- 00:02:41.555 --> 00:02:43.500 align:middle line:90% [LAUGHING] 00:02:43.500 --> 00:02:47.250 align:middle line:84% --to have all of these there with me, so many of them. 00:02:47.250 --> 00:02:50.550 align:middle line:90% 00:02:50.550 --> 00:02:53.850 align:middle line:84% Jennifer mentioned Hannah, who's been a great collaborator 00:02:53.850 --> 00:02:56.820 align:middle line:84% for me for years at the Poetry Center, 00:02:56.820 --> 00:02:58.030 align:middle line:90% and I'm grateful for that. 00:02:58.030 --> 00:03:00.660 align:middle line:84% And if you've enjoyed any of these poetry events 00:03:00.660 --> 00:03:03.930 align:middle line:84% at the art museum, then you've seen Hannah's handiwork 00:03:03.930 --> 00:03:05.460 align:middle line:84% in putting a lot of this together. 00:03:05.460 --> 00:03:08.760 align:middle line:84% This is her last event at the Phoenix Art Museum 00:03:08.760 --> 00:03:09.990 align:middle line:90% and with the Poetry Center. 00:03:09.990 --> 00:03:13.890 align:middle line:84% We're losing her to Michigan, which is very sad but also 00:03:13.890 --> 00:03:15.150 align:middle line:90% very exciting for Hannah. 00:03:15.150 --> 00:03:17.360 align:middle line:84% And so I just want to acknowledge and ask 00:03:17.360 --> 00:03:18.360 align:middle line:90% for a round of applause. 00:03:18.360 --> 00:03:20.133 align:middle line:90% [APPLAUSE] 00:03:20.133 --> 00:03:26.740 align:middle line:90% 00:03:26.740 --> 00:03:28.830 align:middle line:90% She works really, really hard. 00:03:28.830 --> 00:03:31.120 align:middle line:84% And so there will be a Hannah-sized hole 00:03:31.120 --> 00:03:33.460 align:middle line:84% in my life for a little while, and we'll 00:03:33.460 --> 00:03:36.530 align:middle line:90% be looking to fill it. 00:03:36.530 --> 00:03:39.152 align:middle line:84% But most of all, I want to thank two creative forces that have 00:03:39.152 --> 00:03:40.360 align:middle line:90% helped make tonight possible. 00:03:40.360 --> 00:03:43.030 align:middle line:84% And the Poetry Center really has been a small part of this, 00:03:43.030 --> 00:03:44.890 align:middle line:84% just sort of minding some details. 00:03:44.890 --> 00:03:47.380 align:middle line:84% The vision for this has come from our friends 00:03:47.380 --> 00:03:49.780 align:middle line:90% Natalie Diaz and Eloisa Amezcua. 00:03:49.780 --> 00:03:51.850 align:middle line:84% And we're so grateful to have had a chance 00:03:51.850 --> 00:03:55.398 align:middle line:84% to work with you guys, your creativity, your vision, 00:03:55.398 --> 00:03:56.940 align:middle line:84% your interest in seeing this through. 00:03:56.940 --> 00:04:00.460 align:middle line:84% Eloisa has been an incredible person helping figure out 00:04:00.460 --> 00:04:02.695 align:middle line:84% who's where and when and, who's picking them up? 00:04:02.695 --> 00:04:04.570 align:middle line:84% And how would they get where they need to go? 00:04:04.570 --> 00:04:06.610 align:middle line:84% And I'm grateful for all of that. 00:04:06.610 --> 00:04:08.990 align:middle line:84% And Natalie, I'm grateful for so many things, 00:04:08.990 --> 00:04:12.400 align:middle line:84% but especially for writing an email that said, what if? 00:04:12.400 --> 00:04:14.080 align:middle line:90% What if we did this? 00:04:14.080 --> 00:04:15.810 align:middle line:90% Could we do this? 00:04:15.810 --> 00:04:18.310 align:middle line:84% And lo and behold, look what's happened and look who's here. 00:04:18.310 --> 00:04:21.310 align:middle line:84% We're just so, so grateful for that and for Natalie's vision. 00:04:21.310 --> 00:04:23.082 align:middle line:90% So before I welcome Natalie-- 00:04:23.082 --> 00:04:24.165 align:middle line:90% there's round of applause. 00:04:24.165 --> 00:04:25.915 align:middle line:90% [APPLAUSE] 00:04:25.915 --> 00:04:30.290 align:middle line:90% 00:04:30.290 --> 00:04:32.040 align:middle line:84% Arizona is very lucky to have her. 00:04:32.040 --> 00:04:35.060 align:middle line:84% So before I welcome Natalie up to help with what comes next, 00:04:35.060 --> 00:04:38.670 align:middle line:84% just one quick detail a piece of housekeeping. 00:04:38.670 --> 00:04:40.610 align:middle line:84% So after the reading, you'll be tempted 00:04:40.610 --> 00:04:42.590 align:middle line:84% to come up and visit with these poets. 00:04:42.590 --> 00:04:45.380 align:middle line:84% And you have to suppress that temptation 00:04:45.380 --> 00:04:48.380 align:middle line:84% because otherwise we'll have a total disaster of a book sale. 00:04:48.380 --> 00:04:50.600 align:middle line:84% So it's very important after the reading for you 00:04:50.600 --> 00:04:53.248 align:middle line:84% to stay seated and let the poet's exit first please, 00:04:53.248 --> 00:04:55.040 align:middle line:84% so they can go back to the book sale table. 00:04:55.040 --> 00:04:57.770 align:middle line:84% They're very happy to do book sales and to sign books 00:04:57.770 --> 00:04:59.000 align:middle line:90% and to meet with you. 00:04:59.000 --> 00:05:01.940 align:middle line:84% So you may be tempted, and they're delightful. 00:05:01.940 --> 00:05:05.207 align:middle line:84% And I understand, but please stay seated. 00:05:05.207 --> 00:05:07.040 align:middle line:84% And I will come up at the end of the reading 00:05:07.040 --> 00:05:09.170 align:middle line:84% to remind you of this promise you all just made 00:05:09.170 --> 00:05:12.420 align:middle line:90% with your eyes and me. 00:05:12.420 --> 00:05:14.390 align:middle line:84% So thank you for that, and thanks 00:05:14.390 --> 00:05:15.610 align:middle line:90% for letting us get out first. 00:05:15.610 --> 00:05:18.110 align:middle line:84% So without further ado, please help me welcome Natalie Diaz. 00:05:18.110 --> 00:05:20.260 align:middle line:90% [APPLAUSE]