Lourdes Figueroa gave a devastating performance at ATA this past Sunday, reading exclusively from this, her first chapbook, Yolotl, just out on Spooky Actions. When she started, I was afraid she'd be swallowed by the room (especially because ATA is so fucking loud...there's always someone upstairs watching Seinfeld or something), but it was just the opposite (like Stevens's jar in Tennessee...). She totally tuned the room, inviting attention by letting the poems be. It's really breathtaking to see her work, moving between Spanish and English, directing attention without the slightest sense of "command." She's really an incredible poet... If you missed it, Stephen Novotny has video footage on the way...
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