<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class="">You are cordially invited to join us for a virtual poetry reading featuring Rafael Jesús González<div class="">Saturday, November 11 from 10:00 to 10:30 AM PDT.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">There is no need to pre-register; just click the link:<br class=""><div class=""><a href="https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81910289807?pwd=dXI5V2ZHbzVKbTVZaEMrOUtvQUNwQT09" class="">https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81910289807?pwd=dXI5V2ZHbzVKbTVZaEMrOUtvQUNwQT09</a></div></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in;" class=""><strong class=""><span style="color: rgb(88, 88, 88);" class="">Rafael Jesús González, </span></strong><strong class=""><span style="color: rgb(88, 88, 88); font-weight: normal;" class="">born</span></strong><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: rgb(88, 88, 88); background-color: white;" class=""> and raised on the El Paso, Texas-Cd. Juárez, Chihuahua border, </span></span><span style="color: rgb(88, 88, 88); background-color: white;" class="">Professor of Creative Writing & Literature, Laney College, Oakland, California where he founded the Mexican & Latin American Studies Dept., was Poet in residence at Oakland Museum of California and Oakland Public Library 1996. Four times nominated for a Pushcart Prize, he was honored by the National Council of Teachers of English for his writing in 2003; in 2013 received a César E. Chávez Lifetime Award and one by the city of Berkeley 2015; in 2017 was named Berkeley’s first Poet Laureate. </span><a href="http://rjgonzalez.blogspot.com/" class="moz-txt-link-freetext" style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114);">http://rjgonzalez.blogspot.com/</a></div></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">La Distancia</span><br class=""><br class=""><br class=""><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">La distancia entre nosotros</span><br class=""><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">es suelo sagrado</span><br class=""><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">para atravesarse</span><br class=""><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">con los pies desnudos</span><br class=""><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">alzadas las manos</span><br class=""><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;" class=""> </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">en danza jubilosa</span><br class=""><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">para que una vez</span><br class=""><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;" class=""> </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">cruzado</span><br class=""><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">las huellas de nuestro peregrinaje </span><br class=""><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">brillen en la oscuridad </span><br class=""><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">y alumbren nuestro encuentro</span><br class=""><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">con luz brillante y fija.</span><br class=""><br class=""><br class=""><br class=""><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">The Distance</span><br class=""><br class=""><br class=""><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">The distance between us</span><br class=""><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">is holy ground</span><br class=""><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">to be traversed</span><br class=""><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">feet bare</span><br class=""><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">hands raised</span><br class=""><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;" class=""> </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">in joyous dance</span><br class=""><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">so that once it is</span><br class=""><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;" class=""> </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">crossed</span><br class=""><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">the tracks of our pilgrimage</span><br class=""><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">shine in the darkness</span><br class=""><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">& light our coming together</span><br class=""><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">in a bright & steady light.</span><br class=""><br class=""><br class=""><br class=""><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;" class=""> </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;" class=""> </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;" class="">~ Rafael Jesús González</span></div><div class=""><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div class=""><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div class=""><img apple-inline="yes" id="53051279-E6AF-4EBC-8D4B-D529992FFAD8" src="cid:D25D154D-A9EF-4543-BA66-BB143FAA974C" class=""></div></div></body></html>