U.S. Poets in Mexico !

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U.S. Poets in Mexico 4th Annual Poetry Conference January 5-12, 2013 Mérida, Yucatán Welcome to the U.S. Poets in Mexico 4th Annual Poetry Conference and 5th Anniversary celebration!  We invite you to join our renowned faculty in poetry for stimulating discussions, writing workshops and readings with other writing professionals in lovely Mérida. Peek season in Yucatán promises perfect weather: sunny with blue skies, 80-degree days and cool evenings.   Mérida will celebrate their 471st Anniversary during the month of January with continuous cultural events including music, dance, theater and literary readings. Enjoy the sights and sounds of local markets, explore Mayan temples and learn about the spiritual center of Mayan civilization.  Dig your toes into pristine sands and turquoise waters on the day we take a boat ride through Celestun Biosphere Reserve - home to over 10,000 pink flamingos! The inspirational setting of colonial buildings and the warm hospitality of the Mayan people combined with the 'college-town' feel of Mérida -- make one feel at home quickly. Where is Mérida? You can nearly draw a straight line from New Orleans across the Gulf of Mexico to the city of Mérida. Register     Kimiko Hahan will judge the 2013  USPiM Mérida Fellowship Award competition!  The award includes tuition and 7 nights lodging at Hotel Caribe in Mérida for the week (value approx. $1,100).  Please submit 4 poems, no more than 6 pages, 12pt Times New Roman type (do not put your name on pages, previously published poem accepted), along with the entry Application and the $25 entry fee by check payable to U.S. Poets in Mexico, P.O. Box 4150, Grand Central Station, NY, NY 10163.  Entries must be received by August 31st, 2012. Recipient will be announced September 30, 2012. The Fellowship recipient will give a featured half-hour reading. Also, registering for the conference automatically enters you in the competition. Award Faculty We are pleased to host talented authors Anselm Berrigan, Nicole Cooley, Lynn Emanuel and Tom Sleigh in Mérida for an exciting week of writing workshops. In addition, renowned Borges and  Latin American literature translator, Suzanne Jill Levine, will conduct a translation workshop. Special Guest, Ron Silliman, will conduct three afternoon discussions. All will join our roster of evening readings.  Faculty Bios   Featured Readings - Poetas Mexicanos We are pleased to present readings by Mexican poets, Mario Bojórquez (Los Mochis, Sinaloa, 1968 - currently living in Cholula, Puebla), Rubén Márquez (Puebla, 1981), Ámbar Past (Durham, NC - living in Chiapas for the last 30 years), Álvaro Solís (Villahermosa, Tabasco, 1974 - currently living in Puebla) and Yucatán poets. Bios .   Schedule Orientation take place Monday morning, but by this time you will have participated in a few events in the city, including a group get-together for dinner & Merida's opening anniversary celebration on the Main Plaza on Saturday night, and our Welcome Reception on Sunday night. Workshops are conducted in English (except for bilingual translation workshops) and are concurrent from 9am-12pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Create a schedule of your choice with our daily sign-up sheets for workshops which are limited to 10 persons.  Three Afternoon Discussions are 1-hour each. Readings take place nightly, followed by book signings.  Participant readings take place on Friday evening with additional open mics throughout the week.  Workshop descriptions and Schedule   Excursions   Join us for two exciting and informative all-day excursions and one afternoon visit to a museum.  On Sunday morning, we will embark upon a day-long trip along the legendary Ruta Puuc to the Mayan archaeological sites of Uxmal, Kabah, Sayil, X-Lapak, Labná and the Loltún Caverns. Each of the sites has restored Mayan pyramids and other structures, covered with brush, tree and jungle, much the way early explorers and archaeologists found them.  Monday afternoon, we will head over to Mérida's stunning, newly opened in 2012, Museo del Mundo Maya - USPiM will provide an English speaking museum guide for our group. On Wednesday, we will visit Celestun Biosphere Reserve in the morning for a 1 1/2 hour boat ride on the Celestun River to view over 10,000 pink flamingos (quite a sight). We will then head over to a Gulf beach for sun, sand, swimming and lunch at a palapa-roofed restaurant for the remainder of the day! The Puuc Route and Celestun trips include round trip transportation, knowledgeable English speaking guides and lunch. We will collectively jump into vans and pay our own fees when visiting the Museum and grab lunch along the way. Excursions Testimonials "The experience was one of the best of my professional career."  Don  (Michigan, Merida 2010) "USPIM Tulum was a wonderful experience-- renewing, refreshing and reinvigorating. It's more than merely what you'd expect in a workshop, it's what you hope for!"  Jennifer (New Jersey, Tulum 2011) "The first US Poets in Mexico workshop in Mérida, January 2009, was one of the most satisfying experiences of my literary life."     Marc  (Brooklyn, NY - Merida 2009, 2010, Tulum 2011) "USPiM is a wonderfully intimate and unpretentious program...Merida is a wonderful, safe, non-touristy city with many things to see and do.  It has great restaurants, markets, and squares and a happening nightlife...Sheila Lanham has created a great, affordable writing program with something for everyone." Susie  (Brooklyn, NY, Merida 2009, 2010) "U.S. Poets in Mexico is a great vehicle for learning and applying the craft of poetry, for learning and experiencing Mexico, and having your horizons broadened about the vital work of translation.  A well-organized week, with authors who are flexible towards whatever you'd like to get out of your work."  Sean (Portland, OR  - Tulum 2011) "I've been to other writing workshops, but USPiM now tops my list of inspirational settings for poets who want to learn, have fun, and experience a beautiful city."  James  (Sacramento, Merida 2009) More Testimonials Spanish Lessons We can arrange Spanish language classes for you through a small, local language school - just let us know in advance and we will send a language proficiency form ahead in order to assess your Spanish language level. (fee not included in tuition). Thank you. I hope to see you in lovely Mérida next January for what promises to be an exciting, enlightening and fun week! All my best, Sheila Lanham, Director U.S. Poets in Mexico P.O. Box 4150 Grand Central Station New York, NY 10163 uspoetsinmexico@verizon.net

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