Massachusetts Statewide Poetry Calendar

Readings by 3 poets, in 3 languages, featuring:
Marguerite Guzman Bouvard (Italian)
Marguerite was born in Trieste Italy. She is a former professor of Political Science and poetry workshops, and the author of 20 books in the fields of politics, women's rights, human rights, grief, illness, and spirituality. She has also written 8 books of poetry, her first won the Quarterly Review of Literature prize and her seventh "The Unpredictability of Light," won the MassBook Award for poetry. Her latest book was "The Invisible Wounds of War; Coming Home from Iraq and Afghanistan." She is a Resident Scholar at the Women Studies Research Center, Brandeis University.

Mirlande Butler (Haitian-Creole)
A native of Haiti, Mirlande Butler has performed a mix of Jazz, Pop and Gospel genres in the States, France, Brazil, and China. She links singing with the foundation she co-founded to promote education and a renewed Haiti. She often says that education, especially that of children, should be a human right matter, not a privilege. She holds a Ph.D. in Public Administration from Walden University and a Master's degree in Social Work from Boston University. The lyricist and guitarist John Elder says of her: 'Mirlande sings beautifully and with emotional power in four languages, French, Spanish, English and Haitian Creole. Her style is the human heart.'

Messou Youvina Fofana (French)
Born in the United States and raised in Guinea-Conakry, Messou is a Brockton High School student introduced to poetry writing from her English and poetry classes. Early on, she realized the impact of her voice and invested more into writing when she became aware of its range limit. She also realized that with her words she had a new way of expressing herself, more trustworthy than she sometimes could with her voice. Messou thus believed she could transcend time and better convey her emotions and thoughts to future generations. Her poems are often the results of her childhood memories and her sudden inspirations on themes of all kinds, ranging from love to her family, to her life as a sixteen-year-old, experiencing both African and American societies.