Events › Author Luisa A. Igloria: Book Launch and Reading of Caulbearer

In recognition of National Literature Month in the Philippines and National Poetry Month in the United States, please join us for a book launch and author reading by former Virginia Poet Laureate Luisa A. Igloria.  In her new poetry collection Caulbearer (Black Lawrence Press), she explores the immigrant experience from the point of view of the Filipino diaspora and the beginnings and endings that come from navigating two very different worlds. 

The effects of humans on their environment and the pull of nostalgia for the past are central themes that come alive through vibrant imagery drawn from surrealist art and the symbiotic relationships that flourish in the natural world.  In Filipino culture, a child born with a caul, or membrane enclosing the fetus, is considered a sign of a lucky birth, and can imbue the child with supernatural protection. She will be joined by writer Mary Grace Bertulfo to discuss the themes of her work.

Luisa A. Igloria is a Louis I. Jaffe Professor of English and Creative Writing in the MFA Program at Old Dominion University in Virginia.  Born in Baguio City in the Philippines, she is the author of 14 books of poetry and 5 chapbooks, among them Maps for Migrants and Ghosts (Southern Illinois University Press) and The Buddha Wonders if She is Having a Mid-Life Crisis (Phoenicia Publishing).  Her work has appeared or been accepted in the New England Review, Poetry East, and The North American Review.  She is the recipient of the Immigrant Writing Series Prize, the Book Arts Letterpress Chapbook Prize, the (inaugural) Resurgence Poetry Prize (the Ginkgo Prize), and was named the Poet Laureate of the Commonwealth of Virginia in 2020.  She has also been honored with the Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas Lifetime Achievement Award in Poetry (English) from UMPIL (the National Union of Writers in the Philippines), and is an eleven-time recipient of the Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for Literature in three genres (poetry, nonfiction, and short fiction) and included in its Hall of Fame. The Palanca Award is the Philippines’ highest literary prize.

This program is a collaboration between the Chicago Public Library and the Philippine Consulate General in Chicago.

How to Attend:

Doors will open at 10:45 a.m. and seating is first come, first served (55 capacity). Books are available for purchase at the conclusion of the program.

Accessibility

Need sign language interpretation or other accessibility assistance for this event? Please call (312) 747-8184 or email access@chipublib.org to request accommodations. Requests must be made at least 14 business days before the event.

Photo credit: Gabriela A. Igloria