Michael Kleber-Diggs honors Black History Month [] Poetry Cafe

On Tuesday, February 1 at 5:00 pm award winning poet Michael Kleber-Diggs will return to the San Miguel Poetry Café in honor of Black History Month. Michael will read his recent poetry, and explore how the tensions of joy and sorrow can be crafted in verse and prose with a short teaching entitled “Writing Emotions with Candor and Complexity.”

Pre-register at  https://bit.ly/3Iffc60  for the free Zoom event.

Michael joined a community of accomplished, inspiring, and witnessing poets when he was awarded the 2020 Max Ritvo Poetry Prize. His debut poetry collection “Worldly Things” was published by Milkweed Editions in 2021.

Kleber-Diggs was born a twin, days after the tragic death of Martin Luther King Jr. Before adolescence he experienced the tragic loss of his father. Recently, he lost a mentor, former Senator Harry Reid. But among the sorrows of life there have been many joys — much to celebrate.

Michael is also an essayist and literary critic. His recent personal essay “On the Complex Flavors of Black Joy” discusses this sorrow-joy juxtaposition in the context of recent protests. It is included in the anthology “There’s a Revolution Outside, My Love: Letters from a Crisis”, edited by Tracy K. Smith and John Freeman.

Among other places, Michael’s writing has appeared or is forthcoming in Great River Review, Water~Stone Review, Poem-a-Day, Poetry Daily, Poetry Northwest, Potomac Review, Hunger Mountain, Memorious, and a few anthologies.

Since 2016, Michael Kleber-Diggs has been an instructor with the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop. He also teaches Creative Writing in Augsburg University’s low-residency MFA program and at Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists.

Our purpose is to offer visibility, community, and inspiration to the writers and readers of San Miguel de Allende; to honor the long history of distinguished writers living and working here; to enrich the cultural life and educational opportunities for local residents in both Spanish and English; and to establish San Miguel de Allende as a leading destination for literary and cultural tourism commensurate with its status as a World Heritage Site. We believe that reading and writing are essential, that great literature enriches our lives, feeds our souls, and facilitates greater understanding of ourselves and others.