Poetry Festival was held in Guayaquil with a tribute to Sonia Manzano and a request to democratize public spaces

The verses of some exhibitors of local poetry were heard this Monday in the context of the Poetry Festival, which was held in the Pedro Carbo lounge of the Municipal Library of Guayaquil, with the special presence of the writer and pianist Sonia Manzanowho was decorated for her literary career.

With joy and innate charisma, Manzano received his recognition and later gave a speech to those present. “I feel that I am being the protagonist of this great party.(…) And in this enchantment, from which I do not want to leave, I also feel that I am dancing a waltz of 1… 2… 3…, held by the waist by my dear and admired Augusto (main organizer of the Poetry Festival 2022)”, expressed the artist, while in her hands she proudly held the plaque.

“I continue to be an important reference for the development of contemporary Ecuadorian poetry (…). I feel that I still have a long way to go, on the path of life and on the path of letters”, Manzano concluded.

He took advantage of the occasion to recite a poem dedicated to women, which in one of its lines said: “Woman who every day, even if you feel tired, you get up when the sun gives its first light…”.

The first day of this cultural meeting was marked by a poetry reading by authors from the country. One of them was Maria Spainwho congratulated the mentalizer, Augusto Rodriguez, for carrying out activities like these. He also mentioned the importance of sponsoring festivals such as Ileana Espinel, which this year celebrates its fifteenth edition.

During his speech, he highlighted the importance of democratizing public spaces for artists, and pointed out that the fact that the first Poetry Festival was held in one of the rooms of the Municipal Library was a valuable recognition, which also positioned art as a job that should be paid.

“Artists not only need applause (…). Behind this trajectory of Sonia Manzano there is a lot of time dedicated to writing, a lot of vigilance. (…) They are not dust of muses that fall from the air, behind there is a lot of work “, underlined Spain, before reading a poem by Manzano and another by her.

For her part, the poet and teacher Bathsheba Letamendi He took the opportunity to express his admiration for Manzano. “It is an honor to share with a worthy poet that I greatly admire. I know that I am a complete unknown to her, but she has no idea what it has meant to me”he stated before reading three poems of his authorship.

Tamara Mejia Y Sigrit Delgado were the other authors who participated in this first day, which closed with the musical performance of the Ensemble of the Museum of Popular Music, who performed various songs, such as Angel of light Y dirges.

This meeting was scheduled to resume at 2:00 p.m. to last until 5:00 p.m. T-shirts with printed Manzano verses and books from the label were given away at the venue The Operating Room Editions. (I)