John MacEnulty named winner of Gitana Productions poetry contest
October 24, 2008
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| John MacEnulty |
John MacEnulty of Tower Grove was named the winner of Gitana Productions’ “The Language of the Heart,” poetry contest. MacEnulty was awarded a cash prize and presented his winning poetry to a capacity crowd during Gitana’s poetry slam on October 18. Richard Fischer of St. Louis received second place and third place went to Cathleen Callahan of St. Peters.
Local poets of diverse cultures were invited to submit original works based on specific lines of poetry by the acclaimed Persian poet Rumi. Entries were judged by St. Louis poet Michael Castro and Dr. Fatemeh Keshavarz, the chair of the Department of Asian and Near Eastern Languages and Literatures at Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Kesharvarz, an expert on Rumi, recited Rumi’s poetry in both English and Persian. She also presented a rousing lecture about the life of the acclaimed 13th century poet.
“John’s poem stood out because it showed a deep awareness of Rumi’s beautiful and complex understanding of music, yet the poet had his own distinct voice,” said Keshavarz. “The poem speaks to the interaction between silence and voice, stillness and moving, being and becoming.”
“The Language of the Heart,” served as the opening event to Gitana’s annual Faces of Love series. This year, Faces of Love focuses on the culture of Iran and Afghanistan through events that showcase Persian poetry, music and cuisine. “Faces of Love from Iran: We Are God’s Music” took place Saturday, October 25 at the Ethical Society of St. Louis. “Faces of Love from Iran: We Are God’s Music” featured Hossein Omoumi, a world-renowned Iranian musician who has been hailed the best ney player in the world. Audience members gave excellent reviews to this premiere performance of Omoumi in St. Louis.
The final event in the series will be an original play “My Heart Keeps Shaking” at St. Louis University from May 22 to June 9, 2009.
The play will dramatize the experience of Afghan refugees and immigrants who have relocated to St. Louis, which currently is home to about 6,000 Iranians and 1,500 Afghans. The people of Afghanistan are related to many of the ethnic groups in neighboring Iran. Most Afghans are farmers, although a significant number followed a nomadic lifestyle before fleeing the country to become refugees in neighboring nations and abroad.
The Regional Arts Commission, the Missouri Arts Council, and the Arts and Education Council of St. Louis have provided funding to support the “Faces of Love From Iran and Afghanistan” events.
Gitana Productions, Inc. is a not-for-profit arts and education organization dedicated to increasing cross-cultural awareness and collaboration by bringing international music, dance and drama to the St. Louis community. Gitana events present a rarely seen diversity of international and local artists exhibiting an array of traditional and innovative artistic expressions. For more information, visit www.gitana-inc.org or call Gitana Productions at (314) 721-6556.
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Media Contact: Maggie Rhynes
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