Photo by Neidy Gutierrez / SOC Images.
Poetry is not exclusive to a singular person, place or thing; it is linear, fluid and inclusive. Poetry is meant to be heard by the masses: “to the people of all ages and all backgrounds and all walks of life,” said Jersey City’s Poet Laureate Melida Rodas.
But not everyone knows that.
Rodas and her team of many others are opening the door and welcoming everyone to experience the deep interconnection of poetry, art and science with their first-ever Jersey City Poetry Festival (JCPOFEST), which will run from Friday, Sept. 19 to Sunday, Sept. 21 in different locations throughout the city. For JCPOFEST, “synergy” can be found in every aspect of its existence: the team, the agenda and the community impact.
“I honestly feel like the goal is to have people see how alike we are… But there’s so much that I learned through writing where it’s like, my story is your story,” Rodas, the festival’s founder and creative director, told Slice of Culture.
“I’m a poet, but you’re a musician and you know that struggle. So it’s like we’re all the same—dancers and poets and writers and artists. We all have a process. We all have an end game, which is we all wanna be seen and heard and feel like we’re a part of something and that we belong.”
The Moving Parts Of JCPOFEST
The word “synergy” can apply to different things in different ways, but in its simplest terms, it’s when multiple things work together to create something greater than what would’ve been individually.
The first form of JCPOFEST’s synergy was in how the team came together and the roles they’ve taken on.
Rodas is recognized as the magnetic force of the team. She has a list of awards and accolades as well as specialties—including poet, artist, teacher and curator—but as she sat in a room with her six other team members, she continuously shone the spotlight on them.
“This actually began as a legacy project as my role as [Jersey City] poet laureate. But it didn’t end there because actually what it is now is a festival for the people. And it’s not about me. It’s actually about a team of people that are helping me put this together. And all the 100 plus artists and musicians and poets that are taking part in this massive endeavor, again, being held up by a wonderful team of different people from different disciplines and backgrounds,” she smiled.
I. Buenaventura, a.k.a Patrick – Producer, Panelist Curator, Co-Editor
When the group was asked how they met Rodas, I. Buenaventura, a.k.a Patrick, didn’t mind to start it off. He serves JCPOFEST as a producer, panelist curator and co-editor.
Patrick met Rodas at an event that Rodas curated—Destination Art Space—at Three Thirds Cafe on the West Side area of Jersey City. They spoke here and there before running into each other at Dodge Poetry Festival, a biennial festival at NJPAC in Newark that uses poetry to address social change.
“We were chit chatting about what a great festival it was and we were like it’d be great if Jersey City had [this],” he said.
A few months later, that was exactly their idea. Now, he’s put together a panel discussion called “Move The People,” and it features poets from the LGBTQ+ community who will explore how language and poetic expression can be a form of activism.
“[It can be] a way to bear witness, tell untold stories, challenge power and imagine futures where we’re all free, safe and able to live healthy, dignified, sustainable lives and balance with each other and the planet,” he explained.
Mariana Morete – Art Curator
Next to add a piece to the puzzle was Mariana Morete, who is JCPOFEST’s art curator; she will be hosting an art exhibition at Crema, her cafe in the Bergen section of the city. She laughed as she asked Rodas, “You remember?”
The two met at a Jersey City Cultural Affairs meeting. Morete wanted to implement art in her coffee shop, and after learning Rodas was a poet, they clicked. When Rodas said to do the same for JCPOFEST, Morete didn’t hesitate.
“Donde vamos a unir poetas con pintore esa algo diferente que no se hecho frecuentemente… Podes reflejar la diversidad también de las personas en lo que escriben y en lo que interpretan de la escritura”
“[It’s] where we will unite poets with painters, that’s something different that is not done frequently,” she said. “… And you can reflect on the diversity of people in what they write and what they interpret from writing.”
Tina Maneca – Production Manager, Sculpture Garden Curator, Financial Officer, Compliance Coordinator
Tina Maneca knew Rodas from the visual arts community. They worked together multiple times and always enjoyed it. And because Maneca likes to work behind the scenes and “make things happen,” Rodas knew how to include her for JCPOFEST: taxes, permits and a sculpture garden.
Maneca laughed to not “bore” with taxes and permits, but she emphasized the symbolism behind the garden.
“The Sculpture Garden Show is called ‘Grounded.’ And it goes back to what Melida was saying about the synergy between the written word and climate change,” she explained.
“And the selected artists were asked to basically submit work that is made from recycled materials, but it’s not meant to look like anything recognizable of the recycled materials… everything will be very symbiotic with the actual museum grounds itself.”
SJ – Poet Liaison
Steve Willett, better known as SJ, also met Rodas at Destination Art Space as a featured performer that night. He said he admired the event, how everything was “so seamlessly put together” and Rodas.
With years of open mic experiences, poetry groups like Open Mic Jersey City Writers and The Poetry Unfold, SJ has been helping put together the featured poets for JCPOFEST.
“I’ve gone to almost all of these [events] and they’ve given me much more than I’ve ever given to them. So it was just an honor to be a part of [JCPOFEST] where we could really showcase what Jersey City, and not just Jersey City, but also Hoboken, Union City [and] other places that also have just an incredible amount of talent and just an amazing community. And that’s really what I love about the poetry community in Jersey City, but also in Hudson County,” he said.
José (Ernesto) Gonzalez – Producer, Musician
Destination Art Space at Three Thirds Cafe is also how José (Ernesto) Gonzalez was pulled into the mix.
Gonzalez performed with his fiddle—hence his social media name “Le Fiddler”—which is a stringed instrument that looks like a violin, but it’s not. He expressed his gratitude for being in a space that allowed artists to expose themselves musically and found that as inspiration to keep going with his passion.
Within JCPOFEST, Gonzalez is working to intertwine the branches of music and poetry. He added that his role also helps introduce new artists and their works on a larger scale in Jersey City.
“Por eso creo que ha hecho este festival por encime de cualquier cosa porque es la manera de varios artistas podernos expresar a un nivel realmente como merece la ciudad de Jersey City.”
“That’s why I think this festival has risen above anything else because it’s a way for several artists to express ourselves at a level that Jersey City truly deserves,” he said.
Meyling Wong – Musician
And with Gonzalez, also came Meyling Wong; they’re in a band together. Wong met Rodas when Gonzalez performed at Three Thirds Cafe. She said it was her first time listening to poetry in English, and she was excited about it.
Now with JCPOFEST, she will be one of the performers on Friday, Sept. 19 as part of their kickoff networking event.
“Es muy interesante para mi ver como la poesía y la música se fusionan como una nueva forma de expresión.”
“It is very interesting for me to see how poetry and music merge as a new form of expression,” she smiled.
What To Expect From The 3-Day Event
The next form of synergy came in the festival’s agenda.
No day is the same. Each highlights different topics with stories told and art shared by different people. It embraces and emphasizes “interdisciplinary approaches to poetry while addressing critical issues such as climate change and eco-literacy,” they told Slice of Culture.
On day one, Friday, Sept. 19, it will focus on networking. People are invited to join their VIP Festive Networking Experience, which will take place from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. at The Stork Club near Liberty State Park. It’ll be an evening for “creatives, visionaries, and art-lovers in an immersive celebration of poetic legacy and lyrical brilliance.”
Day two brings you back to the word “synergy” with their Synergy event on Saturday, Sept. 20 from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Museum of Jersey City History in Bergen Square. Attendees will experience poets and artists “exploring the SYNERGY between the language arts, science, philosophy, technology and all forms of artistic expressions,” according to their website.
On their third and final day, on Sunday, Sept. 21, JCPOFEST will have their Family Day, co-produced by Aurelia Luciano, also known as Golden Light Poetry, and Rodas. This consists of “community-centered youth performances, family-friendly activities and surprises.” It’ll also be at the Museum of Jersey City History from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.
To get your tickets, learn more about featured performers or see the full run of show, you can visit: https://www.jerseycitypoetryfestival.org/festivalweekend.
“We look forward to celebrating with you alongside our headliners, including writer Jeff Dess, Rashad Wright—our inaugural poet laureate—and interdisciplinary artist Cara Hagan, who will interpret poems by Edvige Giunta and myself ( Melida Rodas) through dance. Guests can also enjoy performances and works by several local favorites:
Sofia Carrasco, Victor Sotomayor, Ann Wallace (former poet laureate), Hannah Lee, Lauren Kwei, Giselle Bellas, Jasmine de Leon, Meyling Wong, Marc Del Giudice and Crystal Letters…
On Family Day, we’re excited to host Diana Lee Santamaria, an award-winning bilingual children’s book author, teen poet Sofia Rosado, along with several community partners and organizations such as: City Kidz Playhouse, The Artist Avenue, The Educational Arts Team, Jersey City Public Library, The Jersey City Parks Coalition, Jersey City Moms, Ivan & Tatiana Garcia
So please, we urge you to come support the festival, purchase your tickets, and join us in celebration!” Rodas said in a follow up statement.
Jersey’s Community Is ‘Something Special’
And while the inaugural Jersey City Poetry Festival is comprehensive, inclusionary and outlined, putting it all together wasn’t easy. It took months, the team explained.
They’ve poured their love and passion into the event, plus having to handle external factors like city requirements and other artists’ accommodations, and made sure to pull through otherwise they can’t get the funds they need to pull off the festival.
“I don’t think people realize how complex it is putting together a festival for three days and we’ve been working on this for months and months and you know, I’m pretty sure all of us have day jobs as well as other projects that we’re working on…,” SJ explained. “But you know, again, with any kind of challenging situation or organization organizing an event, we also learn a lot… I’ve gotten to know people that I probably wouldn’t have met otherwise. So just that alone I think is impactful.”
You can support JCPOFEST, a grassroots festival, by buying tickets, donating or volunteering.
When asked for final words on what this inaugural experience could mean to the community, here’s what SJ and Patrick had to say:
“Everything is around New York and New York is a hub, but what we have here in Jersey is really something special. It’s something that you don’t see in a lot of places and there’s a heart and there’s a soul that this community has in the open mics. And each one has their own flavor and gives something.”
– SJ
“As far as community and in these turbulent times, as they say I find it to be a very safe space. I am a trans person, trans man… I find that the poetry community as well as the art community offer a safe space for people to not only be in and listen, but if you do want to express your voice, it’s a supportive community… So I find it as a very supportive community to be a part of, especially as a person who is trans and part of the LGBTQ community as well as a person who is [Filipino].”
– Patrick
