The Wretched Refuse of Your Teeming Shores

To: add1dda@aol.com <add1dda@aol.com>

Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2026 at 11:34:23 PM EST

Subject: The Wretched Refuse of Your Teeming Shores

A Latinx [sic]  poetry reading popped up in my email box on Feb. 11 from the University of California Berkeley's English Dept. 

Join us today for Professor John Alba Cutler on Latinx Poetry

We're excited to welcome back our amazing alum community for another semester of Read Along with Berkeley English! This spring, we'll be following along with Professor John Alba Cutler. In our first session today, we'll be discussing a selection of poems from his Spring 2026 Latinx Poetry class.  Our full schedule for Spring 2026 is here, and make sure to learn more about Professor Cutler from his faculty bio.

Professor Cutler has distributed a selection of poems from his class for attendees. He notes: "The keyword for the first session is History, and we'll be talking both about the history of Latinx poetry and what it means to read Latinx poetry as history."  Please email englishevents@berkeley.edu to request the reading for this event. If you aren't able to read beforehand, we hope you'll still join us in conversation with all your questions for Professor Cutler!

When I looked up "What Is Latinx Poetry" I got this AI Overview:

"Latinx poetry is a diverse, non-binary, and intersectional body of work written by poets with roots in Latin America, often residing in the U.S. It explores themes of identity, migration, colonization, and belonging, often using English, Spanish, Spanglish, and indigenous languages to challenge cultural norms and highlight Afro-Latinx experiences." 

Speaking of "non-binary," my Jewish Book Club had all its members introducing themselves with their preferred pronouns: this, we were told, was required by the larger organization sponsoring the group.

'Nuff said.