In Conversation: Dzvinia Orlowsky & María Luisa Arroyo Cruzado

Multi-lingual poets Dzvinia Orlowsky and María Luisa Arroyo Cruzado will read from their respective bodies of work and discuss their poetry and creative processes. While their relationship started as one of mentor and student, they now call one another cherished friends with a shared passion for exploring how primary languages shape identity and existence.

Of Dzvinia, María Luisa says: “I was researching MFA programs with poets as mentors who would take the cultural languages of my experiences seriously, who would understand that some of my poems code-switched in Puerto Rican Spanish or German or Farsi were inspired by real relationships. A narrative poet, I immediately connected with Dzvinia’s online faculty bio and the lyrical pacing of her poems. Imagine my exponential joys in working with Dzvinia as my workshop leader who startled me and my peers with her uncannily spiritual way of responding to the heat in some of our lines and her gentle weeding of words that muffled the music in a poem.”

Of María Luisa, Dzvinia says: “María Luisa’s writing continues to move me with its depth and courage, imbued with the cultural language of her experiences and a rare sensitivity to the demands of storytelling. Her lyrical narratives delve into profound themes: grappling with familial violence, witnessing eruptions of public and political violence, and reflecting on the complex interplay of gender roles and cultural identity. I am drawn to her aspiration to connect with the universe on a spiritual level, seeking bonds that transcend Immediate reality, and I look forward to exploring in conversation how these shared ambitions shape our work.”

Host or Publisher The Notebooks Collective