Language City: Highlighting New York City s Mother Tongues

An afternoon at Poets House celebrating the many mother tongues spoken in New York City. Host Ross Perlin, author of Language City: The Fight to Preserve Endangered Mother Tongues in New York, brings together Sierra Leonian poet-historian Kewulay Kamara, Tibetan poet Tsering Gyaltso, and community scholar Nawang Gurung, along with Venezuelan llanera singers Luis "El Cacique" Garcia and Mafer Bandola with harp and maraca accompaniment. A discussion about minority languages in New York City follows. It is presented in partnership with the Center for Traditional Music and Dance, the Endangered Language Alliance, and the People's Poetry Gathering partners, as part of the People's Poetry Gathering co-presented by City Lore, Bowery Poetry, and Poets House.