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Reading Eagle: Ben Hasty  Juan Antonio Franqui-Gonzalez of Reading will be the only American and first Puerto Rican poet to perform at the 17th International Poetry Festival Ditet e Naimit from Thursday to Sunday. |
by Anthony Orozco
Reading Eagle
If someone had told Juan Antonio Franqui-Gonzalez 13 years ago that his poetry would take him around the world one day, he would never have believed it.
"Never in my life did I think poetry would take me here or anywhere for that matter." Franqui-Gonzalez said. "In the U.S. there are millions of poets and I happen to be chosen and on top of being chosen, I happen to be Latino."
He was talking about his selection as the only American and first Puerto Rican poet to perform at the 17th International Poetry Festival Ditet e Naimit, which will open Thursday in Macedonia and run to Sunday.
The Army veteran said that he felt a responsibility to positively represent his native Puerto Rico and the U.S. as a whole.
Coincidentally, he will leave for the festival today, the last day of the Hispanic Heritage Month.
In Macedonia, he will join poets from 25 countries as well as 20 poets from the Albanian-speaking Balkans for a festival that will begin in Tetova, then move to Frasher and Tirana in Albania.
Franqui-Gonzalez was recommended for the festival by Craig Czury, the poet laureate of Berks County and laureate of the 2011 Ditet e Naimit.
"When they (the festival's selection committee) asked me for an American poet, I couldn't think of anyone else," said Czury, who publishes and works with poets across the nation. "Looking at the list of the other poets and looking at the stature of poets that he will be keeping up with, going toe-to-toe with, they ares very respected in their countries."
Franqui-Gonzalez, who was born and raised in Puerto Rico and moved to Reading in 2008, is better known by his stage name of Egedeme. That is the Spanish phonetic acronym for El Gallo Del Microfono, the rooster of the microphone, which he uses to present his poems.
His loud, emotional, direct and visceral delivery has garnered him top spots in numerous poetry competitions inside and outside of the state.
But Czury said that he also respects Franqui-Gonzalez's commitment to the Reading arts community.
"He is an activist poet; he is not only exciting to listen to, but he works with younger poets," Czury said of Franqui-Gonzalez, who volunteers as a poetry teacher at I-LEAD Charter School and is involved Reading's hip-hop community.
Czury said a grand procession will herald the arrival of Franqui-Gonzalez and his fellow poets in the town of Tetova. On the first night of the festival, poets will perform before Albanian national television cameras that will broadcast throughout the area.
The poems also will be translated into Albanian and published in a collection of the poems read at the festival.
Knowing the caliber of poets that will be in attendance, Franqui-Gonzalez said he will perform his poems with as much passion as he ever has.
"As far as receiving anything from this trip, honestly, I don't know. I'm humbled just being asked to be there," he said. "But as far as what I will give, that is everything.
"My hard work, dedication, my tears and happiness will be all left on that stage."
Contact Anthony Orozco: 610-371-5015 or aorozco@readingeagle.com.
*http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=516481
