New Haven poet Naomi Ayala will read from her debut book titled "Wild Animals on the Moon" at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 30, in the Mansfield Street Neighborhood Garden, located behind the New Haven Zen Center at 193 Mansfield St.
The public is invited to attend the free event, which will also feature music by African-Arawak Connection: James Moss and Edward Cede o. Light refreshments will be served.
Yale and the City of New Haven are among the supporters of the poetry reading, which is sponsored by the Zen Center. Other organizations that have cooperated to make the event possible are the New Haven Land Trust, the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven and Science Park.
A native of Puerto Rico, Ms. Ayala has been an Elm City resident since the late 1970s. As a "master teaching artist," Ms. Ayala tours the state, working in schools, prisons and community centers. She also oversees the Inner City Cultural Development Project on the Arts and the Institute for Community Research, and helped establish the New Haven Alliance for Arts and Cultures and the International Festival of Arts and Ideas. In 1995, she received the "Trailblazer Award" from the Arts Council of Greater New Haven.
In her poetry, Ms. Ayala explores her experiences as a Puerto Rican living on the mainland. Her work has been published in numerous literary journals and has been anthologized in "The Creative Resistance: Puerto Rican Women in the U.S."
For directions to the Zen Center or information on parking, call 787-0912.