International Mother Language Day Reading

Join other Wisconsinites for a reading of poetry in their native languages to celebrate International Mother Language Day. In collaboration with Chippewa Valley Writers Guild, Driftless Writing Center, Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets, Wisconsin Poet Laureate Commission, and Woodland Pattern, we present an evening of poems read in multiple languages. Join us to celebrate the linguistic diversity of our state and to discover a deeper appreciation for poetry by relying on the rhythm and music to move you, rather than the actual words themselves.

This reading is presented free via Zoom. Click here to join the event; listeners will be welcomed in beginning at 6:55 pm.

Among the languages represented in this evening’s reading: Anishinaabemowin, Bengali, Cantonese, Creole, Croatian, Danish, Farsi, French, German, Korean, Latvian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Waray.

About International Mother Language Day:

The idea to celebrate International Mother Language Day was the initiative of Bangladesh. It was approved at the 1999 UNESCO General Conference and has been observed throughout the world since 2000.

UNESCO believes in the importance of cultural and linguistic diversity for sustainable societies. It is within its mandate for peace that it works to preserve the differences in cultures and languages that foster tolerance and respect for others.

Multilingual and multicultural societies exist through their languages which transmit and preserve traditional knowledge and cultures in a sustainable way.