Arts Café Mystic, a leading literary venue on the East Coast, will celebrate its 31st year this Friday at La Grua Center in Stonington Borough. Lisa Starr, the café’s artistic director, expressed excitement for the new season, highlighting the diverse voices that connect audiences from Waterford, Connecticut, to Minsk, Belarus.
The featured poet for September is Valzhyna Mort, a Belarusian poet and translator whose work has appeared in prestigious publications such as “Best American Poetry” (2014) and “The New Yorker.” Mort, who teaches at Cornell University, writes in both English and Belarusian and translates several languages, including Russian and Polish. She has won awards for her translations, including the Gulf Coast Prize in Translation and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Mort’s poetry has been adapted into music and theater, gaining international recognition. In 2020, during a period of unrest in Belarus, she created a radio documentary titled “Belarus Across the Barricades” for BBC News World Service.
In 2022, Mort co-translated “Motherfield: Poetry and Belarusian Protest Diary” by Julia Cimafiejeva, which was longlisted for the PEN Translation Prize. Her poetry collections include “Factory of Tears” (2008), “Collected Body” (2011), and “Music for the Dead and Resurrected” (2020), the latter receiving acclaim from The New York Times and NPR.
Starr noted the urgency and depth in Mort’s poems, which tackle themes of loneliness, family, and identity, while also addressing the challenges of preserving the Belarusian language. According to Starr, Mort writes passionately about her homeland’s identity and linguistic struggles.
Opening for Mort will be Abbott Cutler from Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts. Cutler has published four poetry collections and has been featured in various literary magazines and anthologies.
The event will also showcase the music of The Rivergods, a roots/folk band known for their engaging performances and songwriting.
Arts Café Mystic hosts three poetry and music programs annually, with a mission to enrich the cultural landscape of Southeastern Connecticut by presenting renowned poets and musicians. Starr emphasized that previous events have included distinguished writers and Poets Laureate, showcasing a variety of musical styles. The café has received the Dorothy Mullen Arts and Humanities Award for its innovative contributions to the arts.
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