“It’s a Mask / It’s a Virus / It’s a Knee” is a collective, communal poetry video collage comprised of poems written by Houstonians about their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, curated by 2021 Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellow and Houston Poet Laureate Emeritus Leslie Contreras Schwartz. The project features Houston activists, writers and performers who lend their voices to experiences ranging from the perspectives of students to healthcare workers, to loved one’s dealing with a family member’s COVID infection, as well as people dealing with anxiety, trauma and rage after the George Floyd murder.
The screening debut of “It’s a Mask / It’s a Virus / It’s a Knee” will be followed by a reading of poems by poets ire’ne lara silva and Leslie Contreras Schwartz on illness, COVID-19 survival and the body’s narrative of resilience in response to trauma and sickness.
This exhibit is made possible by the Academy of American Poets with funds from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
The event will be hosted in person. Admission is free and open to the public.
