Poetry &: Firespitter, a Jayne Cortez Celebration at Dia Chelsea

Poet, performance artist, musician, and publisher Jayne Cortez left an indelible mark on American letters and writers across the globe. Sharp and incisive, her words speak ferociously about material longing, intimacy, violence, and that which is often left unsaid, encapsulating undeniably human experiences with candor and directness. With an expansive lens, she could equally absorb the reader in prosaic moments of everyday life and telescope out to wider global and historical crises, often connected to the various aftermaths of colonialism around the world. Cortez was a veritable firespitter, uncoincidentally the name she chose for her band, one of many forms of creative expression throughout her long career. At the same time, her activism and organizing—particularly her cofounding of the Organization of Women Writers of Africa (OWWA) in 1991—harnessed a collective fervor to connect and advance the work of diasporic artists and scholars. To celebrate the release of Firespitter: The Collected Poems of Jayne Cortez (2025), published by Nightboat Books, OWWA members will reflect on their relationships with Cortez, read her work, and assess her ongoing impact on vital conversations in literature and culture today.

Free. Spaces are limited; register here.