From the Bayou, We Speak
Who I am
Where we come from, what we carry, and who we're becoming here.
Poetry & art by Houston's English learners
We speak.
Seven poems and five works of art by ESL students in Houston, shown in the languages they were made in, with a translation beside them. Read them, hear them read aloud, and come celebrate them with us.
FreeSee the poetry in action · Sat, Nov 14 · 3 PM- Español
- 中文
- Tiếng Việt
- 한국어
- English
Two prompts
Every piece answers one of two questions.
The world I envision
The future we're imagining for ourselves, our families and our city.
From the reading room
Poetry Across Languages
Explore a selection of poems presented alongside their translations. Scroll through to preview and then open the reading room to hear the voices that bring this project to life.
* English translation prepared for this preview. The official translation is on its way.
Gallery
Beyond Words: Art that Responds
Explore paintings and a sketch by our featured artists. Hover over or tap each piece to discover the meaning behind their work.
5 works · 4 artists
Visit the gallery
Why this project
Every voice matters
Alina Lugo is a Latina literary artist and a former ESL student herself. She knows how it feels to search for words in a new language, and how much it means when someone makes room for yours.
From the Bayou, We Speak is that room: a place where Houston's English learners can express themselves in any language they choose, and we get the opportunity to listen.
- M.A. in World Cultures and Literatures, University of Houston
- Bilingual Teaching Artist, Writers in the Schools
- Independent English Language Tutor
Every voice matters.Cada voz importa.每一个声音都很重要。Mỗi giọng nói đều quý.모든 목소리는 소중합니다.
Houston, in its own words
One of the most linguistically diverse cities in the country
145+languages and dialects spoken across the Houston region
40%of Houston-area residents speak a language other than English at home
#2U.S. metro area for Vietnamese Americans
Figures from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey and Pew Research Center. Sources are listed on the Houston Diversity page.
Explore Houston's diversity
From our Instagram
Untranslatable
Some words carry a whole feeling. These are a few we keep coming back to.
Saturday, November 14 · 3–5 PMCentral Library (Jesse H. Jones Building), 1st floor
500 McKinney St, Houston, TX 77002
500 McKinney St, Houston, TX 77002
Event recording
Event detailsScenes from the afternoon
Behind the scenes
Out in the community
Made together
With thanks to the people who make it possible
This project brings together poets, scholars, educators and translators from across the city.