MARTIN ESPADA, “JAILBREAK OF SPARROWS” DEBUT READING: National Book Award-winning poet Martín Espada will give the debut reading from his new book of poems, “Jailbreak of Sparrows” at 7 p.m. in Room 218 of the Classroom Building on the Westside campus. A book signing will follow.

As a poet, essayist, translator, editor, and attorney, Martín Espada has dedicated much of his career to the pursuit of social justice, including fighting for human rights and reclaiming the historical record. His critically acclaimed collections of poetry celebrate — and lament — the working class experience, and, whether narrating the struggles of immigrants as they adjust to life in the United States or chronicling the battles that Latin Americans have waged against their own repressive governments, Espada has given voice to otherness, powerlessness, and poverty in poetry that is Whitmanesque in scope and has been recognized with the National Book Award, the $100,000 Ruth Lilly Award, and the American Book Award, among many others. He is a Professor of English at the University of Massachusetts.

Free and open to the public.