Four Poetas on Catholic Imagination

1. Spanglish as Theology | [00:34:00 → 00:37:50]
   Adela Najarro defended bilingual poetry as an act of humility, not exclusion. “It’s not that Spanish can’t be translated—it’s that it says something English can’t.”
2. Poetry as Migration | [00:38:00 → 00:41:40]
   Natalia Treviño described motherhood and human movement as natural patterns — fractals — that poetry mirrors in its structure and form.
3. Nature as Sacrament | [00:43:15 → 00:46:00]
   Gina Franco spoke about how awe in nature often leads to spiritual insight. “I’m caught up in mystery—that’s sacramental.”
4. Sacred Realism | [00:28:00 → 00:31:10]
   Sara Cortez’s poem “Candyman” confronts the horror of a buried child through the voice of the victim, insisting that justice and grace depend on human action.
5. The Challenge of Bilingual Poetry | [00:50:00 → 00:52:00]
   Audience members questioned how non-Spanish speakers can engage bilingual work. The poets replied: translation is not just linguistic, but emotional and cultural.
6. Teaching the Sacred in a Secular World | [00:52:00 → 00:57:30]
   All four poets addressed how they approach faith in secular classrooms. Franco noted, “They’re hungry for love—and God is love.”
7. Confession and Language | [01:01:00 → 01:02:50]
   A Catholic priest in the audience reflected on how people often prefer to confess in their native language. The poets responded with insight into how linguistic intimacy is inseparable from emotional truth.

“Bilingual writing doesn’t exclude anyone—it expresses the truth of borderland life.”
— Adela Najarro [00:34:10 → 00:35:00]

“Fractals are patterns that repeat forever—and so is migration.”
— Natalia Treviño [00:39:15 → 00:39:30]

“I have a secret desire to believe all of creation is sacramental.”
— Gina Franco [00:45:45 → 00:46:00]

“If you save me, I’ll forget his naked lust and bare feet and blood… but I must be found.”
— Sara Cortez, Candyman [00:30:45 → 00:31:10]

“I write poems in English or Spanglish because sometimes Spanish is the only way to say it.”
— Adela Najarro [00:36:50 → 00:37:00]

“Students are hungry—for justice, for love, for meaning.”
— Natalia Treviño [00:57:30 → 00:57:50]

“The sacred can’t be imposed—it has to be modeled.”
— Sara Cortez [00:54:45 → 00:55:10]