Ernesto Cardenal: May 16, 2015

Francisco Herrera opens with a song, followed by Steve Dickison who provides a welcome then introduces Alejandro Murguia, Poet Laureate of San Francisco and co-organizer of the Flor y Canto Festival. Murguia introduces Roberto Vargas then, to a standing ovation, Ernesto Cardenal. Cardenal addresses the audience, in Spanish, with Vargas interpreting, then Roberto Vargas reads translations of Cardenal's poetry followed by Cardenal reading the original poems in Spanish. Cardenal reads from his Cantico Cosmico [Cosmic Canticle], 1989, and from later work collected in English in the book The Origin of Species and Other Poems.

Ernesto Cardenal responds to questions from the audience, with Roberto Vargas acting as interpreter. The discussion involves the Nicaraguan revolution and subsequent government and the contemporary state of politics in Nicaragua, in light of Cardenal's activism extending back multiple decades.