The Second Dream: Spanish Poetry in Translation

The Second Dream: Spanish Poetry in Translation is an evening of poetry readings, conversation, and books focused on the work of Spanish-language poets in English translation. Translators Yvette Neisser, Patricia Bejarano Fisher, and Francisco Aragón will present new books, followed by a discussion led by journalist and literary translator Katie King. The program concludes with a book signing and reception.

The featured works are María Teresa Ogliastri’s *From the Diary of Madame Mao*, translated by Neisser and Bejarano Fisher and awarded the inaugural Carnegie Mellon University Press Translation Prize, and Gerardo Diego’s *Handbook of Foams / Manual de espumas*, translated by Aragón. Diego was a major Spanish avant-garde poet, a co-founder of the Ultraist movement, and a member of the “generation of ’27”; his 1925 *Manual de espumas* marked a breakthrough in his creationist style, and he received the Cervantes Prize in 1979.

When: Thursday, November 5, 2026, at 7:00 p.m.

Showtimes: The reading begins at 7:00 p.m. The book signing and reception begin at approximately 8:00 p.m.

Venue: Arts Club of Washington, 2017 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20006.

Tickets: Free and open to the public.

Registration: Arts Club members may RSVP, and guests must be registered. Nonmembers may RSVP for up to two guests.

Lineup: Yvette Neisser and Patricia Bejarano Fisher will read from María Teresa Ogliastri’s *From the Diary of Madame Mao*. Francisco Aragón will read from Gerardo Diego’s *Handbook of Foams / Manual de espumas*. Katie King will moderate the discussion.

Featured books: *From the Diary of Madame Mao* by María Teresa Ogliastri, translated by Yvette Neisser and Patricia Bejarano Fisher; and *Handbook of Foams / Manual de espumas* by Gerardo Diego, translated by Francisco Aragón. The Diego volume is published by Shearsman Books in 2026.

Presenters: Francisco Aragón has translated four books, including the 2026 edition of Diego’s *Handbook of Foams*, and has also worked on writings by Rubén Darío, Federico García Lorca, and Francisco X. Alarcón. Patricia Bejarano Fisher formerly taught Spanish and developed learning materials at the University of Maryland; her translation work includes poems in *The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary*, the trilingual collection *Bridges*, and a co-translation of Ogliastri’s *South Pole/Polo Sur*. Katie King is a journalist and literary translator with experience as a foreign correspondent and editor in Europe and Latin America and a PhD in Hispanic Studies. Her recent translation of Marta Sanz’s *My Clavicle and Other Massive Misalignments* was shortlisted for the ALTA/Spain-USA Foundation Translation Prize, and she also translates Luis García Montero. Yvette Neisser is an award-winning poet and Spanish translator who founded the DC-Area Literary Translators Network; she has taught writing and translation at George Washington University, The Writer’s Center, and other institutions.

Parking: Discounted parking is available after 6:00 p.m. Parking is free for members who present a membership card.

Reception: A reception and book signing follow the readings and discussion.

Support: The project receives support from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.