In a free Takoma Park Arts poetry reading, four local poets of different races and ethnicities will share their poetry which transcends borders between nations and ourselves. The poets include David Camero, Kim B. Miller, Victoria Moten, and Thu Anh Nguyen.

As an immigrant from Caracas, Venezuela, David Camero experienced life in a country where basic human rights weren’t respected. He has used poetry as a means of highlighting political oppression and “to touch the sacred, not simply the true.” He received a BA in literature from the University Central of Venezuela.

Kim B. Miller was the first African American poet laureate for Prince William County, Manassas and Manassas Park, Va. She writes haiku and has performed at the National Black Theater, Atlas Performing Arts Center, and other venues.

Victoria Moten is an award-winning poet and English teacher at Takoma Park Middle School and the University of the District of Columbia. “As a Black woman living in America, I often find myself cut off from certain places and opportunities,” she says. “Our world can be so territorial with everything owned or governed by someone - everything except the sky. I know the sky I look at today is the same sky my ancestors saw and my children will see.”

Thu Anh Nguyen is a Vietnamese-American writer whose work explores border crossings, both literal and figurative, and the intersection of race and gender. Her poetry has been featured in many publications, and her work was recently nominated for the Pushcart Prize.

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