BALTIMORE -Cuban poet Nancy Morejón will captivate Baltimore audiences through an exploration of Afro-Cuban heritage when she presents "Cuba: The Profound Africanity of its Arts and Letters" at UMBC on Wednesday, April 21 at 4 p.m. in the University Center Ballroom. The trilingual poet's work has been translated into several languages and anthologized in many collections, bringing her international acclaim. The presentation is free and open to the public.

Morejón, who has published twelve collections of poetry, three monographs, a dramatic work and four critical studies of Cuban history and literature, is best known in the United States for her bilingual anthology, The Island Sleeps like a Wing (Black Scholar Press). She has won numerous awards, including the Cuban National Award in Criticism, and last fall was inducted into the Royal Academy of Cuban Language.

UMBC's Department of Africana Studies is the principal sponsor of Morejón's visit to the United States which also includes lectures at Princeton University, George Washington University and Brooklyn Public Library. The tour coincides with the publication of Singular Like a Bird: The Art of Nancy Morejón (Howard University Press) edited by Miriam DeCosta-Willis, UMBC professor of Africana studies. The collection includes essays by noted Canadian, African and North American scholars, as well as Cuban playwright Gerardo Fulleda León, critic Trinidad Pérez Valdés and singer Marta Valdés.

Morejón's lecture at UMBC is presented by the Department of Africana Studies and the Humanities Forum, a free annual public series that brings nationally and internationally known scholars to discuss contemporary issues in the humanities. For more information, please call 410-455-2158.

Nancy Morejón