Ekiwah
Adler-Beléndez is a 19-year old poet from Amatlan,
Mexico, a small village an
hour from Mexico City.
The son of a North American father and a Mexican mother, Ekiwah is a poetic
prodigy whose powerful verses have mesmerized Mexico's literary scene. Born
September 14, 1987, Ekiwah is the author of three volumes of poetry: Soy
(I Am); Palabras Inagotables, (Never-ending Words); Weaver
(2003), his first book in English, and The Coyotes Trace, which
features an introduction by Mary Oliver. Ekiwah lives in Massachusetts, has dual citizenship and is
bilingual. He has a younger brother, Dhyan.
Ekiwah began
writing poems and stories at the age of 10. He sent his writing to the Institute of Culture of Morelos (ICM), and upon
reading Ekiwah's poems, the director of the Institute immediately offered to
publish them. In June 2000 Soy (I Am) was published. Ekiwah was
12-years-old. He presented the newly published book to a numerous audience at
the Jardín Borda in Cuernavaca
and became an immediate literary sensation. At 14, Palabras Inagotables
(Never-ending Words), was published, and at 16, Weaver.
Ekiwah, which
means Warrior in the language of the Purepecha, is an appropriate
appellation. He has been battling cerebral palsy at birth—born 10 weeks early
and weighing less than two pounds. Ekiwah writes, "I cannot walk by
myself, yet in my poems I not only walk, but give myself license to have eight
legs and experience movement. When I read a poem, on an ephemeral level I go to
the places the poet describes." His warrior nature also allows him this
wisdom: "I don't feel my cerebral palsy is a battle I have to win. I don't
battle more or less then anyone else—my cerebral palsy is simply there. For me
the connection of my name with my struggle has to do with the fact that I
fought in my birth to live."
Visit Ekiwah's web page