Arturo Mantećon

On the 10/24/25 edition of Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour:

Arturo Mantećon is the first guest of the program. He discusses his move to Alabama to join his grandchildren, and his translations of Leopoldo María Panero. Mantećon highlights Panero’s logical approach to poetry and his psychiatry, while emphasizing that Panero’s institutionalized status does not reflect work that is chaotic. He reads a Panero poem, “Palabora de lectura,” before sharing two of his own poems that aimed to be in conversation with Panero's, titled “Parable of the Dictionary,” and “The four folds of nothingness.”  Mantećon credits Bill Lavender for taking a chance to reissue his translations of Panero and his own original, experimental works. He concludes the episode by sharing another poem about Marinda Melendez.

Arturo Mantecón is a poet and literary translator whose poems have appeared in various reviews and anthologies. His books of translation include three volumes of the collected works of Leopoldo María Panero and selected works by Francisco Ferrer Lerín (for which he won the PEN Oakland Josephine Miles award in 2017) and Mario Santiago Papasquiaro.

 The Poetry Night Reading Series takes place on first and third Thursdays of the month at 7 PM, is generously supported by the people and poets of the Sacramento Valley, by John Natsoulas, Robby Nykodym, and by members of the staff at the John Natsoulas Gallery. Your host will be Dr. Andy Jones, the poet laureate emeritus of the City of Davis. 

Find out more about Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, subscribe to his weekly newsletter at https://andyjones.substack.com.