Published June 27th, 2025 News
“in a land of exiles / in fact / she is not alone,” writes Yuko Otomo in her poetry collection anonymous landscape (Lithic Press 2019). At Tint’s first reading event overseas, in the heart of Brooklyn, New York City, this poignant stanza took shape and tucked the readers and the guests in its gentle embrace.
The poets Iva Ticic and Yuko Otomo each had moved to New York City in their middle to late twenties and have since then worked and created in this intensely multicultural global hub. Originally from Croatia and Japan with Croatian and Japanese as their first languages, respectively, they have made their poetic homes in the English language. At this poetry reading, they presented excerpts from their writing practice to the audience that reflects — sometimes to larger, sometimes to smaller extents — their relationship to different cultures, languages, and places on this Earth.
After welcoming words by the moderators of the evening, Tint Editor-in-Chief Lisa Schantl and Poetry Editor John Salimbene, and a musical overture by guitarist Jarrod Annis, Iva Ticic performed as the first of the two poets in the cozy outdoor space in the backyard of Unnameable Books. She read from her collections Alice in Greenpoint (Finishing Line Press, 2015) and The Skywriter (New Meridian Arts, 2022), and further shared an as of yet unpublished string of short essays on her recent experience when revisiting China this year with the audience.
Abiding the sweltering heat that wouldn’t let go of the city even as the sun had long set, Yuko Otomo presented excerpts from her most recent collection PINK (Lithic Press, 2024). Her work frequently explores the meaning of colors, and after her performance, the audience was without any doubt bathing in pink hues and soundcloudes.
The event came to an end with an open Q&A, and another beautiful piece on the guitar by Jarrod Annis.
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Conception and organization: Lisa Schantl
Event moderation: John Salimbene & Lisa Schantl
Cooperation partners & friends: Unnameable Books
Supported by: Land Steiermark Cultural Department, Stadt Graz Cultural Department, University of Graz
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