Poet and author Xánath Caraza was the guest of honor at the Woodneath Library Center during a special program Sept. 15.

The program, which is an installment of Park University’s Ethnic Voices Poetry Series, was an event presented in partnership between Park University and New Letters on the Air, and partially funded by the Missouri Arts Council.

According to a program for the event, Caraza’s published works include the poetry collections “Silabas de viento” and “Noche de Colibries: Ekphrastic Poems” as well as a collection of short stories entitled “Lo que trae la marea/What the Tide Brings.”

She is also a recipient of recognition by the 2014 International Book Awards and a Pushcart Prize nomination.

Angela Elam, radio host of New Letters on the Air, interviewed Caraza about the influences in her work.

The conversation was recorded for a radio broadcast. During the interview Caraza read selected poems from her books and shared stories of her childhood in her native country of Mexico.

A member of the audience asked Caraza what the greatest challenge in translating her culture was.

“Trying to make readers feel and see through my words,” she replied to the question. “I write in senses.”

Caraza said she always writes her works in Spanish first, so as not to stifle the flow of her creativity. After she is finished, it is only then that they are translated into English.

“I had to stop myself from translating them until they were complete because I found that I became too concerned with how it sounded, how it flowed,” Caraza said.

She added that she now has people who do the translating for her.

Some of the more frequent themes carried in Caraza’s poetry appears to be colors.

“I am a visual person,” she said.

Women also seem to dominate her poetic musings and when asked about this, she recanted memories of her bilingual mother and grandmother and aunts who would visit often during her childhood. She said these women had great influences in her life.

In addition to writing and traveling, Caraza also teaches at UMKC. When asked how she came to Kansas City area, Caraza spoke of moving from Mexico to Vermont, where she lived for three years before relocating to Kansas City.

“It’s the perfect city for me,” Caraza said.

Caraza wrapped up the interview with Elam by reading her poem “Let Poetry,” a poem about all the lives a poem can lead.

“I live life to the extreme because we don’t know what will happen tomorrow,” said Caraza.