Literary Event Coverage
Dear planetary friends:
This March 21 marked the commemoration of International Poetry Day, and in different parts of the world, activities were carried out in honor of this date that promotes reading, poetry, and culture. Each country contributed its creativity with in-person and virtual events, turning the weekend into an unforgettable celebration for faithful lovers of the word. The most important thing is to continue cultivating this sonorous and colorful art that is poetry.
Alexander Anchía Vindas, Costa Rican poet and professor, director of the Luciérnagas Poeta Marco Aguilar group. During the poetry event held on March 20 at the Museum of Popular Culture of the National University (UNA) in Heredia, Costa Rica. Photo/Courtesy of Alexander Anchía.
The Poetry School Proyecto Luciérnagas Poeta Marco Aguilar of Costa Rica, in coordination with the Museum of Popular Culture of the National University (UNA), had the pleasant privilege of holding a poetry event on Friday, March 20, in commemoration of International Poetry Day, with the presence of national and international poets. During the event, a posthumous tribute was paid to the Costa Rican poet Marco Aguilar (1944–2023), from whom the Luciérnagas group takes part of its name.
The host poets of the Proyecto Luciérnagas Poeta Marco Aguilar were: José Alejandro Campos, July Quesada, Álvaro Solórzano, Catalina Gaviria, Claudio Regidor (Deputy Director), and Alexander Anchía Vindas (Director). In this literary evening, the voices of poets from other countries also resonated, presented through videos played during the activity: Beatriz Rastaldo and Fernando Vaschetto (Argentina), Félix Llatas (Peru), Miguel Contreras (Dominican Republic), Ashok Chakravarti (India), Dominique Gaucher (Canada), Mónica Velasco (Spain), Marizela Ríos (Mexico), and Valery Dvoinikov (Belgium–Russia).
Poetry tree with biographical summaries. The Luciérnagas School selected the participating poets, who illuminated and adorned one of the house trees. On each floating paper, a poem on the front and its biographical summary on the back. Photo: courtesy of Alexander Anchía Vindas.
This cultural event had something very particular, as the poet Alexander explains:
“This is the first time in Costa Rica that a tree full of the fruits of poetry has been set up, with mostly living poets, representatives from Latin America, Costa Rica, and other parts of the world. A similar initiative was first implemented by the Archaeological-Anthropological Museum of Altino in Italy, between 2010 and 2017, where they even organized a literary contest for this purpose. In our case, the Luciérnagas School selected the participating poets, who shone and decorated one of our home trees; for each little floating paper there is a poem and, on the back, a biography. This tree pays tribute to poetry and will be available to visitors throughout the entire month of March. We invite you to visit it and lose yourself among poems and poets.”
Alexander Anchía Vindas (San José, Costa Rica). He mainly cultivates short stories, micro-stories, and poetry, as well as essays and literary reviews. He was National Secretary of Poetas del Mundo; he received the mention of Ambassador of the Word from the Egidio Serrano Foundation and the title of Ambassador from the Universal Circle of Peace. Since early 2026, he has directed the Poetry School Proyecto Luciérnagas Poeta Marco Aguilar, where he trains new Costa Rican poets. As a teacher, he has been a university professor of Tourism and Spanish as a second language at various institutions.
After the event organized in collaboration with Luis Pablo Orozco, director of the Museum of Popular Culture, I contacted Alexander and asked him some questions about this activity. Below, I share his answers.
The Luciérnagas group at the closing of the evening. From left to right, top row: José Alejandro Campos, July Quesada, Álvaro Solórzano, and Alexander Anchía (director). Bottom row: Malquín González, Claudio Regidor (deputy director), and Catalina Gaviria. Photo: courtesy of Alexander Anchía Vindas.
How was the poetry event held this Friday, March 20?
Simply put: Apotheotic. Without exaggeration, although in making a subjective judgment I may err on the side of modesty. But due to the quality of literary and non-literary artists, the number of people, and the venue, I dare say that our celebration of World Poetry Day was the best or among the top three held in Costa Rica commemorating this date. My dear Poets in Projection are committed to improving the culture of Poetic Appreciation in Costa Rica. Getting more than sixty people to attend an event outside the capital is a great achievement by my students, my deputy director, and myself. Normally, poetry events in established venues in San José attract a maximum of 30 people, and we doubled that number in an alternative location outside San José.
Did relatives of the poet Marco Aguilar attend?
Yes, a sister-in-law, Doña Doris, attended, as well as a close friend, Don Luko, and two brothers, Don Guillermo and Don Gabriel, living brothers of Don Marco. The fact that they attended strengthens the relationship between the Poets in Projection of my school and this poet who, at the national level, went largely unnoticed and focused on his poetic work, but whose figure was able to be honored.
Can you tell us more about the Poetry School Proyecto Luciérnagas, of the poet Marco Aguilar?
It is a workshop that began as an initiative from a basic poetry course that had a set duration and end date. It originated from a course taught in Heredia by the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit between March and May 2025. After that, they decided to continue with me, and I did not want to leave them. During that time, Don Claudio Regidor Fernández, a Costa Rican poet who has participated in several national poetry workshops, joined us, and we continued. This is the first generation of Poets in Projection: Malquin González, Catalina Gaviria, July Quesada, and Álvaro Solórzano.
Perspective of the attending audience and the interior of the main hall of the Museum of Popular Culture, in Heredia, Costa Rica. Photo: courtesy of Alexander Anchía Vindas.
What does the “tree full of the fruits of Poetry” consist of?
To highlight the celebration of World Poetry Day, the museum director, Don Luis Pablo Orozco, decided to adorn a cas tree with colored papers from 35 poets, 35 poems. On one side is the poet’s biography, and on the other, a poem of their authorship. This initiative follows one previously implemented during the summer by the Archaeological Museum of Altino in Italy. This idea was in effect between 2014 and 2019. The Museum of Popular Culture thus becomes the first institution in the Americas to promote this idea.
• The author is a Nicaraguan writer and poet based in Costa Rica.
• Contact: carlosjavierjarquin2690@yahoo.es
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