WAO–UNA TERTULIA Holiday Gathering Will Take Place Next Week

Literature to Life is partnering with Dominican Artists Collective, Dominican Writers Association, and XCLSV Events to present WAO-UNA TERTULIA, a gathering to share ideas and talents centered around Dominican culture, artists, and voices. The event will be held at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, December 22, 2021 in the Library Room at the historic Andrew Freedman Home in the Bronx, NY. Doors will open at 6:30 PM. Tickets are $25 and are available via Literature to Life's website: www.literaturetolife.org

WAO-UNA TERTULIA will feature spoken word performances by the Dominican Artists Collective's performing artists, a live reading of Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo, and a solo performance of Literature to Life's The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz, portrayed by actor Kelvin Grullon. Refreshments, including the classic Dominican cocktail coquito, will be served, and the evening will culminate in a dance party! Funds raised by ticket sales for WAO-UNA TERTULIA will support Literature to Life, Dominican Artists Collective, and Dominican Writers Association.

Literature to Life is a performance-based literacy program that presents professionally staged verbatim adaptations of American literary classics. Founded as the educational program of the American Place Theatre more than three decades ago, LTL carries forward the legacy of founder Wynn Handman, who championed American writers of diverse backgrounds as "voices worth hearing," and is now under the leadership of Literature to Life co-founding Artistic Director, Elise Thoron. In Literature to Life's performances, one actor tells the story, performing all the characters and transforming an important work of contemporary American literature into a live theatrical experience shared in community.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is one of Literature to Life's eight titles. This thrilling adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel chronicles the life of Oscar, an overweight science-fiction enthusiast who dreams of becoming the Dominican J.R.R. Tolkien. Encapsulating magical realism and Dominican-American history, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao presents audiences with an astonishing vision of the contemporary American experience and explores the endless human capacity to persevere, and risk it all in the name of love.

"We jumped at the chance to be a part of a holiday gathering celebrating the performing arts, literature, poetry, and Dominican culture and artists," says Literature to Life Executive Director Lisa Beth Vettoso. "We have worked with Dominican Artists Collective and Dominican Writers Association before and are so glad there's yet another opportunity to connect with them over The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. The spirit of gathering inherent in WAO-UNA TERTULIA speaks to the heart of what we aim to do at Literature to Life. We want our performances to bring people together over great writing. We typically facilitate discussion through talk-backs in the theater or workshops in the classroom, and we are so excited to bring the dialogue to this festive gathering uptown!"