Our speaker on January 28, 2020, was Roberto Angelis Lyra, who had previously spoken to our club some time ago. Roberto gave us a dramatic reading of his poetry.
Roberto described himself as a poet, activist, and author. He mentioned that he was raised in a cult from the age of 10 and as part of this experience, had religion kicked into him. He once had his fingers burned to symbolize what may happen if he strayed from the communal religion and ended up in hell, and was pulled out of school at age 16. He has chosen to process these difficult moments in his life by writing, which has helped him come to terms with this time period. He recited or read five different poems, some of which have not been published, that are difficult to summarize here, but which dealt with topics and feelings that he faced as a young man. His poems dealt with Biblical characters such as David and Jonathan and the relationship they had with each other, issues of despair, and finally hope. His experiences were the catalyst that prodded him to write, which in turn, helped him understand the impact his upbringing had on him. It was an interesting and inspiring presentation.