I’ll be reading at Last Fridays Poetry, August 29, 8 p.m., at Esquina Event Space, 4602 N. Western Ave., Chicago (corner of Western and Wilson Avenues). This is a small, very supportive event, and you’re welcome to come and enjoy or to read, even if you’ve never read in public before. We’ll be glad to see you.

I’ll be reading a work of my own, Marks of Time, and a poem by Amado Nervo, “En paz,” in Spanish and two different translations I made of it. This is my husband’s favorite poem in Spanish.

Expect another five to ten readers. Again, you could be one of them. There are no restrictions on what you can read, but please keep it brief.

A friend of mine, Mike, created this event as a friendly, creative, comfortable space. I have come to believe that not everyone gets to experience creative spaces as a regular part of their life.

What convinced me of that are the reactions I’ve seen at C2E2, the Chicago Comics and Entertainment Expo. It’s a huge event attended by tens of thousands of people where every kind of creativity is welcome, from costumes to visual art to writing to film-making and more. On the city bus going there, you can feel the joy among attendees. This is where they will finally find their people.

The world needs more exceptional spaces like that, large and small. For me, time spent with artists, writers, costumers, actors and other creators and seeing what they do always energizes me. That’s why I value Last Fridays. It’s like an oasis.