The 2026 Dodge Poetry Festival took place in Downtown Newark, New Jersey from October 15th–17th. Kundiman presented a reading titled “Embodied Connection,” featuring Fatimah Asghar (Daughter of the Mountains), Sanam Sheriff (HUM), and R.A. Villanueva (A Holy Dread).
L to R: R.A. Villanueva, Sanam Sheriff, and Fatimah Asghar.
Following the reading was a Q&A, in which the poets discussed how the camaraderie that they’ve found through spaces like Kundiman has shaped and sustained their writing practices. They also spoke about approaching poetry and art as a container to move through grief and to grapple with absences, on both a personal and collective level.
R.A. Villanueva reads from A Holy Dread.
Sanam Sheriff reads from HUM.
Fatimah Asghar reads from Daughter of the Mountains.
The readers in conversation.
Thank you to the Dodge Poetry Festival and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) for inviting us to take part in this celebration of spoken word and poetry.
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