Brian Ler on WNYC. So if you commuted through Newark this morning, did you fight the urge to start rhyming?

I wouldn't be surprised if you had to since downtown Newark is the venue now

for the country's largest poetry festival. Did you know that with events free and ticketed,

in person and virtual through tomorrow? This marks the 20th iteration of the festival with an

expanded program that's been active in the community all year.

To tell us more about the mission of the festival and some of the events to catch and to talk a little bit about poetry itself,

I'm joined by two guests, David Rodriguez, NJ. Pax, Executive Vice President and Executive Producer,

and Carida de la Luz, known as La Brue.

We don't have La Brouha yet? Okay, known as La Bruja. We don't have La Bruja yet.

Okay, known as La Bruja, an Emmy-winning spoken word poet, activist, actor, and executive

director of the New York Rican Poets Cafe, as some of you know, who, by the way, was

named a Bronx Living Legend as well by the Bronx Music Heritage Center.

So Dave Rodriguez, welcome to WNYC.

Thanks for having me, Brian.

Good morning.

And I see we'll have La Bruja on the line in just a second.

So Dave, you want to start by just talking a little bit about the scope of the festival this year and what's left for later today and tomorrow?

Sure. It's the 20th anniversary of the festival, which means it happens every other year. So this is 40 years.

And it certainly has spent the last, almost the last 20 here at New Jersey Performing Arts Center here in Newark.

As I said, it's the largest in the country.

It's a portrait festival for everybody.

I think particularly this year, it's a little different than what it has been in the past

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