Itstetl Tonatij : Obsidian Sun — Poetry Across Languages

Special Preview Launch + Poetry Reading + Conversation + Films

Join us for a special preview of Itstetl Tonatij : Obsidian Sun, the forthcoming book of Nahuatl poetry by acclaimed Mexican poet and educator Juan Hernández Ramírez, published by Paper Waves Books. Presented in Nahuatl and Spanish with translations into English, and Mandarin Chinese, this unique collection reflects Hernández Ramírez’s lifelong dedication to preserving and revitalising Indigenous languages and cultural traditions.

Through poems that move between tradition and the present, Hernández Ramírez guides readers into the Nahua underworld, exploring cycles of death and rebirth, memory, transformation, and community.

The event features readings and conversation with Gabriel Covarrubias, Sydney-based artist, publisher, and founder of Paper Waves Books, whose cross-cultural practice spans Mexico, China, and Australia. A short film screening will also deepen the encounter with themes of mortality, the afterlife, Indigenous cosmology and the tradition of Day of the Dead in Mexico.

Part of IMMERSIA Festival 2025, hosted by the ANU School of Culture, History & Language — a celebration of world languages and cultures through art, performance, and conversation. This event is supported by ⁠Clandestino Canberra and ⁠ANU Latin American Students Association. 

The book of poems will be launched formally as part of the ⁠Day of the Dead @ Smiths celebrations in Canberra in late October 2025.