This collection features the Spoken Connections Workshop along with four Smithsonian Latino Center programs celebrating Latino poetry and spoken word. This collection is for middle school and high school students, along with life-long learners, with an interest exploring world cultures, language arts, and creative writing.

This workshop PDF includes poetry from Puerto Rican and African American poets, including Martin Espada. The collection includes activities on defining culture and brainstorming your cultural home. Through these activities, learners will develop further understanding on culture characteristics, values, and how culture influences our everyday lives. Skills developed through this collection include interpersonal and intrapersonal conversations, learning how to use graphic organizers, and developing creative writing skills using vehicles such as free response and poetry. 

This collection also features Smithsonian Latino Center Poetry Programs to complement the activity itself through visual performance. Caridad De La Luz aka La Bruja (New York City) and Francisco X. Alarcón (Los Angeles/Davis) honor memory and ancestors during Day of the Dead, Quique Avilés (Washington, DC), Leticia Hernández-Linares (Los Angeles/San Francisco), Raquel Gutiérrez (Los Angeles/Bay Area), and José B. González (Connecticut) perform at a special enceuntro or encounter of Salvadoran poets. A memorable event of music and spoken word curated by Luis Alberto Ambroggio featured performances by local poets Alberto Avendaño, Quique Avilés, Naomi Ayala, José Ballesteros, Consuelo Hernández, Samuel Miranda, Egla Morales, and Carlos Parada, with music by singer/songwriter Patricio Zamorano and his band.