Poet Valerie Martínez Reads from COUNT in Albuquerque

When: Sunday, April 30, 2023, 1 p.m.

Where: Albuquerque Museum, 2000 Mountain Rd NW, Albuquerque, NM

Valerie Martínez will read from her book-length poem, COUNT, with musical accompaniment from the world premiere of “As the Waters Began to Rise,” a vocal work composed by University of New Mexico’s Peter Gilbert. The event will take place at the Albuquerque Museum in partnership with the Museum Store.

The event is free and open to the public, sponsored by The City of Albuquerque Department of Arts & Culture. The first ten attendees who arrive after 12:30 p.m. will receive a free, signed edition of COUNT.

COUNT is a book-length, eco-poem that confronts the tragic reality of climate change. The book contains 43 sections of myth-gathering, accounts of climate devastation, personal narratives, descriptions of flora and fauna, references to works of eco-art, and evocations of children, so as to shed light on climate change. Martínez uses earth wisdom and culture to help guide readers through the crises.

The title comes from the book’s central metaphor—the process of counting: counting down to extinction, counting the wonders of the world, and counting our way back to the balance we need to save the world from climate destruction. Filled with a sense of grief and sorrow, COUNT also offers the hope that future generations will be able to live on a healthy planet.

The book will be for sale at the museum bookstore on April 30, and Martínez will sign books after the reading.