At a Spanish language poetry reading that Emilie Thomas organized in Petaluma recently, a woman proudly read a work by Pablo Neruda, who is from her native Chile. Afterward, the woman told Thomas that she has lived in Petaluma for 25 years, and no one has ever shown interest in her homeland.
“She said, ‘This is what I have been craving,’” Thomas said. “Our Latino friends, they light up when you value them for who they are.”
The exchange encapsulated the purpose of Cafe Puente, a new nonprofit that Thomas founded in Petaluma to bring together Spanish learners with native Spanish speakers. The benefits are twofold — Spanish students get a chance to practice in a conversational setting with patient native speakers, and the native speakers have a venue to celebrate their culture.
“It’s an opportunity to bring people together,” Thomas said. “It’s a win-win for everyone.”
Thomas started Cafe Puente (Spanish for “bridge”) as the nonprofit arm of Marin Spanish School, which offers private Spanish classes in Mill Valley and recently opened a Petaluma location. The “social impact cafe” so far has hosted two pop-up events, including the poetry night March 9 at Keller Street CoWork.
About 70 people showed up for the event that was solely in Spanish, said Thomas, who studied in Spain and Chile and has lived in Petaluma for three years.
To read the full article, written by Matt Brown, click HERE
Comments (0)