Gatherings at border break down barriers

Artists on both sides of fence turn monthly poetry readings into cultural celebrations

By Marty Graham
November 15, 2008

Poets Brandon Cesmat, Chris Vannoy, Francisco Bustos and Delfino Rodriguez Rodriguez stood in the concrete circle just yards from the ocean, waiting their turns to read poetry to each other as music swelled from a party to the south.

For a moment, the rusting steel mesh fence that slashes through the middle – dividing the United States and Mexico – looked like a failing curtain.
“If you stand close enough, it seems to disappear,â€