Most poets have written ars poetica to define their role and explain the meaning of their poetry for themselves and for society.  Some poets see poetry as a purely verbal act, a creative challenge to revitalize language. Others see themselves as a spokesperson for the silent or a prophet seer to bring awareness to the reader. Many poets are skeptical of the value of their poetry for society; they see their writing as a “useless” act meaningful only for themselves. This panel seeks to examine how different Latin American poets view their poetry and whether their perspective changes or is expanded in times of crisis: civil war, dictatorship, epidemics, revolution, ecological crisis, etc.