CantoMundo 2011 (2)

2011 CantoMundo Fellow

Manuel Paul Lopez

(photo credit: Eduardo C. Corral)

Among the many highlights of the recently concluded CantoMundo gathering was finally getting to meet and hear San Diego-based poet, Manuel Paul López. I had first come across Paul's work back in 2004 when he submitted a manuscript to the inaugural edition of the Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize. In our initial e-correspondence, he expressed what an impact Andrés Montoya's work had had on him when he first encountered it, and that he wanted to be a part in that first edition of the Prize--by submitting to it. Although his manuscript was not selected, it wasn't long before he made a terrific debut, winning The Dorothy Brunsman Poetry Prize leading to the publication of Death of a Mexican & Other Poems (Bear Star Press, 2006). He's recently published a chapbook of prose title 1984, which I'm looking forward to reading:

***

In the meantime, Eduardo C. Corral has posted more pics!