I would like to start this brief reflection on
CantoMundo, with first year CantoMundo fellow, Juan Luis Guzman’s words: I believe, I believe, I believe. And yet
as I think back to my own first time CantoMundo experience I realize it took me a long while to come to believe. My
first CantoMundo experience back in the summer of 2010 was one of anxiety.
Being the youngest there and the least developed in my career as a writer made
me ask myself: what right do I have
being here? And yet that experience—that space rather—proved to be more
than formative in my development. The experience and knowledge—the friendship
and mentorship made there—encouraged me to continue with my pursuit of writing.
In short, my collaborations with Letras Latinas and my candidacy in poetry at
Notre Dame’s MFA in Creative Writing Program are possible only because of the
seeds—unbeknown to me—planted there.
In introducing these brief testimonios by first year CantoMundo fellows, I keep going back to
CantoMundo’s mission statement: “Through workshops, symposia, and public
readings, CantoMundo provides a space for the creation, documentation, and
critical analysis of Latino/a poetry.” And I keep going back to the word
“collaboration,” this word more than any other word captures for me the spirit
of CantoMundo 2012. Collaboration for me implies a creative friction, a flint
of the imagination that can light the fireplace of what has truly become a home
for Latino/a poetics. In short, I too believe.
--LV
*
Elizabeth Acevedo
CantoMundo changed entirely where I see myself in
the landscape of Latino poetry. Being mostly familiar with my contemporaries in
spoken word, and largely on the East Coast, CantoMundo offered me the
opportunity to see the breadth of work that is being produced by poets of
different styles, ages, and interests on a national level. Most impressive is
the poetic works that CantoMundistas dedicate themselves to outside of writing.
It moved me to begin considering how I use my times to push forward the art of
writing.
Very rarely have I ever experienced such a
supportive and understanding couple of days with complete strangers.
*
Anthony
Cody
I arrive in a hurried
flood. Overwhelmed in reading packets, handshakes and introductions with those
whose books I have read or social media posts I have liked. I am flooded in
emotion and cannot speak. I listen as we begin telling stories of one another
and discover paths that intersect and intertwine. My story becomes your story
becomes our story. Suddenly, a circle of strangers, becomes community, becomes
family.
And within that family,
I find sanctuary. Discussions of poetics and writing exercises become
experimentation moments in which I examine and reflect upon my impact within a
movement and generate work from an internal speaker freed by the words of
keynote lecturer, E. Ethelbert Miller. Miller, noting that a poet must
transform from poet as witness to poet as literary activist to create
meaningful change within a diverse and often unheard community. In his words and within this
family, my creative and community energies replenish.
The energy continues
day after day and deep into every night as we sit together. Together, in a
group that I am humbled to have included distinguished poets Aracelis Girmay
and Roberto Tejada, we laugh, we write and we cry. Tears, not of sadness, but
in the discovery that despite the solitary act of writing, we are not alone.
And, as I leave CantoMundo 2012, I discern that there is now
peace within my poetics, within my identity, within this movement, within
myself.
*
Michael
Dauro
CantoMundo has been pivotal not only in my growth as
a poet, but also as a member of the community. In the literary world there is
much pressure for awards, recognition, and the interests for the individual.
And while we can all agree that poetry is indeed transformative, what is
transformation without community? CantoMundo has shown me that true
transformation is not a solitary act.
CantoMundo has influenced my poetry, but most importantly it has
inspired me to take part in, and to devote time to community programs, to
change lives though poetry.
CantoMundo was a weekend full of wonderment and
admiration for the founders, fellows, and faculty. I cannot recall another time
where I was in the company of so many talented, brilliant poets and scholars. I
have learned so much in such a short period of time and I have created many
close bonds with fellow Latina/o poets.
*
Angel
Garcia
I’ll
start with a cliché, since unfortunately, that is what typically comes first:
after a weekend in Austin, Texas, I find it difficult to find the words to
describe my experience as a new CantoMundo fellow.
What
comes more easily is sound and sensation.
Over the weekend, during wonderful thought-provoking presentations and
readings of poetry I clearly remember hearing the quintessential “mmm” and
“ooh” typical of one being overwhelmed by meaningful and beautiful poems; the
deep-gut rumble of laughter coming from the inner spaces of the soul; and
finally, the rumbling sensation of being brought to tears by someone speaking
their truth, their experience, their poetry, their connection to poetry.
But
of course, there are words that can explain all of this. There are always words. I think of these: Community;
Poetry; Family; Inspiration;
Clica; Creativity; Magic; and Memory.
Yes,
there are always words. But meaning is
always subjective. I know what
CantoMundo now means for me. I encourage
others to discover theirs.
*
Carmen
Giménez Smith
I am still trilling from the time I spent in Austin
with the faculty, founders, and CantoMundo fellows. So much of the thinking I
do about my life as a Latina poet happens in my head, so it was remarkable and important
for me to be surrounded by poets who were eager to have this
ongoing and vital conversation.
One of the most important engagements for me was the panel on the past, present, and future of Latino poetics. I was reminded, not only of the wide range of aesthetic approaches to engaging with identity politics, but also with the important sense of urgency and activism that emerged from the conversation. As a result, I’ve been thinking about the different ways I could do more as a poet, editor, and publisher.
The connections, the informal conversations, the laughing, the camaraderie, and the collaborations—they changed me. I come back to my work revitalized and eager to deepen my connection to this amazing community. I am so grateful to have been accepted as a CantoMundo fellow, and I look forward to the future with this vital group.
ongoing and vital conversation.
One of the most important engagements for me was the panel on the past, present, and future of Latino poetics. I was reminded, not only of the wide range of aesthetic approaches to engaging with identity politics, but also with the important sense of urgency and activism that emerged from the conversation. As a result, I’ve been thinking about the different ways I could do more as a poet, editor, and publisher.
The connections, the informal conversations, the laughing, the camaraderie, and the collaborations—they changed me. I come back to my work revitalized and eager to deepen my connection to this amazing community. I am so grateful to have been accepted as a CantoMundo fellow, and I look forward to the future with this vital group.
*
Juan
Luis Guzmán
Mi testimonio es así: I believe, I believe, I
believe.
There is awesome and transformative power in
community. If you’re lucky, coming together with community can be a baptism of
sorts, something like purification. For me, CantoMundo was more than this. CantoMundo
was complete rebirth. I found myself challenged by the other fellows,
discombobulated by workshop lectures and faculty notes, and torn to pieces by
masterful readings and discussions. In the midst of this, I had time to
reassemble myself, to discard what wasn’t working, and to weld the familiar
fragments of myself to the newly discovered pieces. In the end, I boarded the
plane wearing beautiful new skin and asking myself the same question keynote
speaker and editor of Poet Lore E.
Ethelbert Miller asked of us on the first full day of the retreat: what else
are you doing for poetry, besides writing it? How can you begin to give service
to the field of poetry?
It’s true, CantoMundo is home to the most talented Latina/o
voices from across the country. But being there, one only feels extreme
gratitude and the fortune of standing close enough to the embers to feel such heat.
*
I find it difficult to be in one place. Even
my sleep is generally unsettled. I find myself perpetually dancing from
here to there to somewhere else. I feared, coming to CantoMundo, that I
would have nothing to say, nothing to offer, that I would not belong to its
world. With this in mind, I found it surprising how easily I felt myself slip
into community, found myself saying over and over that I wanted more. In
just a few short days, CantoMundo came to feel like home.
CantoMundo poets burn. There is a passionate investment in writing and in community. To be part of a community of poets dedicated to transformational change and social activism galvanized me. From E. Ethelbert Miller’s call for the building of institutions to Roberto Tejada’s critical investigation of the spaces of writing to Aracelis Girmay’s sharp visions, depth of love, and brilliant guidance in writing exercises, my mind was pushed and my heart was opened. In these spaces, in their poems, and in their presence, CantoMundo poets blossomed, exploded, cut, razed, rebuilt, laughed, cried, and I was among them, a part of this community. I am near tears writing this as I am joyful for what has been and aching for more. I am looking forward to the homecoming.
CantoMundo poets burn. There is a passionate investment in writing and in community. To be part of a community of poets dedicated to transformational change and social activism galvanized me. From E. Ethelbert Miller’s call for the building of institutions to Roberto Tejada’s critical investigation of the spaces of writing to Aracelis Girmay’s sharp visions, depth of love, and brilliant guidance in writing exercises, my mind was pushed and my heart was opened. In these spaces, in their poems, and in their presence, CantoMundo poets blossomed, exploded, cut, razed, rebuilt, laughed, cried, and I was among them, a part of this community. I am near tears writing this as I am joyful for what has been and aching for more. I am looking forward to the homecoming.
*
Javier Zamora
After CantoMundo, I read an essay by Roberto Bolaño,
“Literature + Illness = Illness,” in which he discusses encapsulation or “an
image retained and metabolized by the body, fixed in historical memory, the
solidification of chance and fate.” I first met all the CantoMundistas inside a
small classroom for the opening circle; the air was filled with our ancestors,
with poetry, with chance, and with fate. Listening to CantoMundistas introduce
other fellows they’d just met, sharing what they wanted to plant or bury in
those four days, the grateful smiles throughout the room, was a spiritual
experience. I was not aware of it while it was happening, but at the end of the
opening circle, when I thanked CantoMundo co-founder Norma Cantu for the
opportunity and the positive energy in the room; she responded with a radiant
smile, “you felt that too?”
Throughout my four days in Austin I had plenty of
mesmerizing moments and I can be quoted as saying “I’m in the verge of tears”
almost every hour. Like we remember our first kiss, our first popsicle, our
first plane ride, there is nothing that compares to that first time. I will
encapsulate my first CantoMundo through that opening circle; that first moment
I wanted to succumb to tears of thanks, that first moment I knew it was fate I
was in that room filled with poets I admired.
*****
Elizabeth
Acevedo
ELIZABETH ACEVEDO is the daughter
of Dominican immigrants, proudly born and raised in the heart of New York City.
Through poetry that is infused with hip-hop and bolero she uses her words as a
way to translate the world. Slamming since she was 14, Acevedo has featured at several
prestigious venues such as the The Kennedy Center of the Performing Arts, The
Kodak Theatre, and Madison Square Garden. She has graced the stage besides such
renowned artist as Lupe Fiasco, M1 from Dead Prez, Stacyann Chin and Lemon from
Def Poetry Jam on Broadway. She was a featured poet for BET’s You(th) Speak Out
national public service announcement, as well as a featured poet in their
political slam during the 2008 elections. Other television appearances include
the third season of Mun2’s The Chica’s Project as well as season 3 of BET J's
Lyric Café. Elizabeth was also a featured poet in the publication Off the
Subject: The Words of Lyrical Circle, featuring a foreword by the Grammy
nominated Sekou Sundiata and an afterword by Nikki Giovanni.
*
Anthony
Cody
Anthony Cody was born in Fresno, California to
children of born from immigrants of the Dust Bowl and Bracero Program. A
graduate of CSU-Fresno, Anthony has been writing poetry since reading a poem in
Spanish, he is a member of the Hmong
American Writers’ Circle. Anthony writes to capture the complexities of
each moment and hopes that through writing, he, as well as others, can further
understand our journey. His work has been previously published in 187 Reasons Mexicanos Can’t Cross The
Border: Undocuments 1971-2007 (City Lights) and How Do I Begin?: A Hmong American Literary Anthology (Heyday), in
which he was also co-editor. He currently lives in New York, NY.
*
Michael
Dauro
Michael Dauro is a graduate of Indiana University’s
Creative Writing MFA Program. Before graduate school he lived in Japan for six
years where he taught English through drama and the stage. While in Japan he
studied Haiku, Calligraphy and the Shakuhachi. Michael has been nominated for
an AWP Intro Award, and most recently was named a finalist for the 2012-2013 Madeline P. Plonsker Emerging
Writers Residency.
*
Angel
Garcia
Angel Garcia has lived in several cities throughout
Southern California. He has worked in
the field of education for several years as a tutor, residential advisor,
instructor, and most recently as a coordinator for an educational non-profit in
El Monte, CA. Angel is currently
completing his first collection of poetry and working on several nonfiction
essays about Chicano masculinity.
*
Carmen
Giménez Smith
Carmen
Giménez Smith is the author of a memoir, Bring
Down the Little Birds (University of Arizona, 2010) and four poetry
collections—Gender Fables (University
of Arizona, 2013), Goodbye, Flicker(University
of Massachusetts, 2012), The City She Was
(Center for Literary Publishing, 2011) and Odalisque
in Pieces (University of Arizona, 2009). She teaches in the creative
writing program at New Mexico State University, while serving as the
editor-in-chief of theliterary journal Puerto del Sol and the publisher of
Noemi Press.
*
Juan
Luis Guzmán
Juan Luis Guzmán was born and raised in California’s
Central Valley, where he earned an MFA in Creative Writing from CSU, Fresno. A
member of the Macondo Writers Workshop, his work has appeared in such journals
as the San Joaquin Review and BorderSenses, and is forthcoming in Huizache. He teaches composition and
community poetry workshops around the Valley and is at work on his first
collection of poetry. He is a 2012 CantoMundo Fellow.
*
Raina J. León,
PhD, CantoMundo fellow (2012), Cave Canem graduate fellow (2006) and member of
the Carolina African American Writers Collective, has been published in
numerous publications such as Natural Bridge, African American Review, OCHO,
Black Arts Quarterly, Poem.Memoir.Story, The Packinghouse Review, among others.
Her first collection of poetry, Canticle
of Idols, was a finalist for both the Cave Canem First Book Poetry Prize
(2005) and the Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize (2006). Boogeyman Dawn (2013)
was a finalist for the Naomi Long Magdett Poetry Prize (May 2010). She
co-founded The Acentos Review (June
2008), an international quarterly online review fostering the work of Latina
and Latino artists and writers. She is currently an assistant professor in the
Single Subject Credential Program-English at St. Mary’s College of California.
*
Javier Zamora
Javier Zamora was born in La
Herradura, La Paz, El Salvador. At the age of nine he immigrated to the
Yunaited Estais. His chapbook, Nine
Immigrant Years, is the winner of the 2011 Organic Weapon
Arts Chapbook Contest. Zamora is a CantoMundo fellow and a Breadloaf
work-study scholarship recipient. He has received scholarships from Frost
Place, Napa Valley, Squaw Valley, and VONA. His poems appear or are forthcoming
in DirtyLaundryLit, Good
Times Magazine, New Border, Phat’titude, The Homestead Review, Spillway Magazine, among other journals.
He will attend NYU’s MFA program in Fall 2012.
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