tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33482833510053100412024-03-13T10:15:46.538-05:00Letras Latinas BlogFrancisco Aragónhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17324802869512989420noreply@blogger.comBlogger863125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348283351005310041.post-32654704253937922762023-05-02T14:37:00.000-05:002023-05-02T14:37:14.371-05:00Letras Latinas Blog 2: A New Iteration of Our Blog<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.letraslatinasblog2.com/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGD3Po2YaqNnuDyCeVyIwUn4c3U2ItQaFKtjrQ8kUuK_f1pDAk4Fbkb77NyMGj_orpzTavtFjiW2KTG01BPizBK6ADyM3KRplgr_HkO8FvQOJ7ivrbvHayFVn96DApDQ2zePKH5UB1cP0jEj4AHlBUDrZWBK-L314poe0QBNZqZj6hmzq-XYjBgau3DA/s320/Letras%20Latinas%20Blog%20white%20background.%20jpg.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-family: lato-light, lato, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">We are very excited to direct your attention to the </span><span style="font-family: lato-light, lato, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">new, revamped blog, </span><span class="wixui-rich-text__text" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-family: lato-light, lato, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Letras Latinas Blog 2 </span><span style="font-family: lato-light, lato, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">(LLB2). Please visit the new site here: </span><a href="https://www.letraslatinasblog2.com/" target="_blank">https://www.letraslatinasblog2.com/</a><span style="color: red; font-family: lato-light, lato, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.letraslatinasblog2.com/" target="_blank"></a></span><br /><span style="font-family: lato-light, lato, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: lato-light, lato, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">LLB2 offers insight and commentary on contemporary letters, especially poetry. We aspire to publish reviews, interviews, brief essays, and roundtable discussions. We also occasionally re-frame material presented elsewhere on the web, including past </span><span style="color: red;"><a href="https://latinostudies.nd.edu/news-events/letras-latinas/">Letras Latinas</a> </span><span style="font-family: lato-light, lato, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">collaborations. LLB2 is the next iteration of</span> <a href="http://letraslatinasblog.blogspot.com/">Letras Latinas Blog</a><span style="font-family: lato-light, lato, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">, which we hope you continue to visit and share with your friends and colleagues. </span></div><p></p>Brent Ameneyrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03140999508928545532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348283351005310041.post-84810281840870513102023-01-20T12:54:00.005-05:002023-01-20T20:52:07.692-05:00Warp & Weft: Reviews in Conversation - Golden Ax by Rio Cortez<p><br /></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYW5r_VEPve0EmFBKWLoiIKhVGIRuj55d3KOH0YhesSQLFM0-yRsgqzGZu0WXIN02xf97-UOJjI38hw3Z-3jrZeOLSfqbEc1GRVI_GtmJTuwD8_kBGrwaTzpN9VB2TX_cnlzSMhd1O8K6Rcid8i0FeqYQ35pVfmYGAjOwZnehWTiTgtkSKXG4K0l2UGQ/s450/golden%20ax.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="293" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYW5r_VEPve0EmFBKWLoiIKhVGIRuj55d3KOH0YhesSQLFM0-yRsgqzGZu0WXIN02xf97-UOJjI38hw3Z-3jrZeOLSfqbEc1GRVI_GtmJTuwD8_kBGrwaTzpN9VB2TX_cnlzSMhd1O8K6Rcid8i0FeqYQ35pVfmYGAjOwZnehWTiTgtkSKXG4K0l2UGQ/s320/golden%20ax.jpg" width="208" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/696963/golden-ax-by-rio-cortez/" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Golden Ax </span></i></b><b><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">by Rio Cortez</span></b></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><br />$18.00 | Penguin Books | Aug 30, 2022 | 80
Pages | ISBN: 9780143137139</span><span lang="EN" style="background: yellow; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: yellow;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Laura
Villareal (LV): I never know where to begin when reviewing a poetry book. Often
I’m overwhelmed with all the exciting moves and turns of a book and want to
speak on them all at once. Let’s begin, perhaps, with initial impressions? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Alfredo
Aguilar (AA): Unsurprisingly, I found myself drawn to this book’s first section
with its descriptions and meditations on and inside of the specific landscapes
of Utah. I was struck by how place is used as somewhere to begin thinking about
the speaker’s origins, as through the course of the poems it becomes clearer
that one single origin is not only impossible, but also maybe beside the point.
Perhaps there is a kind of freedom in having multiple points of beginning as in
the end of the poem “I learn to shoot a bow,” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">With two birth stories. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In one story I come from a sea god <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">with the forest as my mother, and in<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">the other, I have no mother at all<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">LV:
I want to come back to your point about multiple origins and discuss “I learn
to shoot a bow” a bit deeper later, but could you speak a bit more about why
you found yourself drawn to the first section’s descriptions? In the years that
I’ve known you, you’re often drawn towards mountains because it's a familiar
landscape to your upbringing in Southern California. Do you think that played a
role in why you were drawn to the first section? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">While
you found yourself drawn to the landscape and locality of the book, I was drawn
toward the temporality of the poems. The mix of past, present, future,
intersecting time, and imagined time that happens as Rio Cortez invents the
future, looks towards familial history, reimagines the speaker in pre-existing
contexts, and reckons with how time influences the present.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Admittedly,
I feel that what each of us is drawn to in this book is very telling of how we
both write and think about poems. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">AA:
I think that familiarity definitely played a role in my being drawn to the
first portion of the book. For me markers in the landscape, especially
mountains, have always served as a way to orient myself in the world; to tell
me where I was, how far from home. I felt a resonance in how the speaker
relates to landscape, however there is a distinct searching for how they have
arrived at where they find themselves. I’m thinking here on the poem “A Class
Distinction” and the lines, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It’s possible <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I wasn’t born from mountains at all <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">but a valley.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What is lower <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">than a valley? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There
is something here about a questioning of what the speaker assumed has been a
kind of origin and wondering if that origin is located under and deeper than
where they first thought. Throughout a number of poems in the first section
there is also distinct sci-fi imagery running alongside the landscape in this
searching which makes for strange and compelling poems. How do you think about
the temporality of the book and poems in relation to Afrofuturism and
Afropioneerism that the author mentions at the front of the collection? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">LV:
To best answer that, I think it’s necessary to quote Cortez herself. In the
Author’s Note, she says: “Much like the way Afrofuturism seeks to envision a
future for Black people at the intersection of imagination and science fiction,
a future that also seeks to remember the Black past, in many ways <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Golden Ax</i> hopes to find its place and
definition as a work of ‘Afropioneerism’ or ‘Afrofrontierism’<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">—</b>terms that describe and inform my
family ancestry and experience. This work is autobiographical, but it is also a
work of imagined history.” I approach temporality with Cortez’s note in mind,
and inevitably with the work of Afrofuturists like Octavia Butler (especially
since we’ve been watching Hulu’s adaptation of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Kindred</i>) and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Tananarive
Due. The past, present, and future are inextricable from one another. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Something
else that came to mind when thinking about temporality was Dr. Alan Pelaez
Lopez’s book <i><a href="https://www.theoperatingsystem.org/oa_library/intergalactic-travels/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Intergalactic Travels: poems from a fugitive alien</span></a></i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(The Operating System, 2020). There’s a poem called “An
Artist Manifesto For Black &/or Indigenous Folk Surviving Empire.” In it
Dr. Pelaez Lopez writes, “I believe in the Ghanaian concept of Sankofa: we must
always go back and get that which we have lost. What we have lost as an
African-diasporic people, an Indigenous people, as queer people, as trans
people, and as undocumented people is memory.” In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Golden Ax</i>, I see Cortez reaching back to retrieve the history of
her family’s enslavement, their migration, and the life they built in Utah. The
speaker in her poems tries to make sense of her place in the world as a person
through this retrieval. Both books write towards the reclamation of history and
acknowledge what has been lost. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">At
times the blur between autobiography and imagined history intersect for
Cortez’s speakers so they’re in multiple temporalities at once. There are also
poems that feel outside of time as if abandoning the constraints of past,
future, and present allow the speakers to live and create more freely. I felt
like the three sections could be read as the past, present, and future with a
few instances where time overlaps or is intertwined. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Since
you mentioned sci-fi imagery, maybe we should look at “Covered Wagon as
Spaceship” together. The sonnet begins “Standing unseen in the little bluestem,
/ curious and not quite used to living,.” The first line reads as a present
moment, but it is turned by the second that contains knowledge that feels like
it can only be gained from looking back. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A
major theme of Afrofuturism is alienation which can be seen in several poems in
this collection– a sort of unbelonging and what you’ve called searching.
“Covered Wagon as Spaceship” feels like the most explicit example. The ending
reads: <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">for understanding: how do you come <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">to be where there are no others, except <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">science fiction? I am a child feeling<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">extraterrestrial; whose history, untold,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">is not enough. Anyway, it begins with abduction<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’m
struck by the revelation that this poem is about the speaker as a child perhaps
because child logic fascinates me– how not yet having enough information often
leads to invented solutions and conclusions like here. The final conclusion
“Anyway, it begins with abduction” is spot on though. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">AA:
Since we’re touching on the Author’s Note, I wanted to mention Sadiya Hartman’s
idea of critical fabulation which deals with writing into the gaps of the
archive. As the author notes, there is so much that is lost to those whose
“histories are cut short by the design of transatlantic slavery.” I feel like
the idea of critical fabulation is in conversation with a number of the poems
in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Golden Ax</i> that write into what the
author describes as that “imagined history.” In a place where there is little
or no recorded memory, the writer takes what is left to them then imagines and
writes into those gaps. The imagination then becomes a source or tool in
finding an origin. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Yes,
the child’s perspective is so compelling in “Covered Wagon as Spaceship.”
Finding no suitable explanation for how the speaker understands how they or
their family arrived in Utah she considers “whether it's aliens / that brought
Black folks to the canyons, valley.” I think this consideration is strange,
humorous, compelling, and maybe a bit sad. Sad because the speaker can’t or
hasn’t yet found a satisfactory explanation for their being in a place they
call home, though the speaker’s roots go back generations. This speaks to both
the feeling of being alien and sense of alienation and feels related or like a
way to talk about race through the lens of science fiction, which the genre
often codes. There is also a bit of humor here too though; like the only
explanation that makes sense to this child speaker for why they are in Utah is
aliens. Of course! And while there is the very serious reading in the last line
of being stolen, it is simultaneously conveyed in a somewhat off handed tone:
“Anyway, it begins with abduction.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">LV:
I’m glad you brought up Sadiya Hartman’s idea of critical fabulation. Critical
fabulation is a powerful tool in claiming and reclaiming space in the archive.
To invoke another writer, I’m also reminded of John Keene’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Counternarratives</i>, which utilizes
“counternarration” as a throughline in the stories. Whether a writer calls the
ongoing project that is addressing the archives failures “critical fabulation”
or “counternarration,” I’m always interested in how these approaches differ but
often have a similar goal of recovering the past to imagine the future. Cortez<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>is doing comparable work in how she
combines pieces of the archive with speculation to illuminate various aspects
of identity, history, and freedom or lack thereof. Since I brought up John
Keene, I’m now thinking about the poems in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Golden
Ax </i>that<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>recast existing white TV
and movies characters as Black: “Black Annie Hall,” “Black Frasier Crane,” and
“Black Mary Wilkie.” The Frasier Crane poems were particularly delightful. What
did you think of them? I really enjoyed them, but I’d love to hear your
thoughts before I speak on them further. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">AA:
I found those poems particularly playful and subversive. There is a kind of gleefulness
that I felt in seeing the speaker recreating the white characters in their own
image. It's a kind of reimagining and assertion of a black identity inside that
world in which those characters and stories exist, which almost always omit
non-white characters. I found a kind of pleasure in watching how the speaker
insists on and recreates their centrality in those stories. It's playful and
sly, but also rebellious. As in “Yes, I’m going to re-imagine this white main
character in my image.” I’m thinking about lines from “Black Frasier Crane”
here: <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Isn’t this the hardest <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">work? To be happy <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">when you already <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">have everything<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In
subverting these characters and their whiteness, the speaker imagines a world
where the norm in stories about black characters and black life has them living
in material abundance, and their largest concern or work is achieving a sense
of happiness. What was your experience reading the poems? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">LV:
I loved those lines in “Black Frasier Crane” you pointed out. That poem in
particular is doing a lot of work to critique, poke fun, and reimagine through
its lines and breaks. The poem’s lineation and short lines have enjambment that
turns the meaning over and over as you move into the next line; the poem is
exceptional at creating duality and critical texture. To add on where you
stopped, the poem continues as: <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">to have so much<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">you give some up<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">not away <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">but to the beast in you<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">that just takes<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">and takes until<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">there are no more<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">brûlées and no more<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">canapes just the mind’s <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">endless narration. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">These
lines read to me as an indictment of capitalism and wealth. But, yes, there’s
something playful about the tone too. For instance, the choice of “brûlées” and
“canapes” confer a sense of coded class status. I could say more about class
and food but this is not the time! Let me get back to the poems. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There
are moments in Cortez’s film/TV poems that are deeply revelatory and reveal a
sort of emotional undercurrent that resonates with other poems in the book. I
was listening to the<i> VS </i>podcast this morning where Brittany Rogers and
Ajanaé Dawkins talk to Joy Priest. The episode is called </span><span lang="EN"><a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/podcasts/159197/joy-priest-vs-absurdity" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Joy Priest vs.
Absurdity.”</span></a></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
In it Joy Priest briefly talks about Afrosurrealism and her PhD work. A couple
things she said made me think of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Golden
Ax</i>. Priest says, “We’re living in white realism but it’s surreal for us…”
and then furthers her thought by saying, “Blackness is ontological surrealism
meaning like to live Black, to be Black is to live in the surreal.” This made
me think of these poems again. Though Cortez recasts these white characters as
Black, I wonder if the world around them has changed too? <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Annie Hall</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Manhattan</i>,
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Frasier</i> are products of white
imagination, which often willfully excludes anyone from historically resilient
communities. You already know this but I can’t stand watching movies that
somehow only have white extras– especially in places like New York City. It feels
to me like an incredibly violent imagination rooted in white supremacy. I found
myself wondering as I was reading: why these films and TV show? And does
Cortez’s reimagining then make them the product of Black imagination or is
there still the lingering phantom of whiteness that haunts them? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
really like your reading that they’ve been reclaimed in entirety because the
poems are often imagining joy, longevity, and abundance. I was smiling to
myself on first reading because of how these poems reach towards joy and are
rich with sensory details that to me feel luxurious. Things like “lavender ice
cream,” “the distance sound of waves,” “falling into a bathtub of calendula /
and orange peel,” and well-made espresso drinks. Did you read “Frasier Crane
Toasts No One in Particular” as an extension of “Black Frasier Crane” like I
did? Since “Black Frasier” comes first in the sequence, I continued to read the
character through that recasting. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">AA:
I think that the world of the poem where those re-imagined Black characters
exist has been changed if only for that moment to feel and express that
luxuriousness, complexity, and joy without whiteness butting in. I know that
all white extras in an imagined New York City is especially irritating because
the city itself looks nothing like that; it is a kind of erasure. I was
wondering too about why these particular movies and TV shows. I can’t help but
feel that the writer has a familiarity with these works and perhaps even a
fondness for them, but she’s able to look past that and point out the racial
erasure and violence in that imagined world. And I think that in the context of
the poems that’s where the subversion comes in. To take that violent white
supremist imagination and turn it on its head by reimagining at the center of
those stories Black characters and Black life. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Yes!
I definitely read the “Black Frasier Crane'' poems as a kind of series. What I
read as the recurrence of the same character in both poems felt fitting because
of the serial nature of the TV show it was referencing. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
wanted to backtrack a little and touch on what I read as a sense of searching
throughout many of the poems but from a formal/craft point of view. I was
struck by the decision in many of the poems to not end with a period even though
in many of the poems there is use of punctuation. For example, in “Covered
Wagon as Spaceship” the poem ends “whose history, untold, / is not enough.
Anyway, it begins with abduction”. I noticed this on my first read through and
thinking about it made me feel like that gesture towards not finishing the
sentence, towards the openness on the page communicated something about the
searching never being done. As though the origin or explanation that the
speaker is looking for always lies elsewhere, beyond the page and language,
just out of reach. That choice might be small but it had a great effect on my
reading of the poems; as though that feeling was being conveyed through choice
of punctuation. I found it deeply compelling. Were there any formal/craft elements
in the collection that stood out to you in your reading? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">LV:
Agreed, it’s a thoughtful move in the collection that I think is indicative of
the care put into writing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Golden Ax</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My
tendency is to look at how form and content are conversing, so I was interested
in the visual caesurae Cortez uses across <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Golden
Ax</i>. By visual caesurae I mean the intentional gaps between lyric fragments
in a line. An obvious interpretation of these caesurae would be that they help
amp up the idea of the fragmented archive. You know, like what is known versus
unknown in family history or the literal gaps in the archive. But I think
they’re also doing something else more subtle. There’s a thread of what feels
like conflict in deciding whether to recognize duality of self as two-ness that’s
abundant or rather to see it as a splitting of identity. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Duality
or two-ness can be seen visually in the dueling epigraphs by Sun Ra and Brigham
Young at the beginning of “Salt” and in the way “Dishwashing the Mammy Salt
& Pepper Shakers by Accident” emphasizes the word “two” on the left margin.
But I want to focus on where it feels most explicit in form and content. There
are two poems next to each other in the book that feel centered on
duality/multiplicity; “I’m Forced to Imagine There Are Two of Me Here” is on
the right-hand page and “I learn to shoot a bow” is on the left. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When
we talk about poems, we often talk about the poet and the speaker as separate,
but in “I’m Forced to Imagine There Are Two of Me Here” the speaker is the
poet, Rio Cortez. Here’s a bit from the poem: <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">To fit in<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>we
practice not dancing<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I pull her hair
against our head and burn<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>the water
out<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>she sucks in the lip of
our belly<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I call her Rio<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>say
Rio<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>remind them of our one
white<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>grandmother<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>do what it
takes<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to make them think<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>we are like them<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Because it is a risk to want us<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>we close the bedroom door <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>she reaches under <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">the blanket<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It’s
just me Rio<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Dark<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Rio
Cortez splits in two in this poem, at first calling the other self “Rio” but
then referring to her as “The Dark.” This shift in name is telling. Should she
recognize the second Rio as herself or create distance and estrangement by
giving it a name like “The Dark”? There’s a moment later in the poem where it
says “It feels like there could be more / of us somewhere,” so further
fragmentation may exist but it’s unclear how the speaker feels about it. Though
later, there’s a moment that hints at her feelings for the second Rio. She
writes, “we show each other mercy” and I can’t help but infer that there’s
conflict that requires mercy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Duality
that is abundance appears in the ending of “I learn to shoot a bow” which says:
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">against the willow. I guess this is where <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I am Orion. With two birth stories. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In one story I come from a sea god<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">with the forest as my mother, and in <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">the other, I have no mother at all<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Choosing
to embody Orion who has several birth stories, but these two major ones, is a
fascinating choice. Coincidentally as a constellation, Orion is composed of
several stars but there are two supergiants, Betelgeuse and Rigel. In this
iteration, the two birth stories read to me as a form of abundance. That not
only is there a full narrative for the speaker’s existence but there’s two. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">To
close out our conversation in review, should we talk about, “Eden,” the last
poem in the collection? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">AA:
That use and reading of the caesurae throughout the poems hits on the abundance
of origin that you mentioned. For me that was most explicit in those lines from
“I learn to shoot a bow.” What strikes me about this abundance of origins is
that it exists simultaneously in the searching for an origin. In searching the
speaker finds a number of possible origins, but the poems never feel
disappointed or down about that fact. Instead, the poems celebrate that
abundance of origins even if it can be conflicting, all which feels truer to
the murkiness in trying to find an origin. Often an origin isn’t located in
only one simple thing or place, but in multiple, sometimes sprawling places and
people. I think that throughout the book the poems grapple with that notion. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In
thinking about the final poem in the book, “Eden,” I wanted to touch on the
gesture of ascendance towards the end of the poem. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">at the beginning<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">of which could, I suppose, be anything<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">cul-de-sac, just as well, a saucer, rising up,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">up to the summit, it’s possible I’ve never been<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">higher, I feel it, I’m really leaving now<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">moving through the told story<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
found the transformation of the cul-de-sac into a flying saucer really striking
as a way to ascend into and away from a place. As though perhaps it doesn't
matter what your mode of transport is so long as it can take you away. It was
also in keeping with some of the sci-fi imagery from earlier in the book and I
appreciated its return. What I found noteworthy too is that movement at the end
where ultimately the speaker is taken to heights they have never known, are
nearly disappearing, and finally ascend into the “told story.” That movement
felt to me like a collapse of time, where the speaker is simultaneously moving
into and through a story that is being told by someone else. We are watching
the speaker ascend into the mythic, but at the same time the myth is being
told, while also keeping the speaker alive in some sense. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">While
it's a stretch, I can’t help but think (perhaps because of the sci-fi and
Western imagery) about that recurring line from the show <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Westworld</i>: “You live only as long as the last person who remembers
you.” Which then for me also echoes Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18: “So long as men
can breathe or eyes can see, / So long lives this, and this gives life to
thee.” Once the speaker ascends into the realm of story, as long as the story
is told the speaker continues to live in some way. That feeling of the
continuous and unending is also reinforced for me through the choice of not
having a period on the last line, especially when it is used elsewhere in the
text. The poem, the speaker, their story has no end. What were your thoughts on
this final poem?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">LV:
“Eden” was a phenomenal way to end the collection. The title evokes for me the
Biblical telling of Adam and Eve from Genesis–you know, eating from the Tree of
Knowledge and their exile from the Garden of Eden. The poem ties together the
thematic threads we discussed earlier but also transcends to move into a place
of self-affirmation and reclamation. I felt like the “told story” that is
mentioned in “Eden” echoes back to the second poem in the collection, “Covered Wagon as Spaceship,” which says “I am a child feeling / extraterrestrial; whose
history, untold, / is not enough.” The speaker who has longed for and worked so
hard to reckon with the gaps in their family history or “untold story” and who
has created multiple narratives to make sense of their place in the world is
now ready to move past them. In “Eden” the speaker proclaims, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">there must be countless allegories<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">but I’m only interested in one<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">am I home or am I only visiting? I am through<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">with asking,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
love this moment in the poem– a question and then a rejection of the need to ask.
It’s powerful and assured. The speaker is taking control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I like how you’ve described the speaker as
ascending because it feels like an emotional, spiritual, and physical
ascension. Or perhaps it’s more like a departure from the bounds of story whether
it’s their families’, their own, or other people’s stories about them. We can
often feel these stories define us, but more often than not they feel like a
dead-end (like a cul-de-sac) where we’re forced to exit from where we entered
rather than to continue moving forward and onward. <a name="_5k4hdsa6l3ul"></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5CpxqDVTNaJt74UftcDZ8prVKWjpX5ihGQLb4yqVPbgfFuobHUW4dzckPUiEpLlIekrK_uhr0iE7xo-q7_XuPzJxS0j7qpatRDMwPnw443r_DsomWQwIvAXOmYJ3C-PX274M4bH9u4xPuMDmw9bHm4Rz89dvFwBWXIVlAdLgQDyvmVwjcXHdoDDF3fw/s2759/alfredo%20headshot.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2759" data-original-width="2538" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5CpxqDVTNaJt74UftcDZ8prVKWjpX5ihGQLb4yqVPbgfFuobHUW4dzckPUiEpLlIekrK_uhr0iE7xo-q7_XuPzJxS0j7qpatRDMwPnw443r_DsomWQwIvAXOmYJ3C-PX274M4bH9u4xPuMDmw9bHm4Rz89dvFwBWXIVlAdLgQDyvmVwjcXHdoDDF3fw/s320/alfredo%20headshot.jpg" width="294" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Alfredo
Aguilar is the author of <i>On This Side of the Desert </i>(Kent
State University Press, 2020), selected by Natalie Diaz for the Stan and Tom
Wick Poetry Prize. He is a recipient of 92Y’s Discovery Poetry Contest and
has been awarded fellowships from MacDowell, the Bread Loaf Writers'
Conference, and the Frost Place. His work has appeared in <i>Poetry Northwest</i>,
<i>Waxwing</i>, <i>Tupelo Quarterly</i>, and elsewhere. Born and raised in
North County San Diego, he now resides in Central Texas where he is a fellow at
the Michener Center for Writers.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEwEudYZ7O0ExkaRPqgYvBXy5D3Rnc6V9qc_aTabfx9reSBNxUEzzhkKP8Y96xkYwop-J1-bDWWx8qX-arED5w2dSeReiR8XmtpBLnSOAEl_QBqrV2cCsxaTMa7i8x16StJU4eXgIJdur2zyS8EbY9eXRDWiGcJyeMMkieD17kr4d3Bd-Mae5AUzDQOw/s1536/Villareal-Laura-2021-c.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEwEudYZ7O0ExkaRPqgYvBXy5D3Rnc6V9qc_aTabfx9reSBNxUEzzhkKP8Y96xkYwop-J1-bDWWx8qX-arED5w2dSeReiR8XmtpBLnSOAEl_QBqrV2cCsxaTMa7i8x16StJU4eXgIJdur2zyS8EbY9eXRDWiGcJyeMMkieD17kr4d3Bd-Mae5AUzDQOw/s320/Villareal-Laura-2021-c.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Laura Villareal is the author of <i>Girl’s
Guide to Leaving</i> (University of Wisconsin Press, 2022). She earned her MFA
at Rutgers University—Newark and has been awarded fellowships and scholarships
from the Stadler Center for Poetry and Literary Arts, National Book Critics
Circle’s Emerging Critics Program, Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, and the
Dobie Paisano Fellowship Program at University of Texas-Austin. Her writing has
appeared in <i>Guernica</i>, <i>AGNI</i>, <i>The American Poetry Review</i>,
and elsewhere. <o:p></o:p></span></p>Brent Ameneyrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03140999508928545532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348283351005310041.post-2297777864340610452023-01-16T19:24:00.002-05:002023-01-16T19:25:49.994-05:00 Introducing A New Book Review Series<p>One of my roles during my time as the 2022/2023 Letras Latinas Poetry Coalition Fellow is to act as Managing Editor of <i>Letras Latinas Blog</i>. As such, I’d like to introduce the newest contributors to our blog: Laura Villareal and Alfredo Aguilar.<br /><br />These two poets will be working together to produce six reviews in an atypical format for a new series which they’ve named <i>Warp & Weft: Reviews in Conversation</i>.<br /><br />This bi-monthly series will allow Villareal and Aguilar to write candidly in conversation, creating an enthralling blend of down-to-earth plática and thoughtful explication.<br /><br />In their debut installment, Villareal and Aguilar look at <i>Golden Ax </i>by Rio Cortez, which leads them to discuss Afrofuturism, TV shows and other media, Shakespeare, and so much more.<br /><br />A special thank you to The Poetry Foundation for providing the Equity in Verse grant which has made this series possible.<br /><br /><b>—Brent Ameneyro<br /></b>January 16, 2023</p><p><br /></p><p>Villareal and Aguilar in their own words, describing their new series:<br /><br />"Warp and weft refers to how a piece of fabric is created; warp yarns are held stationary in tension lengthwise on a loom while the weft yarn is drawn through over and under the warp. The yarns bolster and keep each other in tension to create a woven material. We want to use this as a central metaphor for our reviews in conversation. Our hope is that together our critical attention and appreciation will be like this process–our intersecting and converging ideas woven alongside one another in conversation. We want to invoke the work of other writers as we look at each book to give an idea of how what we have read has shaped how we are reading the book in review. We hope that these reviews in conversation might provide a different kind of texture for a review, something with more voices and points-of-views than a standard review might allow for."</p><p><b><br />Schedule for “Warp & Weft: Reviews in Conversation”</b></p><p><b>January:<br /></b><i>Golden Ax</i><i><br /></i>Penguin Books, August 2022<br />by Rio Cortez</p><p><br /><b>March:</b><br /><i>Cenizas<br /></i>University of Arizona Press, September 2022<br />by Cynthia Guardado</p><p><br /><b>May:<br /></b><i>Dream of Xibalba<br /></i>Orison Books, May 2023<br />by Stephanie Adams-Santos</p><p><br /><b>July:<br /></b><i>City Without Altar<br /></i>Noemi Press, August 2022<br />by Jasminne Mendez</p><p><br /><b>September:<br /></b><i>Black God Mother This Body</i><br />Black Freighter Press, 2022<br />by Raina J. Leon</p><p><br /><b>November:<br /></b><i>Future Botanic</i><br />Get Fresh Books, 2023<br />by Christina Olivares<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinNcPlPlqX_6mMP8CoPAPQsGIDST1ckGS_IHTxw1fX7drANVUYKFhBH14Abxbf-I6WMQwAOEbISbVGTB6P8Dh_p98XNUFzdUSoyPYwrOiv9SRr0VoOmlvJBOpD9LjjBmdyeCJhXOY1YkA3-pzZNeghi9EiQ9TJ__oFAqdDr-e1x9uisIJEX30n1Vcwqg/s2759/alfredo%20headshot.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2759" data-original-width="2538" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinNcPlPlqX_6mMP8CoPAPQsGIDST1ckGS_IHTxw1fX7drANVUYKFhBH14Abxbf-I6WMQwAOEbISbVGTB6P8Dh_p98XNUFzdUSoyPYwrOiv9SRr0VoOmlvJBOpD9LjjBmdyeCJhXOY1YkA3-pzZNeghi9EiQ9TJ__oFAqdDr-e1x9uisIJEX30n1Vcwqg/s320/alfredo%20headshot.jpg" width="294" /></a></div><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Alfredo
Aguilar is the author of </span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">On This Side of the Desert </i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">(Kent
State University Press, 2020), selected by Natalie Diaz for the Stan and Tom
Wick Poetry Prize. He is a recipient of 92Y’s Discovery Poetry Contest and
has been awarded fellowships from MacDowell, the Bread Loaf Writers'
Conference, and the Frost Place. His work has appeared in </span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">Poetry Northwest</i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">,
</span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">Waxwing</i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, </span><i style="font-size: 12pt;">Tupelo Quarterly</i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, and elsewhere. Born and raised in
North County San Diego, he now resides in Central Texas where he is a fellow at
the Michener Center for Writers.</span></div><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVaKrjcfqe_Sj1lpPV-XiNonf_kpmLDgKvPRIn61THj7ppwMEjKIhHZa7Y2dGZWZJDYKa6wFSscwFtNV8hknRePuzf2YL0YD1MaKbRiQv_QPysB9mejUBNFxCbcOZXQ11pUYOffThkXqI9_TlTR9SYLoZDG08jL8v-I8jtLZnQyMNJrxYDK2PqiKXy_g/s1536/Villareal-Laura-2021-c.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVaKrjcfqe_Sj1lpPV-XiNonf_kpmLDgKvPRIn61THj7ppwMEjKIhHZa7Y2dGZWZJDYKa6wFSscwFtNV8hknRePuzf2YL0YD1MaKbRiQv_QPysB9mejUBNFxCbcOZXQ11pUYOffThkXqI9_TlTR9SYLoZDG08jL8v-I8jtLZnQyMNJrxYDK2PqiKXy_g/s320/Villareal-Laura-2021-c.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><o:p><br /></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Laura Villareal is the author of <i>Girl’s
Guide to Leaving</i> (University of Wisconsin Press, 2022). She earned her MFA
at Rutgers University—Newark and has been awarded fellowships and scholarships
from the Stadler Center for Poetry and Literary Arts, National Book Critics
Circle’s Emerging Critics Program, Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, and the
Dobie Paisano Fellowship Program at University of Texas-Austin. Her writing has
appeared in <i>Guernica</i>, <i>AGNI</i>, <i>The American Poetry Review</i>,
and elsewhere. <o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p><br /><br />Brent Ameneyrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03140999508928545532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348283351005310041.post-67169988348709365792022-12-08T14:22:00.010-05:002022-12-19T14:15:40.676-05:00Afro-Latinx Poetry Now: A Photo Essay in 30 Images<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFYJNxto86K9SO2YknFzz4arGKf-Z8-tDRooGr2bGxJHVUdiAGlNMG-JawVgQvuEeuLyEuCt5_XCIWmqDi16NdJPhaCn_m64pwO1B8Gm4Qa4YI8hLnd0c7phdPaL9aHbAMAQk9mpD9-L-3LRydG8ZCO568fevGcmm1UvA899Op0N3ud5rivLrjc9RycA/s2550/Afro_Latinx_flyer_front%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2550" data-original-width="1650" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFYJNxto86K9SO2YknFzz4arGKf-Z8-tDRooGr2bGxJHVUdiAGlNMG-JawVgQvuEeuLyEuCt5_XCIWmqDi16NdJPhaCn_m64pwO1B8Gm4Qa4YI8hLnd0c7phdPaL9aHbAMAQk9mpD9-L-3LRydG8ZCO568fevGcmm1UvA899Op0N3ud5rivLrjc9RycA/w259-h400/Afro_Latinx_flyer_front%20(1).jpg" width="259" /></a></div><span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">There are many ways people come together to share poetry. And for each way we come together, there is a coinciding label: reading, lecture, festival, etc. The Afro-Latinx Poetry Now </span></span><i style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">gathering</i></span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 14.6667px;"><span><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"> was a two-day multifaceted experience. The purpose of this photo essay is to capture the many aspects of the gathering; it was more than what viewers can see in the recordings of the six sessions. In other words, although the gathering included vibrant talks by scholars and enthralling poetry readings—what one might typically expect to experience at a poetry event—it also included classroom visits, breakfast with MFA students, book signings, and dinners with poets and scholars. When I think of the term community, this gathering is now what comes to mind. Community requires coming together, both formally and informally, to share, to nurture, to give, to learn. I hope these photos help convey the sense of community we shared over the course of those two enriching September days at The University of Notre Dame in South Bend Indiana.</span><br /><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b>Brent Ameneyro</b> <br />2022-2023 Letras Latinas Poetry Coalition Fellow</span></span><br /></span><br /><p></p><p><b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Day
1<br /><br /><br /></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgKozmmEer65KCcZ-tycZR6RdpPz_rn1NVll1du39HuK-xX6PnWbULpZ2e5XecW1a0Dx9fcZyHql8hpXzrfRa429KiKBtzEEVPohjUesQWOQroFV-veqigS9SXjppUlBhY56pZH_0siP8vo-dFlx_L-GW1xBqbX4C7Jwuuyseh2G3xqlvDwCOKhri1sdg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="975" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgKozmmEer65KCcZ-tycZR6RdpPz_rn1NVll1du39HuK-xX6PnWbULpZ2e5XecW1a0Dx9fcZyHql8hpXzrfRa429KiKBtzEEVPohjUesQWOQroFV-veqigS9SXjppUlBhY56pZH_0siP8vo-dFlx_L-GW1xBqbX4C7Jwuuyseh2G3xqlvDwCOKhri1sdg=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-weight: bold;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The
beginning of the gathering: poets and scholars getting to know one another at
breakfast<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhRIEsZ5LHTY4rjrQf-eAGMKNLcLVu-Yej0aAGOykZFGnJfrbrS0v6FepQXfdI64XLG91VOWah8YCNsH2mLR3fMoL3waeNugRT5P9-AGV9gOahVwWvetaGLoSePcag5gtmAiaBRqK_ks425J2WThpKsKnppDhPA8COUJ9fCyt6DN2BoptN4A4KWCB9vMg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="975" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhRIEsZ5LHTY4rjrQf-eAGMKNLcLVu-Yej0aAGOykZFGnJfrbrS0v6FepQXfdI64XLG91VOWah8YCNsH2mLR3fMoL3waeNugRT5P9-AGV9gOahVwWvetaGLoSePcag5gtmAiaBRqK_ks425J2WThpKsKnppDhPA8COUJ9fCyt6DN2BoptN4A4KWCB9vMg=w400-h300" width="400" /></a><br /><b>TV
screens around campus flashed the headshots of the poets, and attendees were
welcomed by a large printed poster outside the hall where poets and scholars
presented</b></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhhRW0X9Ny8vqEMDjZpz_6x6P_swn4e2QplcCu3vYpzb9w3pfaNpZcauRYa-POsKfJbo5rLTQv9KBNyDr5b30rnA8N1sZ6MZPpDEZdLyXcerwt9F2ZWW2JdIqIUj0Zw4FCXZy8MpXnXrr5Kut3dn0KWAmPEs7BQNI-oZL-zUZjcLu23bjjv2uOWxhz_4Q" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="975" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhhRW0X9Ny8vqEMDjZpz_6x6P_swn4e2QplcCu3vYpzb9w3pfaNpZcauRYa-POsKfJbo5rLTQv9KBNyDr5b30rnA8N1sZ6MZPpDEZdLyXcerwt9F2ZWW2JdIqIUj0Zw4FCXZy8MpXnXrr5Kut3dn0KWAmPEs7BQNI-oZL-zUZjcLu23bjjv2uOWxhz_4Q=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div></span></b><b style="font-weight: bold;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Francisco
Aragón introducing</span></b><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 107%;"> <b>Yesenia
Montilla, Darrel Alejandro Holnes, and John Murillo at the start of Session 1<br /></b></span><b style="font-weight: bold;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgwGM_7QCd6-9Cgu_3Ig50M8F2RCOF4LqV3pHElWxJtD2hdNjN8lI8ORrtghLy0z9GFdcTrX9Oeq981Bswd3QZHfjae9-yHuDLAtzRv-2hzcrWA4CoK8SAGp2h4oX-iuaIlZIviz_ptJyhLAXsmjwsWRqHxVhWzmfr0MCdfkrWlcVU5SHGMQvN7Kr21fQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="931" data-original-width="973" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgwGM_7QCd6-9Cgu_3Ig50M8F2RCOF4LqV3pHElWxJtD2hdNjN8lI8ORrtghLy0z9GFdcTrX9Oeq981Bswd3QZHfjae9-yHuDLAtzRv-2hzcrWA4CoK8SAGp2h4oX-iuaIlZIviz_ptJyhLAXsmjwsWRqHxVhWzmfr0MCdfkrWlcVU5SHGMQvN7Kr21fQ=w400-h382" width="400" /></a><br /><b>Darrel
Alejandro Holnes paying homage to Lorenzo Thomas’s book </b></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhoEzLaQ4Dwun6c-c8vfvQ4YmtdW6eHQVhogQ90vk3-aE1TwG9LhMZZdpZJl2i2xzAQ-PpGVTKRuMItpKizXjy3DIk7GrApDTICn3EPbflnWRq4PJxx_fNm1i_TUWWJGYjQwhDxrGPwtCA69OkSiWL1Ylc215s_C44mhEhLGvJQrltyL08cqcTTUC5cJA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="808" data-original-width="973" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhoEzLaQ4Dwun6c-c8vfvQ4YmtdW6eHQVhogQ90vk3-aE1TwG9LhMZZdpZJl2i2xzAQ-PpGVTKRuMItpKizXjy3DIk7GrApDTICn3EPbflnWRq4PJxx_fNm1i_TUWWJGYjQwhDxrGPwtCA69OkSiWL1Ylc215s_C44mhEhLGvJQrltyL08cqcTTUC5cJA=w400-h332" width="400" /></a><br /><b>Yesenia
Montilla presenting on the poetry of Aracelis Girmay</b></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg7zU-cGD2XUPiE9AHtO4_8HhaWq_dYDbNfv3SQ5iYhgJ5MQ0dLiWEoEywkjNafzf8liRdOSfCSe4uATfmfQoeeYdManAlMZm5FBvr6RTDNUbdKXfbEKxze_fPsLXz-v1j376mJ5_9wlNtpH649ZnOdw2ESfXuGqiIFsNO3ENpckM4mdrAaF_Kf8Y26MA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="758" data-original-width="973" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg7zU-cGD2XUPiE9AHtO4_8HhaWq_dYDbNfv3SQ5iYhgJ5MQ0dLiWEoEywkjNafzf8liRdOSfCSe4uATfmfQoeeYdManAlMZm5FBvr6RTDNUbdKXfbEKxze_fPsLXz-v1j376mJ5_9wlNtpH649ZnOdw2ESfXuGqiIFsNO3ENpckM4mdrAaF_Kf8Y26MA=w400-h312" width="400" /></a></div></span></b><b style="font-weight: bold;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">John
Murillo presenting on the poetry of Nancy Morejón</span></b><b style="font-weight: bold;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjXwOp809a4UbpKbW18MDHxIUpD0cEhM1MBv6MnSTyST4YHvtTvK_bjUtPUn7h5S-HMnOnbpg5IxbHpubKd4qm4iBRDDXYxtQXezRQt5hMCMyA8IvxaaG94aywDiVmatrgorH0FJ0-nJdvZCzQ_Khfh-1r3iCS1Z3J8s9V_7fWqKbtdzmCbKtJfmkhiLQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="783" data-original-width="975" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjXwOp809a4UbpKbW18MDHxIUpD0cEhM1MBv6MnSTyST4YHvtTvK_bjUtPUn7h5S-HMnOnbpg5IxbHpubKd4qm4iBRDDXYxtQXezRQt5hMCMyA8IvxaaG94aywDiVmatrgorH0FJ0-nJdvZCzQ_Khfh-1r3iCS1Z3J8s9V_7fWqKbtdzmCbKtJfmkhiLQ=w400-h321" width="400" /></a><br /><b>Francisco Robles presenting on the poetry of Yesenia
Montilla</b></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi98V9djtCUTKbXkiqyKqVbn_i8Ehoid8RuEdQ4r82xVhbKK1PGoIc0G0WJursXRuKOe5fmNTS2hPUSuCJvXv69o4N80lxO2vK6RZ4KH-ilt0hZqD3RQtq7uIT4dRjY1he1QOV1ZXmlPqwCifBFpl7DbTYv-8ulkdxuwSwpnPYK8GJHejnooBF6pxR4dQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="973" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi98V9djtCUTKbXkiqyKqVbn_i8Ehoid8RuEdQ4r82xVhbKK1PGoIc0G0WJursXRuKOe5fmNTS2hPUSuCJvXv69o4N80lxO2vK6RZ4KH-ilt0hZqD3RQtq7uIT4dRjY1he1QOV1ZXmlPqwCifBFpl7DbTYv-8ulkdxuwSwpnPYK8GJHejnooBF6pxR4dQ=w400-h278" width="400" /></a></div></span></b><b style="font-weight: bold;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%;">John Alba Cutler presenting on the poetry of
John Murillo with John Murillo himself sitting front row</span></b><b style="font-weight: bold;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjx6jz2CbarzQ_7M8chdgrlUndRhPsO7QjrGGOIlJHndDxOs5KHCRDH1kAtbW5qoqLuk9P6cQeF3Ks9Y74stgsHtDh2V9LzaHLlWM77G_uPaQP64t5JE_e309vOulfVwHyjbHyc4uEtduwKy7hG1pK5t0ci0L-hfFSLPQi2B1fEHMxRLRjy62LnLWgQTQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="975" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjx6jz2CbarzQ_7M8chdgrlUndRhPsO7QjrGGOIlJHndDxOs5KHCRDH1kAtbW5qoqLuk9P6cQeF3Ks9Y74stgsHtDh2V9LzaHLlWM77G_uPaQP64t5JE_e309vOulfVwHyjbHyc4uEtduwKy7hG1pK5t0ci0L-hfFSLPQi2B1fEHMxRLRjy62LnLWgQTQ=w400-h300" width="400" /></a><br /><b>Wisdom and beauty being shared between poets
around the dinner table</b></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgzu-C1bC4D-nz7gG6yJZ9azDiAiG2wvnUFNSyaW4IMyJ56DRFisMw3yDDZf_-6L6GkSGzfjUfnJ2NABE8oX6Cp2rRudlsggsQySOj3k2OpnhrF3pR75BxdTKgz1-6P-MRXIocBSTtS1Gi2oe04pwWA1SBWWbcrbORMFERSWR2TX-bW8SaN-9fx-PP5UQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="975" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgzu-C1bC4D-nz7gG6yJZ9azDiAiG2wvnUFNSyaW4IMyJ56DRFisMw3yDDZf_-6L6GkSGzfjUfnJ2NABE8oX6Cp2rRudlsggsQySOj3k2OpnhrF3pR75BxdTKgz1-6P-MRXIocBSTtS1Gi2oe04pwWA1SBWWbcrbORMFERSWR2TX-bW8SaN-9fx-PP5UQ=w400-h300" width="400" /></a><br /><b>The evening audience gathering in anticipation
of the poetry reading</b></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjfVtTzPSvAAXdj-aKS9KMaG2JWJawbJJVvR_ZFd7ATq7gVR-IVaMtbQB6JWLqBCYKoCQaVtNFxbGkeGeO4G5gSFCsemB7FFioVafj7lwIrefqNJrdfqHw4-EQW8r9ErxnLQ0XFsA4JGsB6NUY4Xx6MKyOaIniW5ClIUcPQ3TQrY2bqxYpn7DJLczdCqg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1299" data-original-width="974" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjfVtTzPSvAAXdj-aKS9KMaG2JWJawbJJVvR_ZFd7ATq7gVR-IVaMtbQB6JWLqBCYKoCQaVtNFxbGkeGeO4G5gSFCsemB7FFioVafj7lwIrefqNJrdfqHw4-EQW8r9ErxnLQ0XFsA4JGsB6NUY4Xx6MKyOaIniW5ClIUcPQ3TQrY2bqxYpn7DJLczdCqg=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></div></span></b><b style="font-weight: bold;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Darrel
Alejandro Holnes performing his poetry</span></b><b style="font-weight: bold;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjG8E-28gRbkUdz5yq77rkGVz0zaGejPvJ9pdQKW1Awff6M7H6qJfpH_yKZOyq6UpkXIN7YvbpoBCEeprqfihCxHk1Qjfe4TstSeUe9_iD76tklxklQqj4-JupD8Gcazrr65rfXlW6LCDGY1NbC7LrQouPqojA2ZpO5giVmJqtgRoGLTg4zfLdbHhCZYg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="888" data-original-width="974" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjG8E-28gRbkUdz5yq77rkGVz0zaGejPvJ9pdQKW1Awff6M7H6qJfpH_yKZOyq6UpkXIN7YvbpoBCEeprqfihCxHk1Qjfe4TstSeUe9_iD76tklxklQqj4-JupD8Gcazrr65rfXlW6LCDGY1NbC7LrQouPqojA2ZpO5giVmJqtgRoGLTg4zfLdbHhCZYg=w400-h365" width="400" /></a><br /><b>Yesenia
Montilla performing her poetry</b></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiuB0CPH1U4sVKoQXEvRyJYuDxxYMqds3twSOBocm7xGIlDOGq4RpffYXPfgF05EXHVCWb7AMic3qlxMIFAkAuZamKbLKG1iMUP1xbnA2X-G1ksF4a9mg1DJYtInwhS2zFsEvK4-R1YXpWvO7e7KJtnUosCRP2Om-d3IruWoSBFmBtlfav4G_1hSC0Skw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1300" data-original-width="975" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiuB0CPH1U4sVKoQXEvRyJYuDxxYMqds3twSOBocm7xGIlDOGq4RpffYXPfgF05EXHVCWb7AMic3qlxMIFAkAuZamKbLKG1iMUP1xbnA2X-G1ksF4a9mg1DJYtInwhS2zFsEvK4-R1YXpWvO7e7KJtnUosCRP2Om-d3IruWoSBFmBtlfav4G_1hSC0Skw=w300-h400" width="300" /></a><br /><b>John
Murillo performing his poetry</b></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhfbV13oGHn_u3GajQ7HDXUwn78FeWUkISJzHHq0FXpXHBJ68P-acVfit4Z1mRrllkFBuf2Civ8Kfzk4FGFPPtk6uVvyuDDUDfOYpbZPayi0uA04PIo4Pax4aktfW1v-Cnvr3SJdVSpIy5fKaC5SrFccK_vRnzakoDKtKorgwCSXuYQZg0q6iB7fvjdIQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="730" data-original-width="973" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhfbV13oGHn_u3GajQ7HDXUwn78FeWUkISJzHHq0FXpXHBJ68P-acVfit4Z1mRrllkFBuf2Civ8Kfzk4FGFPPtk6uVvyuDDUDfOYpbZPayi0uA04PIo4Pax4aktfW1v-Cnvr3SJdVSpIy5fKaC5SrFccK_vRnzakoDKtKorgwCSXuYQZg0q6iB7fvjdIQ=w400-h300" width="400" /></a><br /><b>Darrel
Alejandro Holnes responding to audience Q&A with John Murillo and Yesenia
Montilla supporting him in the background</b></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhVhcKVgfP37fobaevcE0-0dQUVzIC8VV_jOsWjAsFeouDeuBceY6gsmUbTNMaz0W5oxOt4o0UxxH94boHpbBMaKTr5t-UAxwi6LU7HnyP10HKvaccRVyKh_e9i1WKONwsde65usgHy-sOzk1SA0fEWLBg4XGV-cplbp7YssMFLKPwlBMB9ijBjSRixKQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="975" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhVhcKVgfP37fobaevcE0-0dQUVzIC8VV_jOsWjAsFeouDeuBceY6gsmUbTNMaz0W5oxOt4o0UxxH94boHpbBMaKTr5t-UAxwi6LU7HnyP10HKvaccRVyKh_e9i1WKONwsde65usgHy-sOzk1SA0fEWLBg4XGV-cplbp7YssMFLKPwlBMB9ijBjSRixKQ=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div></span></b><b style="font-weight: bold;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Yesenia
Montilla, Darrel Alejandro Holnes, and John Murillo signing books</span></b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><b>Day 2</b></span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhZqHeLDX0Y1-0fZbswmn8zyUsS1xSqJ-QZ3TrpXQdaYx80e_D3nk0MufBZkjHhk8mFxlWLtrKRbHk8rJVqZaVHObl3ECl1mmU31xl8JdKjJvO9S4Mx3vZT7swtimvluypXQWZkH36jgX26vYnVAvyRc-yuhcoxGnXiXTFiLllH5gB-OzAiGfNwHaeCOA" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="974" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhZqHeLDX0Y1-0fZbswmn8zyUsS1xSqJ-QZ3TrpXQdaYx80e_D3nk0MufBZkjHhk8mFxlWLtrKRbHk8rJVqZaVHObl3ECl1mmU31xl8JdKjJvO9S4Mx3vZT7swtimvluypXQWZkH36jgX26vYnVAvyRc-yuhcoxGnXiXTFiLllH5gB-OzAiGfNwHaeCOA=w400-h300" width="400" /></a><br /><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700;">Jasminne
Mendez presenting on the poetry of Dianelly Antigua</span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgL1z4wPk3uc6KcvfaO-jGUt3w5BayJsjsDCAkXJM7b1LZVFVx-7A7jVijYgZO_YPg89wApKEy8gDBvsSF5yOHYtIO4KlisuCxuSAfC8oy83VoZ0kGBJPtnmhaDcSysr2vbbesZc3337uvOkobzjCtNgQ8CvnadqQBfClGkGKY7UVv3f8-vUUF1fWhnyA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="975" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgL1z4wPk3uc6KcvfaO-jGUt3w5BayJsjsDCAkXJM7b1LZVFVx-7A7jVijYgZO_YPg89wApKEy8gDBvsSF5yOHYtIO4KlisuCxuSAfC8oy83VoZ0kGBJPtnmhaDcSysr2vbbesZc3337uvOkobzjCtNgQ8CvnadqQBfClGkGKY7UVv3f8-vUUF1fWhnyA=w400-h300" width="400" /></a><br /><b>Roberto
Carlos Garcia presenting on the poetry of Willie Perdomo</b></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEixjyKx_0VtO2cz6sSK2i1g0GWKQSojuhftiNB0lm2hXMjoMY_ok_WgROr8iOd-c41bIdfqUW4lEWniuCdcR2q5xgAX1jZSREnCCTzPmlBAiUtt-7Fg-d9qQIPcozQSI1C0jr7n5Zydg0yd-G901V5f079qCvwUtt1OwhA7TTcnLnGMTwvQj5uZBkfrnA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="975" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEixjyKx_0VtO2cz6sSK2i1g0GWKQSojuhftiNB0lm2hXMjoMY_ok_WgROr8iOd-c41bIdfqUW4lEWniuCdcR2q5xgAX1jZSREnCCTzPmlBAiUtt-7Fg-d9qQIPcozQSI1C0jr7n5Zydg0yd-G901V5f079qCvwUtt1OwhA7TTcnLnGMTwvQj5uZBkfrnA=w400-h300" width="400" /></a><br /><b>Raina
J. León presenting on the poetry of Alán Pelaez López</b></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEidZBSvdxRiro57ng4Noe7eMKlG1QdTKlGidXRCP8IR3CeXzB67SMA5um3zpOFOV5YmVM8DLVXEazC3sM0rZIArue8Xx8Z7E4L_PZXHOSiq59ciC7X3rp8iAxcgjOY-VzuFbyblBHLbV1en6xvMymdInkI0w0tktbFqKTnz2XNsvlERtkeNlfAPaX7BKQ" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="975" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEidZBSvdxRiro57ng4Noe7eMKlG1QdTKlGidXRCP8IR3CeXzB67SMA5um3zpOFOV5YmVM8DLVXEazC3sM0rZIArue8Xx8Z7E4L_PZXHOSiq59ciC7X3rp8iAxcgjOY-VzuFbyblBHLbV1en6xvMymdInkI0w0tktbFqKTnz2XNsvlERtkeNlfAPaX7BKQ=w400-h300" width="400" /></a><br /><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Scholar
John Alba Cutler engages the poets during Q&A</b></span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiac7YfjKwMtSRjRzLTnf7r2ToFTUKY0j3aBkm0jk7vCSzlIcFURja7efq6vE2M4H05QDaY4GDVKG4vV1TuTADRc1IvdpPKEAM9Obz38SZpJCnESZCVHxQbJsp_pXNTBwGXjc7PPrK50ONvdQLCs8N3Ers4UO89JPS3ih67dPBmUTljlzUJ2rKNyxGLMg" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="975" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiac7YfjKwMtSRjRzLTnf7r2ToFTUKY0j3aBkm0jk7vCSzlIcFURja7efq6vE2M4H05QDaY4GDVKG4vV1TuTADRc1IvdpPKEAM9Obz38SZpJCnESZCVHxQbJsp_pXNTBwGXjc7PPrK50ONvdQLCs8N3Ers4UO89JPS3ih67dPBmUTljlzUJ2rKNyxGLMg=w400-h300" width="400" /></a><br /><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Jasminne
Mendez, Roberto Carlos Garcia, and Raina J. León responding to audience Q&A</b></span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLuP8mMNi6yIWOtVMkvvylTsv9Z0ctowEdClvzNUmGH7UHmZ1gHhnpp2q-UC4spuarDw97V-KYptemrje1C07WFYpFFKVikLVDA8d5iV8OTCoklKCmvpwqibAQM1BUXxYKuTHi-VDslao4IzeA0_3qwBpCVvi-QPgl5zKO-JxgGRJjXsg8feTAtCpRhg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="975" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLuP8mMNi6yIWOtVMkvvylTsv9Z0ctowEdClvzNUmGH7UHmZ1gHhnpp2q-UC4spuarDw97V-KYptemrje1C07WFYpFFKVikLVDA8d5iV8OTCoklKCmvpwqibAQM1BUXxYKuTHi-VDslao4IzeA0_3qwBpCVvi-QPgl5zKO-JxgGRJjXsg8feTAtCpRhg=w400-h300" width="400" /></a><br /><b>Judith
Rodríguez presenting virtually on the poetry of Jasminne Mendez</b><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiTnk36Mr7JkWqo_uRf0qba4A_8fL4dTTApo6Z9xW0apxfS6bMUWBIfDmmBWYRHkc29OUfkWC__BObTe_1bTU119iYtLFiNQEt-xQ8BgheoiaGy7rp4YrAYJ4mI3R7fHO7DDCyFDFIdXAQNbgImKTuM7OFj0f655i1m-aOUPBO7E_RcBXaPmPIr3LJX_A" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="975" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiTnk36Mr7JkWqo_uRf0qba4A_8fL4dTTApo6Z9xW0apxfS6bMUWBIfDmmBWYRHkc29OUfkWC__BObTe_1bTU119iYtLFiNQEt-xQ8BgheoiaGy7rp4YrAYJ4mI3R7fHO7DDCyFDFIdXAQNbgImKTuM7OFj0f655i1m-aOUPBO7E_RcBXaPmPIr3LJX_A=w400-h300" width="400" /></a><br /><b style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; text-align: left;">A captivated audience listening to</b><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="background: white;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Marisel Moreno presenting on the poetry of Roberto
Carlos Garcia</b></span></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg1ZeFEJUhY8QdY1NzGendexDeMjSYk1ZLEXDuLaUQ6YsI0j1lqcORrjBWAx3KO-EwqDEeXIYfFAGh1jOE9HLTgcCduUn97P5HqdNHjvIHoWJsO7fLoNwB3YRkdqMiCMoGMTQ7N4JTGSiBzfoBQNa2jf8ZVhANOQcLapTy2iC1qE17pEcGIJ1BaBQbTZA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="975" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg1ZeFEJUhY8QdY1NzGendexDeMjSYk1ZLEXDuLaUQ6YsI0j1lqcORrjBWAx3KO-EwqDEeXIYfFAGh1jOE9HLTgcCduUn97P5HqdNHjvIHoWJsO7fLoNwB3YRkdqMiCMoGMTQ7N4JTGSiBzfoBQNa2jf8ZVhANOQcLapTy2iC1qE17pEcGIJ1BaBQbTZA=w400-h300" width="400" /></a><br /><b>Yomaira
Figueroa-Vásquez presenting on the poetry of Raina J. León</b></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh04VgT9tU3CjGaKsvJiq12vQHEn_6skDbIV5iIpMHUVhr0WoX2ETBxQTGcD8xuauVznVNLwAy3Pq76oipnl2nLfsWqyLxIHqKmGboHsnhBnooNzuOKsk2o7QGo8cTLBre1aO90NiM9rxMU55UkFYK-kw1E3bfFIOiVrir58tNycpGlTYoR8PSr5SrnzA" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="711" data-original-width="973" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh04VgT9tU3CjGaKsvJiq12vQHEn_6skDbIV5iIpMHUVhr0WoX2ETBxQTGcD8xuauVznVNLwAy3Pq76oipnl2nLfsWqyLxIHqKmGboHsnhBnooNzuOKsk2o7QGo8cTLBre1aO90NiM9rxMU55UkFYK-kw1E3bfFIOiVrir58tNycpGlTYoR8PSr5SrnzA=w400-h293" width="400" /></a><br /><b style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold;">One
of many moments of joy and laughter around the dinner table<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiBVoIWYL01KXPMYjI49pxv786P-s5T7N0MMyZyn_ruygK0OXxOXeCtsvXQu3hsGRaqZO38A5RYP3r-F9WrONs2KsHwzlSWjqiPmqKMPM3vUM9YjqjM_fvCo2dsFMST2XHO3xwTc_hiAeqNM7zO_zJlxIteMX02iyoExRQtAEAuOGHRYORk_b3cTSXT6A" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="975" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiBVoIWYL01KXPMYjI49pxv786P-s5T7N0MMyZyn_ruygK0OXxOXeCtsvXQu3hsGRaqZO38A5RYP3r-F9WrONs2KsHwzlSWjqiPmqKMPM3vUM9YjqjM_fvCo2dsFMST2XHO3xwTc_hiAeqNM7zO_zJlxIteMX02iyoExRQtAEAuOGHRYORk_b3cTSXT6A=w400-h300" width="400" /></a><br /><b>Jasminne
Mendez performing her poetry center stage</b></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEis_5ywT1FEjUdgDNyjDZN-m20Iu6N53ldYP47uu6bwQMGdpzFBZPYscKdndbjyM_QswqRvpVZwZvxVCtJ4MSedRd_DnqW20-Im-vlapLjZQ9CcNp-mddGUc58CUObmR0Iavo0hJdUZfL8En3J3E_NNh3dBI02rXdTLc6ElkGXsRgh4pf3-Z3TDwW_E9g" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1299" data-original-width="974" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEis_5ywT1FEjUdgDNyjDZN-m20Iu6N53ldYP47uu6bwQMGdpzFBZPYscKdndbjyM_QswqRvpVZwZvxVCtJ4MSedRd_DnqW20-Im-vlapLjZQ9CcNp-mddGUc58CUObmR0Iavo0hJdUZfL8En3J3E_NNh3dBI02rXdTLc6ElkGXsRgh4pf3-Z3TDwW_E9g=w300-h400" width="300" /></a><br /><b>Roberto
Carlos Garcia performing his poetry at the podium</b></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhVZOZB_AdSMBhHbVjRw--fGjjARSuNjWe_PLswV9K60wYXvnZbUqPWHYItaLmhKiWd0oMP1kEBKhb02TTdHVcRWKTx0XLFaq4O6059Q1STUk_z5P9AkElmSBV5PPNaq9jzfFuYJ8apXW4IV145qs9YRXP6wN46mfycFlONz9-Alnaq1ScAibzXxjCqYw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="975" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhVZOZB_AdSMBhHbVjRw--fGjjARSuNjWe_PLswV9K60wYXvnZbUqPWHYItaLmhKiWd0oMP1kEBKhb02TTdHVcRWKTx0XLFaq4O6059Q1STUk_z5P9AkElmSBV5PPNaq9jzfFuYJ8apXW4IV145qs9YRXP6wN46mfycFlONz9-Alnaq1ScAibzXxjCqYw=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div></b><b style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold;">Raina
J. León performing her poetry with a visual accompaniment</b><b><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Roboto; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></b><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjKL4fFMmAw5n9qjw2laWJKT2ApcRdmNAeKvycdphU5pHWu7SCzo7_H4c_eyaVE6sQeQy7sKMIdx907ZGtdSJMaNRjiCJK2PK564DBjO9ygsBJuSdLG4w1dGiEhEXY8KFJA-uRsleMdxrpPkIAjc8VMLRCgR-6faAn_8KF2nzIXyw_ogyvsfNY8GY9RJQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="975" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjKL4fFMmAw5n9qjw2laWJKT2ApcRdmNAeKvycdphU5pHWu7SCzo7_H4c_eyaVE6sQeQy7sKMIdx907ZGtdSJMaNRjiCJK2PK564DBjO9ygsBJuSdLG4w1dGiEhEXY8KFJA-uRsleMdxrpPkIAjc8VMLRCgR-6faAn_8KF2nzIXyw_ogyvsfNY8GY9RJQ=w400-h300" width="400" /></a><br /><b>Jasminne
Mendez, Raina J. León, and Roberto Carlos Garcia responding to audience Q&A
after the evening poetry reading</b></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjHuczVj_eb96iXe2VyLQrcJWVAKJ8IqD-qEY6sbJ2aaslnnTNsfyUciu7MWPrcIRmzxcmQYUFiHsv3Arq3M8GARBGfs9NmG6BHUWAX9O71EudUWr8J2tKRc1ZsHeuRBH9Joxa8luX4uU25cZYSXfEi4Dc0FA8S5IiZEMy_57C-oeBQ5toGP29MZisKQQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1300" data-original-width="975" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjHuczVj_eb96iXe2VyLQrcJWVAKJ8IqD-qEY6sbJ2aaslnnTNsfyUciu7MWPrcIRmzxcmQYUFiHsv3Arq3M8GARBGfs9NmG6BHUWAX9O71EudUWr8J2tKRc1ZsHeuRBH9Joxa8luX4uU25cZYSXfEi4Dc0FA8S5IiZEMy_57C-oeBQ5toGP29MZisKQQ=w300-h400" width="300" /></a><br /><b>Raina
J. León, Roberto Carlos Garcia, and Jasminne Mendez signing books<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiGO94CRlwdpWzkcvMHGnbgQS-aoTVjDN-JBatUD8bIv6DOidrWWnyFi3mS0oora1CgSewihR182h8X5M2l73KpVQ5_RfUCviEMkLoePJ6mlBRdhsdcefeWh-u3YQNWTQYhSMwLnO1svBO6s0IMSwKakdByFmy9zI6dXS_39hmXrFnrdGzpzJWLT6yX8Q" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="731" data-original-width="974" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiGO94CRlwdpWzkcvMHGnbgQS-aoTVjDN-JBatUD8bIv6DOidrWWnyFi3mS0oora1CgSewihR182h8X5M2l73KpVQ5_RfUCviEMkLoePJ6mlBRdhsdcefeWh-u3YQNWTQYhSMwLnO1svBO6s0IMSwKakdByFmy9zI6dXS_39hmXrFnrdGzpzJWLT6yX8Q=w400-h300" width="400" /></a><br /><b>All
six poets lounging on a couch after a successful day of presentations and
performances</b></div><br /><br /></b></div><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>To read the testimonios of the event participants, please visit </b></span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><b><a href="http://letraslatinasblog.blogspot.com/2022/12/afro-latinx-poetry-now-testimonios.html"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">http://letraslatinasblog.blogspot.com/2022/12/afro-latinx-poetry-now-testimonios.html</span></a><br /><br /></b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><b style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Video recordings of all six sessions of the <i>Afro-Latinx Poetry Now</i> event are available to view at the following link: </b><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><b><a href="https://latinostudies.nd.edu/news-events/events/afro-latinx-poetry-now/"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">https://latinostudies.nd.edu/news-events/events/afro-latinx-poetry-now/</span></a></b></span></span></div></span></span></div></div></div></span></div></div></span></div>Brent Ameneyrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03140999508928545532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348283351005310041.post-46490855320151365612022-12-08T13:41:00.006-05:002022-12-17T11:55:00.758-05:00Afro-Latinx Poetry Now: Testimonios<p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9MYBC1rWstGlCx8xzEgOCOD9vAd5CLNgDLMOGmhJwf_PcQ3hadOqMSGVGtaM2pVcWZbvWjU2UZ7MLdx1BaH8pe7n6T_c0E65ND-rSwFpuH90RBYqC75C-of2A8tL3-28g6Y1rz0oV1nHVGRbAAhmqr9iz0kUbcIkQC4bMr8kC4fVF0P_KTVDH0FIg2Q/s2550/Afro_Latinx_flyer_front%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2550" data-original-width="1650" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9MYBC1rWstGlCx8xzEgOCOD9vAd5CLNgDLMOGmhJwf_PcQ3hadOqMSGVGtaM2pVcWZbvWjU2UZ7MLdx1BaH8pe7n6T_c0E65ND-rSwFpuH90RBYqC75C-of2A8tL3-28g6Y1rz0oV1nHVGRbAAhmqr9iz0kUbcIkQC4bMr8kC4fVF0P_KTVDH0FIg2Q/w259-h400/Afro_Latinx_flyer_front%20(1).jpg" width="259" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><a name="_Hlk120703741"></a>There are many definitions of <i>testimonio</i>
as it pertains to Latin American literature. I can’t pretend to have a
comprehensive definition myself, and I especially don’t have a definition
better than the many scholars who have written about this topic, but I can
share my interpretation. One might, for example, identify an oppressive
situation and write a testimonio to establish a clear narrative in opposition. Alternatively,
one might witness a gathering where underrepresented voices are celebrated and
write a testimonio in support of the narrative; in other words, to bear witness
and join the conversation/revolution, to document the rupture and the
celebration. The following testimonios are written by those who not only
witnessed but participated in one such gathering: <i>Afro-Latinx Poetry Now</i>.
The two-day gathering aimed to center Blackness within the literary community.
The testimonios are written by the six poets and five scholars who
participated, along with one publisher/scholar who plans to extend the
conversation through publication. The final testimonio is from the perspective
of a virtual attendee, which we hope will inspire readers of this blog to also
engage with the recorded sessions. <br />
<b>Brent Ameneyro</b><br />
2022-2023 Letras Latinas Poetry Coalition Fellow<br /><br />
<br />
<b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjTEF5a2IL65j4j-4NR_RyBKR-xTqy7_eg0503HRn7LmJWw5fAaf8bbrNS4iygHVim6o68j5YiE4JoiZEQA8pSu1m2mQh78snF8b8cNG5yFYauWOyTjQn3EPMwuVrwxkwhwBj_qsfeZ-PFRHe8kGxoz5pgh6yUQj_ZgWn05zzzCri6dsFjHcgpsHe8Eow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="731" data-original-width="975" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjTEF5a2IL65j4j-4NR_RyBKR-xTqy7_eg0503HRn7LmJWw5fAaf8bbrNS4iygHVim6o68j5YiE4JoiZEQA8pSu1m2mQh78snF8b8cNG5yFYauWOyTjQn3EPMwuVrwxkwhwBj_qsfeZ-PFRHe8kGxoz5pgh6yUQj_ZgWn05zzzCri6dsFjHcgpsHe8Eow=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></b></div></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Left to right: </span>Yesenia Montilla, Alberto Varón, <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Jasminne Mendez,
Francisco Aragón, </span>Raina J. León, <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Roberto Carlos
Garcia, Brent Ameneyro, </span>Darrel Alejandro Holnes</b></div><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><br />
<br />
</span></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">In
almost 20 years as an academic, I have only experienced the intellectual
excitement and generosity I experienced at the “Afro-Latinx Poetry Now”
symposium a handful of times. Two aspects of the symposium stand out to me:
first, the give-and-take between critics and poets reaffirmed my impression
that poets are among our most trenchant thinkers, and that literary criticism
is better when artists and critics work together. My own thinking about John
Murillo’s poetry was challenged and enriched by the questions and comments on
my presentation. Second, where sometimes academic spaces can be
unforgiving—spaces of competition and posturing—everyone at “Afro-Latinx Poetry
Now” engaged with each other in a spirit of generosity and community. Although
I knew some of the scholars beforehand, I had never met any of the poets in
person before, and I was nervous about what tone the symposium would take. I
came away feeling genuinely lifted up and thrilled at everything I had learned,
as well as feeling that I belonged to a new community of colleagues and
friends. This was a special occasion, and I’m grateful to have been a part of
it.<br />
<b>John Alba Cutler<br />
</b>Scholar<b><br />
</b></span><b><br />
<br />
</b>The
conference was well-organized, exciting, and necessary. I enjoyed
all the talks, the readings, and the opportunity to fellowship with other poets
and scholars. Perhaps most enjoyable, however, was a brief exchange
with an undergraduate student who approached the poets after one of the
readings. She meant only to thank us for our songs, for reflecting,
even if only for a moment, a bit of her own world, and, as an aspiring writer
herself, perhaps a glimpse into what her own future may
hold. “Windows and mirrors,” says Lucille
Clifton. “Children need windows and mirrors.” Conferences
like these give poets opportunity to poet, scholars to scholar, and insofar as
our work merits any conversation, it centers us for a day or
two. But the true value, at least to my mind, lies with the young
folks. Our work is not to be seen but to help them to see: See
themselves, see the world, and see themselves in the world. For two beautiful
days in South Bend, we did our job.<br />
<b>John Murillo</b><b><br />
</b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Poet<br /><b><br /><br /></b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg2dJiUjf7bLpN5rftYcWC-CktixorSPvTdYZ-xx1VoAeSc8OtM818Fv_-pBGpVuyTkGX6uhOdU178KQZ7jdSbZXIUDD4cfUxLzknx1ccZcZE9Dbw_GhrP8J947xgFwbJGLKHrneLsF84kbfaB6R4uVo_Wb9BtELMU7Qu59t87aSXv-s0dV4JPH8st4Yg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="911" data-original-width="973" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg2dJiUjf7bLpN5rftYcWC-CktixorSPvTdYZ-xx1VoAeSc8OtM818Fv_-pBGpVuyTkGX6uhOdU178KQZ7jdSbZXIUDD4cfUxLzknx1ccZcZE9Dbw_GhrP8J947xgFwbJGLKHrneLsF84kbfaB6R4uVo_Wb9BtELMU7Qu59t87aSXv-s0dV4JPH8st4Yg=w400-h375" width="400" /></a></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b>John Murillo performing at the “Session 3” evening poetry reading</b></div>
</b><br />
<br />
As a Black Latina, I have spent years trying to fight and claw my way into
Latinx spaces. And when I have been able to enter, it is not often that I have
felt truly welcomed or safe. The Afro-Latinx Poetry Now summit hosted by Letras
Latinas, broke this cycle for me and for one of the first times in my life as a
writer and performer, I did not feel like "the token Afro-Latina."
Instead I felt like a respected member and professional of a vibrant and
burgeoning community of writers that have been working long and hard to feel
seen and heard. I bonded with my fellow Afro-Latinx poets in ways I hadn’t been
able yet due to distance and demanding life schedules. The two days I spent in
Notre Dame with fellow Afro-Latinx writers, Latine scholars, Notre Dame students
and professors reinvigorated my love and passion for poetry and it showed me
that my work is worthy of being studied, critiqued, analyzed and talked about
in academic spaces. It proved to me what I have long felt to be true, we are in
a literary renaissance and revolution right now and Afro-Latinx poetry and
writing is at the forefront of that. During the Q &
A after my poetry reading, a young Notre Dame student asked: “Can you talk
about how poetry changed your life,” and thanks to Letras Latina and this
summit I had the pleasure of saying “Poetry changed my life because it’s taken
me to places I once only dreamed of being in. As a teen I didn't even bother
applying to schools like Notre Dame. No way would I ever have gotten in much
less been able to afford it. And now, look, my work is being studied in its
classrooms by you. Poetry did that. Poetry brought me here.” <br />
<b>Jasminne Mendez<br />
</b>Poet<b><br />
<br />
<br /></b><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhEgSr5pPJqs1bvEpti_wvCp10kxFofmTBLuK1FTeTNPcfqgllO-E6fc60vNuYAhp6MnhV0MrkW__rlfM9cWEc6KAeppRumZLy6SuFC3ZhZg81cVRXZ6PjurKNwzEx3KFv8OT6XY_VjnMHHdVRo2ImenWm_tKQxRJdkmIKM-R2VQbawv2I_RtwC4JyEVg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="648" data-original-width="975" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhEgSr5pPJqs1bvEpti_wvCp10kxFofmTBLuK1FTeTNPcfqgllO-E6fc60vNuYAhp6MnhV0MrkW__rlfM9cWEc6KAeppRumZLy6SuFC3ZhZg81cVRXZ6PjurKNwzEx3KFv8OT6XY_VjnMHHdVRo2ImenWm_tKQxRJdkmIKM-R2VQbawv2I_RtwC4JyEVg=w400-h266" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Jasminne Mendez subverting expectations by performing away from the podium</b></div>
<br />
<br />
</b></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Thank you,
again, for what I heard was a beautiful convergence, one that was much-needed!
Even though I was not able to attend in person, I could feel the kinship from
the audience as I presented my paper on Jasminne Mendez’s brilliant work. I
would love to see this kind of convergence that highlights the creative labor
of Afro-Latine artist again and hope to be included!<br />
<b>Judith Rodriguez<br />
</b>Scholar</span><b><br />
</b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><br />
<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjLmV-tLqP7CuPlE57QQMNfCoWmEvWa8tsjDrFb9pXtbglDZaqPe4QrN4vPWs1b_0Mea7wmKAVrHEgzS10YblK6dMRGTcEelhTaNuhY-rC6y_2aipOfa5paOPk1Qno6geVq7QaVV0BS6YAeQ60JGMdTAp8lgbmRSAcZr4k9HV3jF3km9WbWqxBPQ9eIRA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="731" data-original-width="975" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjLmV-tLqP7CuPlE57QQMNfCoWmEvWa8tsjDrFb9pXtbglDZaqPe4QrN4vPWs1b_0Mea7wmKAVrHEgzS10YblK6dMRGTcEelhTaNuhY-rC6y_2aipOfa5paOPk1Qno6geVq7QaVV0BS6YAeQ60JGMdTAp8lgbmRSAcZr4k9HV3jF3km9WbWqxBPQ9eIRA=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div>
<b><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Judith Rodriguez participating virtually in a hybrid discussion format</b></div></b>
<br />
<br />
</span>The “Afro-Latinx
Poetry Now" Gathering was a beautifully curated event that featured the
work of Black Latinx poets and scholars. The gathering was transformative in
the way it placed the work of poets, critics, and cultural studies in relation.
Furthermore, it is rare to see poets given the space to not only read their own
work but also laud the work of their peers and listen to scholars critically
examine their work. The vision and organizing for this event reflected an
ethics of care and relationality. I was also impressed with how the campus
community came together to witness poets championing other poets as well as
giving their gifts to the public throughout the evening readings and open mics.
Beautifully woven into the events were scholars engaging with the writers in a
dialogue around the context, content, and impact of their work. The curation
and organization of the event was superb with each detail thoughtfully planned
(even down to the poets’ books being available for sale each evening). This
event should be seen as an example for other institutes, programs, and
departments to follow. It was also a breath of fresh air in the wake of a
global pandemic—a reassurance that another world is possible, that we can and
should care about poetry, especially from Afro-Latinx scholars, some of the
most peripheralized voices in the literary world. <br />
<b>Yomaira Figueroa-Vásquez<br />
</b>Scholar<b><br />
</b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgttHQEFvT3SRKwCMEZeUGugP3AGFjFVXAQ3XzrEksaUaU4xrdHyrahU_SWBZW6i4bf4KyObrjFkWe-33Y2UH0vw3L1HF5tajADnjGf98hU-2HRZJsSYruIYrVg1A5Fpl5B5iTGJol6DaR9MtmqoGKx5VQcX6vJf3yFDYPGvni46bjjYQIVHPSGTFGywg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="730" data-original-width="973" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgttHQEFvT3SRKwCMEZeUGugP3AGFjFVXAQ3XzrEksaUaU4xrdHyrahU_SWBZW6i4bf4KyObrjFkWe-33Y2UH0vw3L1HF5tajADnjGf98hU-2HRZJsSYruIYrVg1A5Fpl5B5iTGJol6DaR9MtmqoGKx5VQcX6vJf3yFDYPGvni46bjjYQIVHPSGTFGywg=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div>
</span><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Yomaira
Figueroa-Vásquez presenting on </span>Raina J. León’s poetry</b></div></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">
<br />
</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><br />
</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">There was a moment when Dr.
Yomaira Figueroa-Vásquez entangled her heart with mine, Afro-Latina
mother-scholars, as she read two of my most tender poems about my fears as
mother and in the reading, we both were in tears. For me, it was in
hearing my pain and fear reflected in another mother’s body and spirit, while
at the same time being given the gift of a scholar seeing all the work of craft
I used to create that bridge of experiential and spiritual connection. I had
never been witness to a scholar, particularly of her renown, analyzing my work,
and there I was in the front row. Weeping could be the only reaction.
Recently, one of my great uncles said that my great-grandfather, Félix,
after whom so many generations in my family are named, was a poet. How many
Afro-Latinx voices have been lost to time, their notebooks discarded? And
there we were, we six poets, expounding on six additional poets, and then, for
me, to see, another Afro-Latina mother-scholar?! The Afro-Latinx Poetry
Now conference was long overdue … and it was and is a healing of the past, a
reaching back to our ancestors, a dancing in the light of their hopes and
dreams, a blessing on the future. Francisco Robles, another scholar,
mentioned pyrophilous mushrooms and mycelium networks in his talk in passing,
particularly of their emergence from ashes to heal, and that story has such
resonance for me as I think on the conference. From the ashes, the
people, Black and Latinx, vibrant in our distinct identities and cultures and
experiences, rise. I am grateful, so very grateful to be in that
community. Wherever I have walked, I mention the communion of that conference,
with reverence, with joy. Letras Latinas continues to practice from the
liberatory space of dreaming into possibility and present. Now. <br />
</span><b>Raina J. León<br />
</b>Poet<br />
<b><br />
<br /></b><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhdN-6dqOxkGE29yonhM7y92XIl_ltEIgrbV5BAEUq9fN2n-W1bmIg4byMVTqDM1yFz4dbflpD91g-qDQnkEmCsfKFM_W_UcDiek1Zl70T6Oyuf1BkUHN80nB1h6d-SuZ1o0CnGRP9AsTxeomzEyElucFO9aGgNB_Cq-pDW8slKnxE2dsOn8A0gwixFrw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="695" data-original-width="973" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhdN-6dqOxkGE29yonhM7y92XIl_ltEIgrbV5BAEUq9fN2n-W1bmIg4byMVTqDM1yFz4dbflpD91g-qDQnkEmCsfKFM_W_UcDiek1Zl70T6Oyuf1BkUHN80nB1h6d-SuZ1o0CnGRP9AsTxeomzEyElucFO9aGgNB_Cq-pDW8slKnxE2dsOn8A0gwixFrw=w400-h286" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Raina J. León visiting Francisco Aragón’s “Latinx Poetry Now” class</b></div></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">
<br />
<br />
</span>The Afro-Latinx Poetry Now event co-presented by Letras Latinas was an
incredibly affirming experience that is a rarity in today's literary and
academic landscape. Even in moments when there push for more diversity and
inclusion, rarely does it include the most marginalized sub-communities or
communities across various intersections. Letras Latinas really put in the work
and continues to meet their commitment to Latinx/e poets through programming
that is of the highest professional caliber in the field. <br />
<b>Darrel Alejandro Holnes</b><br />
Poet<br />
<br /><br />
The time spent at Notre Dame for the “Afro-Latinx Poetry Now” gathering was one
of the most fruitful times in my career thus far. Yes, there was poetry, yes
there was scholarship, but most importantly there was community. It felt like
divination to be able to have meals with poets who I deeply admire and whose
work is directly in conversation with my own poetry; add to this the scholars
who took time and care with our work and it was a perfect brew of all the
things that poetics could be. Call it kismet or something else, something deeply
rooted in our desire, all of us present, for transformative change, for the
dismantling of white supremacy within Latinidad, for the need to discuss the
hard things and still rise from those conversations with new eyes and an open
heart. Letras Latina’s vision: revolutionary and restorative has set a
precedence for future gatherings and their possibilities. I feel deep gratitude
for all involved, who worked tirelessly to create this space so full of wonder.<br />
<b>Yesenia Montilla<br />
</b>Poet<br />
<br /><br /><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsEtkSAY_ztwznJplfgQHImlcBJ7CV_qZBLdPX2o_y9SeFgyumm1oGqpnwDY0SQE9wPIeoG-dRkl0I-KUOvxVlyLNHsLc4tZ3HKDVzffkpAFHry94PmFa_r0KP0Tw--SvV4tDHit8LfSYta0puZiJPWFBbbJ5uc6lEteje8RR2Uh96P-46yCHXAz1NAg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="731" data-original-width="975" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsEtkSAY_ztwznJplfgQHImlcBJ7CV_qZBLdPX2o_y9SeFgyumm1oGqpnwDY0SQE9wPIeoG-dRkl0I-KUOvxVlyLNHsLc4tZ3HKDVzffkpAFHry94PmFa_r0KP0Tw--SvV4tDHit8LfSYta0puZiJPWFBbbJ5uc6lEteje8RR2Uh96P-46yCHXAz1NAg=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Left to right: </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Marisel Moreno,
</span>Yomaira Figueroa-Vásquez, <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Jasminne Mendez, </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Roberto Carlos Garcia, </span>Yesenia Montilla, Francisco
Aragón, Raina J. León, Darrel Alejandro Holnes, Francisco Robles, <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">John Murillo, </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">John Alba Cutler</span></b></div></span></b><br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">I found the AfroLatinx Poetry Now conference to
be one of the most enriching intellectual experiences I’ve ever had. It wasn’t
only that the topic is quite urgent in the field of Latinx Studies, but that it
gave all participants –poets and scholars– a chance to create community. As a
scholar, I highly value the opportunity to connect with other scholars in the
field of Afrolatinx studies. As someone who deeply admires and often teaches
the poets who participated, I very much enjoyed their presentations on other
poets (“Poets on Poets”) and also their readings. The intellectual, emotional,
and even spiritual exchanges that took place will stay with me for many years
to come. I’m thankful for this amazing opportunity to grow and to create space
for voices that have traditionally been excluded from the Latinx canon. My hope
is that we can recreate this model every other year to continue to raise
awareness about Afrolatinx poetry and art.<br />
<b>Marisel Moreno</b></span><br />
Scholar<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">To be celebrated, and to have one's work
celebrated is an honor. I am grateful to Francisco Aragon, Latino Studies
Institute, Initiative on Race and Resilience, and University of Notre Dame, for
organizing this necessary event. The structure of this conference, where we
celebrate both the poets present, the ones who inspire us, and the scholars at
the forefront of Afro Latinx / Latinx studies is a unique and trailblazing
initiative. I'm hopeful that this conference is the first of many more in
celebration of Afro Latinx literature. The conference was indeed a safe space
for us to engage in a scholarly discourse about the experience of Black or Afro
Latinx poets. As many of us are painfully aware, academia is not always a safe
space for academics of color. Therefore, it is imperative that the
scholarship, both written and performed, produced by </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">this conference live
on scholarly journals, online library databases, and anywhere else that
existing and up and coming scholars can access them. Francisco Aragon has begun
something extraordinary, and I for one will support him in the continuation of
this initiative in any way possible. <br />
<b>Roberto Carlos Garcia<br />
</b>Poet<b><br />
<br /><br /></b><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj9l4FxH00H9mvvQEJoobdbquaNglatdDWZXsfTiVEWLN5VsRqJNL3bKP9kpY8XdDPzonOhKS50Zf1p4W7juCpzeoRTI_QMvKXKsjIi_Wiu-aUaMld4XlJDrBX7M549M-eGu3gkPxXgSHHA7wjv8zFr7PuoNZgChNu3m1LUfkZQOxrc3yUN4PDTs8PHRA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="914" data-original-width="975" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj9l4FxH00H9mvvQEJoobdbquaNglatdDWZXsfTiVEWLN5VsRqJNL3bKP9kpY8XdDPzonOhKS50Zf1p4W7juCpzeoRTI_QMvKXKsjIi_Wiu-aUaMld4XlJDrBX7M549M-eGu3gkPxXgSHHA7wjv8zFr7PuoNZgChNu3m1LUfkZQOxrc3yUN4PDTs8PHRA=w400-h375" width="400" /></a></div>
</b></span><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Raina
J. León<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">,
Roberto Carlos Garcia, and </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Jasminne
Mendez signing books for enthusiastic attendees</span></b></div><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">
<br />
</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><br />
</span></b>This conference was a
truly inspiring gathering that did what the best scholarly gatherings do:
shifted the way we think about a topic <i>while we were thinking</i> about
that topic. The papers spoke to each other wonderfully, and it was clear that
the conversation was taking place in a way that built something together. What
mattered most, to me, was that the thing we built together was in honor of the
poets. By centering their work, we produced a vibrant body of scholarship that
hewed closely to what the poets wrote. Ultimately, I hope that this conference
will shape all of our work—creative and critical—for a long time to come.<br />
<b>Francisco Robles<br />
</b>Scholar<b><br /></b><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgLc7HoJvuwNJatoJNiNLb2yaf-ySFIIbcqsSybmGkG_sfCBMr_xqftgBi8SrNrFbNkWkNMiNYBnz7UbkbIbw8X6C5xOd-ikoAPzajc98vaFKGBH0Dh3CQ4KwBo8iAUNqyubjVRLWB2bJY38ZGmJlWKmIZ5YDbDpQ5ki7iufZvqMnMsewtUjIJNv3cPHw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; color: black;"><img data-original-height="681" data-original-width="975" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgLc7HoJvuwNJatoJNiNLb2yaf-ySFIIbcqsSybmGkG_sfCBMr_xqftgBi8SrNrFbNkWkNMiNYBnz7UbkbIbw8X6C5xOd-ikoAPzajc98vaFKGBH0Dh3CQ4KwBo8iAUNqyubjVRLWB2bJY38ZGmJlWKmIZ5YDbDpQ5ki7iufZvqMnMsewtUjIJNv3cPHw=w400-h280" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Francisco Robles presenting on Yesenia Montilla’s poetry</b></div></b><br />
<br />
Letras Latinas Afro-Latinx Poetry Now event was a milestone event for the
growing academic field of Latinx studies, one that will live on in the
collaborations it inspired. The innovative format—poets responding to poets
responding to scholars—finally found a way to open up an exchange we’ve been
seeking and could only partially articulate. Hearing the poets shift from
creative to critical modes, and having scholars poetically attend to the
world-making power of language, created a space for us to be and think
differently. To call the event empowering undersells it, but the event fostered
exchanges among writers and thinkers of all levels and locations that will
reverberate across our far-flung homes, laying down new tendrils of
connectivity, opening up the field of Latinx studies (and our own understanding
of it) to new voices, new communities in which we might thrive. Despite its
exceptionality, the event perfectly aligned with Letras Latinas mission of
supporting Latinx writers and thinkers.<br />
<b>Alberto Varón<br />
</b>Scholar/Publisher<b><br />
</b><br />
<br /><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEggAcrMk3v_O_QDAOZB72J16B4vBH4ibBL1AT-cxVM9L74sPJhyFrbvCnMWA6Fdp4KhFikFV6dAKI4bH5oLS0hYwdYLnCCZ11kpv7Gb1IqM_UgsXS2GBrhFWeMhII_ZFhXrsLwMDWVMPEhi9g9U_FS8DzKMS2dHlf7R67GGWt7HcuZSCwusLGpiToampw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="731" data-original-width="975" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEggAcrMk3v_O_QDAOZB72J16B4vBH4ibBL1AT-cxVM9L74sPJhyFrbvCnMWA6Fdp4KhFikFV6dAKI4bH5oLS0hYwdYLnCCZ11kpv7Gb1IqM_UgsXS2GBrhFWeMhII_ZFhXrsLwMDWVMPEhi9g9U_FS8DzKMS2dHlf7R67GGWt7HcuZSCwusLGpiToampw=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Left to right: Roberto Carlos Garcia, </span>Yesenia Montilla, <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Jasminne Mendez, </span>Raina J. León, <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">John Murillo, </span>Darrel Alejandro Holnes</b></div></span>
<br />
<br />
</b>I attended Letras Latinas' “Afro-Latinx Poetry Now” virtually from the
borderlands of South Texas and I felt privileged to be in attendance. The
two-day event was well curated and exceptional in who spoke either with their
poetry or with their scholarship. This event could have only been live and it
still would have had a tremendous impact for those in attendance but here I was
– far away, first generation mixed Latinx who inherited exile on both sides –
and I fell into the voices and hearts of those presenting and knew I was finally
hearing current leaders and writers whose voices spoke in unison with voices
who had long been silenced or denied or otherwise been made invisible. I’m deeply
thankful that this work remains accessible for those who might have missed it
when it was live. These few hours opened so much within me and reminded me of
the impact of diaspora and inheritance and joy in our daily lives. I know
others will be just as impacted. <br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>jo reyes-boitel<br /></b></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">MFA student and poet</span></span><p></p>
<p><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br />All
six sessions are available to view at the following link: <a href="https://latinostudies.nd.edu/news-events/events/afro-latinx-poetry-now/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">https://latinostudies.nd.edu/news-events/events/afro-latinx-poetry-now/</span></a><br /><br />To view additional photos from the gathering, please visit <a href="http://letraslatinasblog.blogspot.com/2022/12/afro-latinx-poetry-now-photo-essay-in.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">http://letraslatinasblog.blogspot.com/2022/12/afro-latinx-poetry-now-photo-essay-in.html </span></a></span></span></p>Brent Ameneyrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03140999508928545532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348283351005310041.post-74722546392996155392022-10-08T15:03:00.000-05:002022-10-08T15:03:06.227-05:00Letras Latinas congratulates Lorca prize winner!<p>
</p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Announcing the 2022 Lorca Latinx Poetry Prize</span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Winner and Honorable Mentions<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Carmen
Giménez selects <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ephemeral</i></b></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">by
<b>heidi andrea restrepo rhodes</b><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwoYatblMwB5AOlEz62UUvLyvNDbRluNBiyzKjzmrUj2nTCR0VpFet0HgJiaIU9wGeePw-V3QY2C4FSrhbAbWUd7SnUtwImDDsuNzS1ohII2MamN0uOzDpEsBVOs-Qs4aJwXbgzHZwfbNBGyzFHRHhzJngrDMfqwrci2BsiMtaThsLujxRNWjoBYU9cw/s2000/heidi_andrea_restrepo_rhodes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwoYatblMwB5AOlEz62UUvLyvNDbRluNBiyzKjzmrUj2nTCR0VpFet0HgJiaIU9wGeePw-V3QY2C4FSrhbAbWUd7SnUtwImDDsuNzS1ohII2MamN0uOzDpEsBVOs-Qs4aJwXbgzHZwfbNBGyzFHRHhzJngrDMfqwrci2BsiMtaThsLujxRNWjoBYU9cw/w480-h640/heidi_andrea_restrepo_rhodes.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">MADRID, SPAIN (October 7, 2022) — The Lorca Latinx Poetry
Prize, Letras Latinas, and EcoTheo Collective are thrilled to announce the winner of the 2022 Lorca
Latinx Poetry Prize, which supports the publication of an English-Spanish language chapbook by an emerging Latinx poet with no more than one full-length
collection in print. The 2022 Prize is awarded to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">heidi
andrea restrepo rhodes</b> for her chapbook ephemeral. Honorable mentions are given to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ayling
Zulema Dominguez</b> for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Como el Nopal</i>, and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Cristian Ramirez
Rodriguez</b> for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Violet Nerve</i>. The
winner and honorable mentions were selected by this year’s guest judge <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Carmen Giménez</b> and first reader<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> Suzi F. Garcia</b>.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Carmen
Giménez states:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“ephemeral is lush and hypnotic, </span></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">a
greenhouse of exotic unnamed plants, </span></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">of longing. The language is elemental,
physical, wrought, erotic. </span></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This poet has</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> a rare sonic gift. </span></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I want love to
live in all of us this way.”</span></i>
</p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Francisco Aragónhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17324802869512989420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348283351005310041.post-89961449479795412572022-09-01T05:44:00.000-05:002022-09-01T05:44:21.734-05:00A House of Our Own: The Kissing Bug by Daisy Hernández<div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://tinhouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/9781953534194-20220307020417.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="517" height="377" src="https://tinhouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/9781953534194-20220307020417.jpg" width="243" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Tin House via https://tinhouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/9781953534194-20220307020417.jpg</span></div></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">“[Falta] can mean a love that is not here, as in: ‘me haces falta,’ or ‘I miss you’ which I always hear as: ‘you make me miss you.’”<br /></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">–Daisy Hernández,</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> The Kissing Bug</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (Tin House, 2021)</span></span></div><span id="docs-internal-guid-00f2e72b-7fff-a887-6475-5ba8a23ac71c"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Kissing Bug</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, author Daisy Hernández investigates Chagas, a neglected disease that disproportionately affects Latinxs, tackling issues with healthcare in the U.S. and her complex relationship with her Tía Dora, who passed as a result of the illness.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Like other works I’ve written about in this column, </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Kissing Bug</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> discusses maternal relationships and the role of women in Latinx families, in this case centering on the relationship between Hernández and her Tía Dora, whom she describes as a “domineering” or “micromanag[ing]” mother. Young Daisy behaved “like a boy,” something which her Tía Dora disapproved of: “…I said what was on my mind and I didn’t care what anyone thought,” she writes. Daisy’s sister, on the other hand, fit Dora’s vision of femininity and didn’t argue with her. For example, she answered “Señora?” whenever her name was called, a polite gesture that grated on Daisy’s nature. Daisy’s relationship with her aunt was further complicated when she came out as bisexual, to which Dora’s response was to cut off communication with her for years. In our Zoom interview, Hernández said that, while her aunt was striving “towards a traditional dream,” her own “more social justice based” ideas led to “different visions” for their futures. Their relationship was molded by cultural elements such as machismo which set certain expectations for women. “Machismo is not only the specific people we deal with,” Hernández told me, “but [also] the culture that we're in. And so I think a lot of us are not only watching our mothers, but also other women in our community.” Latinx women (and other women of color) raise daughters to be caregivers, teachers, and role models that “stay out of the way,” as Hernández’s mother and sister do in the book. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The responsibilities of women also extend into healthcare as a whole; “The women in my family decided to save Tía Dora,” writes Hernández. Daisy’s mother and aunts were the ones taking her to appointments and tending to her, as Hernández told me her health was considered a “women’s issue.” Indeed, two of the most prominent doctors that deal with Chagas are women. Hernández has observed such women-centric caregiving in other cultures: “The degree to which our healthcare system functions on the backs of…Black and Brown women is just astounding.” And this goes beyond Chagas; </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Kissing Bug </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">states that “we contain [infectious diseases] to communities of color, to the poor, to the homeless, to people in this Second America.” The “Second America” includes Hernández’s family, for whom healthcare depended on health fairs in church parking lots. However, the promise of better treatment brought Dora from Colombia. “My auntie [was] super blessed that she was in the U.S. in New York City in 1980,” said Hernández. “That is really different from today.” Her aunt’s initial improvements created a myth in young Daisy’s mind: "As long as my auntie stayed here with us, she would never die." However, like the American Dream, this did not apply to everyone. Hernández writes about Lucia, whose lack of insurance led to her avoidable death. As I read, I wondered why pregnant Latinxs aren’t being screened for the parasite that causes Chagas, which can be treated if caught early. “I don't feel that there is any other reason except racism,” Hernández told me. “[Chagas] is not going to spread beyond this Latinx community…so white America has the option of ignoring it.” Lucia’s story and the lack of testing exemplify the epidemiological divide between those who do and don’t have access to healthcare.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Although Dora benefited from the healthcare she received in the U.S., she ultimately succumbed to her illness. “I don’t know why I am grieving you,” Hernández writes. “You were awful to me, and yet here I am crying in public.” At the end of </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Kissing Bug</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Hernández confesses that she grieved because her Tía never accepted her “as her queer daughter-sobrina.” This brings into high contrast those rare moments of tenderness, as when Dora tells Daisy “me hicistes falta.” “It was the closest she ever came to saying, ‘I love you,’” she writes. “In that moment, she was not the auntie who had banished me from her life.” This shows the importance of Spanish to Hernández, who called it “a language of a particular kind of intimacy… it just touches something that's very hard to describe.” And this doesn’t only apply to Spanish; Dora’s first doctor in the U.S., a son of Jewish immigrants, also knew about “the need for the mother tongue.” To both Hernández and I, Spanish is weightier than English, especially when it comes to love and family. It’s clear, then, why so many diasporic writers write about the proverbial mother tongue. This was exemplified toward the end of the book, when Hernández has an epiphany over responding to her name with “Señora?”: “[M]aybe Tía Dora had not been trying to make me into a lady. Maybe she had only wanted me to be more Colombian.”</span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Reading </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Kissing Bug</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, I learned that culture can greatly influence healthcare, not only in its availability, but also in the act of caring. I had inadvertently witnessed what Hernández describes within my family; my grandfather, who passed away six months ago today, was always cared for by my grandmother, mother, and aunts, and he suffered unnecessary complications due to failures by healthcare professionals in Puerto Rico. Much of Hernández’s discussions of family dynamics and the function of language complements that of other authors throughout this column, and I think recognizing these commonalities can help members of Latinx cultures and immigrants from other countries empathize with each other’s experiences in the diaspora.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Thank you to Daisy Hernández for the Zoom interview and to Tin House for the review copy!</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><div style="background-color: #f8f3ee; color: #4d626c; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzwAFAfyuhNn-AJnJ3qMM8AqwQCK3xGp5q5naJLI4YGgc4Hdkhfu7MxsEH5BF0Sdphq1VWgCrDrARi7LsSgsyYEt1S6vo__CeV3v5LsZIgxV6eIxy-YbMzPiPPx-RvbrrnP5n6uLUTQb6/s200/Headshot.jpg" style="clear: left; color: blue; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left; text-decoration-line: none;"> <img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="149" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzwAFAfyuhNn-AJnJ3qMM8AqwQCK3xGp5q5naJLI4YGgc4Hdkhfu7MxsEH5BF0Sdphq1VWgCrDrARi7LsSgsyYEt1S6vo__CeV3v5LsZIgxV6eIxy-YbMzPiPPx-RvbrrnP5n6uLUTQb6/w149-h200/Headshot.jpg" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="149" /></a></div><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in;"></p></span></div><div style="background-color: #f8f3ee; color: #4d626c; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></i></span></div><div style="background-color: #f8f3ee; color: #4d626c; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Brittany Torres Rivera is a Puerto Rican writer whose work deals with culture, family, and (un)belonging. She has a BA in English with a concentration in Creative Writing from Florida International University. She is based in Orlando, FL.</span></i></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: #f8f3ee; color: #4d626c; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0pt 0in;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin: 0pt 0in;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div style="background-color: #f8f3ee; color: #4d626c; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;"></span></p></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><div><br /></div><div><br style="font-family: times;" /></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Brittany Torres Riverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17231198248351077877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348283351005310041.post-12744733241155601202022-08-01T07:21:00.001-05:002022-08-22T14:00:25.645-05:00A House of Our Own: A Woman of Endurance by Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;"></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><a href="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0285/2821/4050/products/9780063062221.jpg?v=1659218982" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="429" height="386" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0285/2821/4050/products/9780063062221.jpg?v=1659218982" width="256" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: HarperCollins/Amistad via https://www.harpercollins.com/products/a-woman-of-endurance-dahlma-llanos-figueroa?variant=39419449704482</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Cover Art by Fabiola Jean-Louis</span></span></div><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />“She knew with undeniable certainty that she would withstand all that they could devise to destroy her. They would not take her true self…she would survive.”<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">—Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa, </span><span style="font-family: times; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Woman of Endurance</span><span style="font-family: times; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (Amistad, 2022)</span></span></span><p></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-9507d0a7-7fff-d129-584b-5aac2bb6a2ed"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Woman of Endurance</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is Puerto Rican author Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa’s latest novel. It follows the turbulent life of Pola, an African woman who is sold into slavery, as she heals in spite of the inhumanity of her situation thanks to the support of her community.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When Pola arrives at her new plantation,</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Las Mercedes</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, she is assigned to work in </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Las Agujas</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, where a group of mixed-race women make fine garments instead of harvesting sugarcane. This privilege is not lost on Pola, although she is disgusted by the differences in the treatment of the women based on their shade: “The color of their skin…banishes [women like Pola] to an unseen working world.” Thus, a colorist hierarchy is revealed among the enslaved women of the </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">hacienda</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Field worker Leticia </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“la Loca'' </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">judges the mixed women, as Pola initially did, and claims that Pola feels superior to other dark-skinned Black women. Although Pola would like to refute her, she cannot: “It is not easy to admit, even to herself, that [Pola] has benefits that field workers will never enjoy…she understands much of Leticia’s resentment.” While the other women of </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Las Agujas</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> accept Pola as one of their own, and Pola questions whether, even so close to the big house, “any slave is ever truly…safe,” the colorist systems of the plantation sow hatred. No character exemplifies this more than Celestina, the albino head housekeeper who relishes in her physical whiteness (claiming to be </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Más blanca que las blancas”</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">) and weaponizes her privilege against the other women. Although she is on the opposite side of the spectrum, Leticia also betrays her people, acting as an informant against two runaways to receive makeup and be in the good graces of the overseers. Their acts of sabotage against other Black women reflect a desire to be like the oppressor, perhaps as a means of survival within a racist, colorist system. These ideas have been confronted by Kyle Carrero-Lopez, Ariana Brown, and other Black and Afro-Latinx writers.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The racism and colorism of slavery creates a violent, dehumanizing environment for both men and women, and Pola’s experiences before her arrival at </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Las Mercedes</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> reflect this. After being taken from her home, Pola and the other captives were starved, beaten, kept in subhuman conditions, and assaulted in every way. This escalated at her first plantation, </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hacienda Paraíso</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, where she was repeatedly brutalized for the entertainment of the </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">patrón</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. As a result, Pola justifiably spends most of the book in fear of men: “No man would ever take that much away from me again.” She distances herself even from Simón, a kind man who cares deeply for her, turning instead toward other women for care. I interviewed Llanos-Figueroa about </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Woman of Endurance</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, who said that “women found solace within their own community. While the men were present and willing to provide that support, their hands were often tied by the brutality of their own treatment.” And, indeed, Simón helps Pola later in the book, only to be severely and permanently injured by Romero, the overseer of </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Las Mercedes</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Romero is a perpetrator of gender violence like the men of </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hacienda Paraíso</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, who treated Pola as a “breeding mare,” impregnating her over and over only to take her children in yet another act of brutality. The cruelty of the men running the plantation took on new depth, as they stripped Pola of one of the few things that ever brought her joy: motherhood.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The relationships between mothers and daughters is one of the most important ideas explored in </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Woman of Endurance</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, a novel replete with maternal figures who guide Pola on her journey of healing. At </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hacienda Paraíso</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Pola gets to bond with her only “girl child” for several days, leaving Pola a husk of herself when the baby is taken away. When Pola arrives at </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Las Mercedes</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Rufina “</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">la Curandera”</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and head cook Patrona nourish her body, but it is Tía Josefa, the woman in charge of </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Las Agujas</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, who helps Pola heal her heart. When one of Tía Josefa’s women dies, dropping her into an abyss of grief, Pola pulls her out before she sinks beyond return. But when Pola loses Chachita, a young girl with no </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">patrón</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> who awakens “something long buried and almost forgotten,” it is Tía Josefa’s turn to help Pola endure this echo of all the children Pola couldn’t keep. At every juncture, these women rely on one another as a means of physical, emotional, and spiritual survival. As Llanos-Figueroa told me, “[i]n this narrative, as in the culture, daughters who have lost their mothers often find older women who fulfill that role.” Growing up in a family of mostly women, I’ve seen relationships with maternal figures be the most consequential and influential in the lives of daughters, an idea upon which Yasmín Ramírez elaborates in </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">¡Ándale, Prieta!</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. In cultures as patriarchal as Latinx ones, there’s no question that young women must rely on mothers to learn how to behave, how to survive, as they do in </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Woman of Endurance</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Although reading this book was difficult at times due to the violence the characters experience, I am ultimately glad I did. “Slavery was driven by greed, justified by religion and enforced by the military,” said Llanos-Figueroa. All three of these components are discussed in </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Woman of Endurance</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and I think it’s important to recognize the far-reaching impacts of slavery, one of which may be a cultural reliance on maternal figures and their love to endure. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you enjoyed this story’s exploration of motherhood in the context of slavery, check out Toni Morisson’s classic, </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Beloved</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Thanks to Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa for the email interview and to Amistad for the review Copy!</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><div style="background-color: #f8f3ee; color: #4d626c; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzwAFAfyuhNn-AJnJ3qMM8AqwQCK3xGp5q5naJLI4YGgc4Hdkhfu7MxsEH5BF0Sdphq1VWgCrDrARi7LsSgsyYEt1S6vo__CeV3v5LsZIgxV6eIxy-YbMzPiPPx-RvbrrnP5n6uLUTQb6/s200/Headshot.jpg" style="clear: left; color: blue; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left; text-decoration-line: none;"> <img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="149" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzwAFAfyuhNn-AJnJ3qMM8AqwQCK3xGp5q5naJLI4YGgc4Hdkhfu7MxsEH5BF0Sdphq1VWgCrDrARi7LsSgsyYEt1S6vo__CeV3v5LsZIgxV6eIxy-YbMzPiPPx-RvbrrnP5n6uLUTQb6/w149-h200/Headshot.jpg" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="149" /></a></div><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in;"></p></span></div><div style="background-color: #f8f3ee; color: #4d626c; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></i></span></div><div style="background-color: #f8f3ee; color: #4d626c; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Brittany Torres Rivera is a Puerto Rican writer whose work deals with culture, family, and (un)belonging. She has a BA in English with a concentration in Creative Writing from Florida International University. She is based in Orlando, FL.</span></i></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: #f8f3ee; color: #4d626c; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0pt 0in;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div style="background-color: #f8f3ee; color: #4d626c; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;"></span></p></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><div><br /></div><div><br style="font-family: times;" /></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Brittany Torres Riverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17231198248351077877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348283351005310041.post-55782920103326756522022-07-02T22:07:00.002-05:002022-07-02T22:09:17.829-05:00ANDRÉS MONTOYA POETRY PRIZE: Winner & Honorable Mention(s)!<div><p class="MsoNormal">
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Letras Latinas, the literary
initiative of the University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Latino Studies, is
pleased to announce that <b>Jordan Pérez</b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">, from Atlanta, GA,<b> </b></span>is the tenth recipient of the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize</b>. Named
after the late Chicano poet from Fresno, the Prize is a collaboration with
University of Notre Dame Press and supports the publication of a first book by
a Latinx poet residing in the United States. </span></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwds3KWxh8UDzT5LcA6eMJ_KxkwwLe2_MfAKGiAvEJGgN5Ayskq9Yq7feTbrShcioSji01Ihm-XjEzBWnBFm93AEhJrkI3IaJ3MyI9fxaQ1tw7gS--wCDcivjoeFNF6tdXMvzQWZxEF46521Pv1zxHeDv38dy69PH_lbr4qXlK5wXVeeu-OvapRiD8pA/s3088/Jordan%20Perez%20Headshot.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwds3KWxh8UDzT5LcA6eMJ_KxkwwLe2_MfAKGiAvEJGgN5Ayskq9Yq7feTbrShcioSji01Ihm-XjEzBWnBFm93AEhJrkI3IaJ3MyI9fxaQ1tw7gS--wCDcivjoeFNF6tdXMvzQWZxEF46521Pv1zxHeDv38dy69PH_lbr4qXlK5wXVeeu-OvapRiD8pA/w300-h400/Jordan%20Perez%20Headshot.jpg" width="300" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Jordan Pérez</b><br /></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The tenth edition of the Prize was
judged by <b>Alexandra Lytton Regalado </b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">and <b>Sheila Maldonado</b></span>, with the assistance from preliminary
judges <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Adela Najarro</b> <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">and <b>Ariel Francisco</b>.</span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Alexandra
Lytton Regalado</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> writes:</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Jordan Pérez</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">’s
are poems of hunger and want; an urgent and haunting voice reveals the everyday
of a Latinx life in the South: “two generations / of quiet // sucking each
other’s pain / as you might a snakebite.” The lyrical poems of <i>Santa
Tarantula</i> follow a dreamlogic embedded with rich details and are guided by
revelatory proclamations of atonement and reckoning: <span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #333333;">“</span>I spent my entire life expecting I’d grow up to be a
dead girl.” Pérez assembles her poems as shadowboxes, curious collections of
the natural world, bible stories, and family memories. At times Pérez’s quiet
observation reminds the reader of Ada Limón, and with the compactness of Louise
Gluck, but Pérez stands out, a remarkable and confident voice that understands
survival is in the telling: “I refuse to die… having not come / into the fullness
of myself. This / is my blood. This, my body. Saying no or yes, / and liking
it.”</span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Sheila Maldonado</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> writes:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“<i>Santa
Tarantula</i></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> is a collection of the many ways
all that is female survives. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Jordan Pérez</b>
lends scientific, lyrical attention to the deepest wounds within families and
sexes. This fearless, economical writing haunts from the start, excavates and
sings of pain and persistence. Pérez takes on a wide range of contexts, nature
and the body, insects, the sea, biblical tales, recent Cuban history, all possible
sites of destruction for the feminine. She approaches all of these with
particular, devastating clarity, poems like small resurrections. A brave,
sparse, wise debut.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jordan Pérez</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
writes: </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“I’m thrilled and
honored to be the 10th recipient of the Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize from Letras
Latinas for <i>Santa Tarantula</i>. This manuscript has been so present on my
heart during the four or so years it took to write, and I want to extend my
deepest gratitude to the family members, mentors, and friends for their support
and guidance during its formation. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’m also grateful to
Alexandra Lytton Regalado and Sheila Maldonado, the final judges, as well as
Adela Najarro and Ariel Francisco, the preliminary readers, for their attention
and consideration.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It is a true privilege
to join this growing list of winners, whose powerful work inspires me to
continue walking in the light — and the darkness — that is being a poet. I hope
to be a true extension of Montoya’s legacy of advocacy for justice and the
uplifting of Latine voices.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jordan Pérez</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> is a Cuban-American poet and advocate from Atlanta, Georgia. She
holds an M.F.A. in creative writing from American University, where she worked
on the Visiting Writers Series and read for FOLIO. She is currently the
Director of Communications for </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://sosatogether.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">SOSA</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">, a non-profit dedicating to preventing online
sex abuse.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jordan’s work has made
her a finalist for the 2021 Joy Harjo Poetry Prize, the winner for the 2019 <i>Cosmonauts
Avenue</i> Poetry Prize, and a finalist for the 2018 <i>Mississippi Review </i>Poetry
Prize. Her poetry also appears or is forthcoming in <i>Winter Tangerine,
Pilgrimage Press</i>, and elsewhere.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Her poetry has earned
her acceptance to the Bread Loaf Writers Conference and the DISQUIET
International Literary Program. She has also written for CNN, <i>The Atlantic, </i>and
<i>Bustle.</i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">You can learn more about
Jordan and get in touch with her by visiting </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.jordanperezpoetry.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">https://www.jordanperezpoetry.com</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">.</span></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style><div> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*</span></div><div style="text-align: center;">
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">Alexandra
Lytton Regalado</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">
and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sheila Maldonado</b></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">also designated
two finalist manuscripts as</span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">HONARABLE
MENTION</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Bodypolitic</span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Aerik Francis</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">’s intimate poems make music of theory and politics centered on
the African-LatinXXX-American.” </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
<i>La Casa Roja</i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Alonso Llerena</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> invokes indigenous mysteries and revolutionary
history, contemplating Peru with stark, imagistic constructions.” </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8uTQPL7Whys0vyu30D9v8bAhk4mc41XVCSRsVwMQhN9xjL1KE8S8UUL2FSW3z2IQeSKCRShS3JQZrB9EE-blc3yM2PSXZjgKqFIjI5TF4u1NGTr6EnJMbtqBxDw9FDRXowQME0h3DfUlKU6mvp-hB9qg9ZacirxT8IXyZXU7VUgMcQ99Lqmcd84ZW9w/s960/AerikF.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="540" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8uTQPL7Whys0vyu30D9v8bAhk4mc41XVCSRsVwMQhN9xjL1KE8S8UUL2FSW3z2IQeSKCRShS3JQZrB9EE-blc3yM2PSXZjgKqFIjI5TF4u1NGTr6EnJMbtqBxDw9FDRXowQME0h3DfUlKU6mvp-hB9qg9ZacirxT8IXyZXU7VUgMcQ99Lqmcd84ZW9w/s320/AerikF.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Aerik Francis</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
is a Queer Black & Latinx poet based in Denver, Colorado, USA. Aerik is the
author of the recently published chapbook BODYELECTRONIC (Trouble Department
2022). Selected by Dorothy Chan as the winner of the 2022 chapbook contest,
Aerik's second chapbook MISEDUCATION is forthcoming from New Delta Review in
2023. Aerik is the recipient of poetry fellowships from Canto Mundo and The
Watering Hole, as well as a poetry reader for Underblong poetry journal and an
event coordinator for Slam Nuba. Aerik's work can be found on their website </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://phaentompoet.com" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">phaentompoet.com</span></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKI0hbo72Ge8yAN1qGkZFiaAdNxYiqlu9S14-WQkSUeHWcIVojfjaKVIToJIpCTjgymlVXqPnV63TbdvXGy-zY7R4XKA8fBMMViyzVd8fljIhXzsRC5dyvVVfszSvmw43hc016QJ3wyoyux-rdjp2BVg9Dv0I1b7mDoI4vMPFDjX4TZYiayCHDhSKhwA/s366/Alonso%20Llerena.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="269" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKI0hbo72Ge8yAN1qGkZFiaAdNxYiqlu9S14-WQkSUeHWcIVojfjaKVIToJIpCTjgymlVXqPnV63TbdvXGy-zY7R4XKA8fBMMViyzVd8fljIhXzsRC5dyvVVfszSvmw43hc016QJ3wyoyux-rdjp2BVg9Dv0I1b7mDoI4vMPFDjX4TZYiayCHDhSKhwA/s320/Alonso%20Llerena.png" width="235" /></a></b></div><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;">Alonso Llerena</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt;"> is a Peruvian
writer, visual artist, educator, and MFA candidate at the Bard: Milton
Avery<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Graduate School of the Arts. His
current work, which merges interpretations of historical events and personal
history, documents and honors the memory of the Internal Armed Conflict that
factured Peru from 1980 through the year 2000. He is a Tin House alumnus and
his work has appeared in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Prairie Schooner</i>,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Offing</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">FENCE</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cream City Review</i>,
and elsewhere.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
</span></p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Peru from 1980 through the year 2000. He is a Tin House alumnus and his work
has appeared in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Prairie Schooner</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Offing</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">FENCE</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cream City Review</i>,
and elsewhere.</span>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p></div>Francisco Aragónhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17324802869512989420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348283351005310041.post-47835110004196796022022-07-01T12:54:00.001-05:002022-07-03T19:14:15.032-05:00A House of Our Own: Desgraciado: (the collected letters) by Angel Dominguez<p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><a href="https://nightboat.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/9781643621142_FC-600x800.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="356" src="https://nightboat.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/9781643621142_FC-600x800.jpg" width="267" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo Credit: Nightboat Books via https://nightboat.org/book/desgraciado/</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">“Stripped of its mother tongue, my body is compliant. My body searches for its organs in the rubble of the oppressor. My body sifts through language patching shards together until there is an echo of…the mother song.”<br /></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: #f8f3ee;">—</span>Angel Dominguez, </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Desgraciado: (the collected letters) </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(Nightboat Books, 2022)</span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Desgraciado: (the collected letters)</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Angel Dominguez confronts the lasting physical, historical, and sociopolitical violence of colonization in a series of letters to Spanish colonizer, Diego de Landa.</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The letters in </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Desgraciado </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">mourn the loss of the Mayan language and people at the hands of Diego. Although on the surface Diego is simply a villain, Dominguez ventures to see this symbol of colonization as an ancestor, paternal figure, lover, and oppressor. Dominguez told me about their relationship with Diego: “I only wrote to him…things I couldn't talk about with anybody…I started to fall in love.” And, indeed, the letters follow the ebbs and flows of a relationship complicated by centuries of violent history; love becomes understanding becomes indifference and then hatred. But beyong unpacking their feelings toward him, the narrator’s letters reveal their desire to share the truth of Diego’s role in the Mayan genocide. Rather than retell the colonizer’s version, Dominguez challenges the notion that history is in the past: “[history] is this living thing that we engage with.” The violence of the genocide is detailed in the letters, a violence, Dominguez argues, that should not be forgotten. “My grandmother remembers,” reads one of the letters. “The temples may be ruins but we…We are alive.” This collection does not seek to resolve or ‘forgive and forget’ the past, calling instead for descendants of oppression to expose and retaliate against systems that perpetuate that oppression however they can. For the narrator, that is through writing: “Language is a weapon…Sometimes, healing is not what we need.”</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dominguez called writing </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Desgraciado </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a process of “expel[ling] the internalized traumas of colonization and systemic racism in America.” Lines like “[t]he cold cowardly whiteness of the world hopes we’ll die, or forget our color” criticize the use of language to promote globalism. Rather than prioritize the preservation of histories, cultures, and distinct experiences, globalism strives to assimilate them into an amorphous collection of identities in what Dominguez calls a “linguistic flattening” that favors whiteness. Thus, </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Desgraciado</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> addresses not only the theft of language as in the attempted decimation of the Maya, but also the use of language as a weapon of colonization and white supremacy. Inextricable from white supremacy in the text is capitalism, as the narrator, who struggles with debt and (un)employment, writes about how capitalism (and “amerikkka”) is fundamentally racist: “empire can say…The brown body died in poverty because [it] did not try hard enough.” This is exacerbated by the control capitalism and white supremacy have over education; one of the letters reads “[my own people have] equated Westernized intelligence with whiteness.” This reminded me of an exchange I’d witnessed in high school. We were discussing what it meant to “sound white,” something that had been said about a Black student, when a white student said that speaking like a white person meant speaking “properly.” The statement caused an uproar in the class, but the fact that this student asserted this idea so comfortably speaks to the far-reaching impacts of colonization, and it serves as yet another instance of language being manipulated to benefit the oppressor.</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As I read this collection, I couldn’t help but relate some of the narrator’s sentiments about unbelonging to the literature of the Latinx diaspora: the desire to learn the mother tongue, the separation from homeland, the claiming of a culture only partly understood. When I mentioned this to Dominguez, they brought up gentrification, displacement, and rootlessness, saying “our histories are taken from us forcibly.” Like Kyle Carrero Lopez’s </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Muscle Memory</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Desgraciado </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">points out that </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Latinidad </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">does not apply evenly to all. “I’m not Hispanic, not Indigenous, nor Xicanx/Latinx,” writes the narrator, and, in another letter, “I honestly don’t know what [‘us’] means anymore.” Dominguez said “Latinidad is dead” because the language surrounding it (words like “us” and “we”) implies community where it doesn’t necessarily exist. Like </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Muscle Memory</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We Are Owed.</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and other books covered in this column, </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Desgraciado </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">seeks to highlight the vast differences in privilege and opportunity that exist for Latinxs of different cultures and races. Although it is a book of the diaspora, </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Desgraciado </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is a work for displaced people, regardless of identification. In reading this collection, I have been forced to reckon with difficult questions surrounding the way I construct my identity: Is it around the oppressor? Does taking pride in a (violent, colonial) shared history make us complicit in the continued oppression of Black and Brown people? I don’t have the answers. But the book’s narrator dreams of a world in which oppressed peoples can destroy and thrive without colonial empires, “living long enough to see one’s enemies fall.” Perhaps such a goal is a worthier cause to rally around.</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Toward the end of our interview, Dominguez called </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Desgraciado </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“a struggle.” And the final letter of the collection confirms this: there is no “healing narrative,” no happy ending, no conquering the conqueror. There is just an eternal conversation between Diego and the narrator. The narrator’s mission</span><span style="background-color: #f8f3ee; white-space: pre-wrap;">—</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> re-revising history, portraying Diego as he is, setting the ledger straight</span><span style="background-color: #f8f3ee; white-space: pre-wrap;">—</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> goes beyond history. It's something that affects one’s own perception of self. </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Who am I to the rest of the world? Who am I to myself? When I close my eyes, or when I write a letter to the person that haunts me, how do I relate to this person? </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It comes down to history, to the un-flattening of language, to the active reversal, or, as Dominguez writes, “revenge,” against forces of oppression that seek to deny truth, lived experiences, and identities, past, present, and to come.</span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thank you to Angel Dominguez for the Zoom interview and to Nightboat Books for the review copy.</span><span id="docs-internal-guid-82f4e190-7fff-e141-1f2f-8bd15713e89e"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Click </span><a href="https://openspace.sfmoma.org/2021/11/a-backyard-funeral-afterparty-para-latinidad/" style="text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> to read Angel Dominguez's essay on the death of Latinidad.</span></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: #f8f3ee; color: #4d626c; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin: 0pt 0in; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><div style="background-color: #f8f3ee; color: #4d626c; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzwAFAfyuhNn-AJnJ3qMM8AqwQCK3xGp5q5naJLI4YGgc4Hdkhfu7MxsEH5BF0Sdphq1VWgCrDrARi7LsSgsyYEt1S6vo__CeV3v5LsZIgxV6eIxy-YbMzPiPPx-RvbrrnP5n6uLUTQb6/s200/Headshot.jpg" style="clear: left; color: blue; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left; text-decoration-line: none;"> <img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="149" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzwAFAfyuhNn-AJnJ3qMM8AqwQCK3xGp5q5naJLI4YGgc4Hdkhfu7MxsEH5BF0Sdphq1VWgCrDrARi7LsSgsyYEt1S6vo__CeV3v5LsZIgxV6eIxy-YbMzPiPPx-RvbrrnP5n6uLUTQb6/w149-h200/Headshot.jpg" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="149" /></a></div><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in;"></p></span></div><div style="background-color: #f8f3ee; color: #4d626c; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></i></span></div><div style="background-color: #f8f3ee; color: #4d626c; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Brittany Torres Rivera is a Puerto Rican writer whose work deals with culture, family, and (un)belonging. She has a BA in English with a concentration in Creative Writing from Florida International University. She is based in Orlando, FL.</span></i></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: #f8f3ee; color: #4d626c; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0pt 0in; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div style="background-color: #f8f3ee; color: #4d626c; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;"></span></p></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><div><br /></div><div><br style="font-family: times;" /></div></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: #f8f3ee; color: #4d626c; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 1.38; margin: 0pt 0in; white-space: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p></span></span></span></span></div><p></p>Brittany Torres Riverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17231198248351077877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348283351005310041.post-57561679651569296082022-06-01T09:59:00.001-05:002022-06-03T15:23:46.438-05:00A House of Our Own: Velorio by Xavier Navarro Aquino<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0285/2821/4050/products/9780063071377.jpg?v=1653748589" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="432" height="384" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0285/2821/4050/products/9780063071377.jpg?v=1653748589" width="257" /></a></div><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><p><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></p><span style="font-family: times;">Photo credit: HarperCollins via https://www.harpercollins.com/products/velorio-xavier-navarro-aquino?variant=39307346509858</span></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">“We loved because there is no greater love than that for your home.”</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">—Xavier Navarro Aquino, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Velorio </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(HarperVia, 2022)</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Xavier Navarro Aquino’s debut novel, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Velorio</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, is set in Puerto Rico in the devastating aftermath of Hurricane María as an ensemble of characters grapple with grief, memory, power, and love of their home.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Velorio</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">’s central conflict revolves around Memoria, a utopia that promises protection and “Energy” (fuel) in exchange for loyalty to the cacique, Urayoán. Ura believes he was selected by God to replace the old government. Here emerges the first major theme of the novel: the effects of colonialism. “I am conquered twice, by Spanish and American empires,” says Urayoán. This concept is often discussed in Puerto Rican literature by writers like Raquel Salas Rivera. Ura describes the commodification of nature in Puerto Rico, a culturally violent byproduct of colonialism. The greed and corruption of the colonial government, evidenced by a failing power grid riddled with “[a] rot like bone corruption, punctured so deep inside it spreads,” results in the suffering of Ura’s fellow Puerto Ricans. And yet, it is this corruption that empowers Ura to create his utopia. As young activist Moriviví observes, although he redirects aid toward Memoria, “Urayoán started looking more… like a solution rather than a problem.” Ura believes age perpetuates old ideas, so he doesn’t admit elders into Memoria. However, as the community grows, Ura bends to the will of his young soldiers and resorts to the same tactics he once criticized: ignoring, using, and, ultimately, killing his people. Age, then, is not the culprit; it is Ura’s desire for legacy that motivates him as it did the colonizers. Cheo, an old fisherman and poet, observes this, writing “...leaders old and new create the same old new pains.” Other characters realize this, but not all want to leave Memoria, a hesitancy borne of a love of home.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In his last poem, Cheo writes about those who “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">leave, because they must.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” Yet even when corruption and other factors encourage leaving, Puerto Ricans stay. Bayfish and Banto, two friends who knew Ura pre-María, talk about this before the hurricane strikes: “...this place is limiting, Banto…people [leave] Puerto Rico and [make] something bigger of their lives across the sea,” says Bayfish. Banto responds: “I don’t care…I want to live, hurt, and rot here in this soil.” Camila, who loses her sister to María, clings to her rotting corpse, desperate to keep whatever is left of her alive. She is her home. Ura’s decision to take Cami’s sister away reveals a core ideal of Memoria: to write a new history, centering his people’s identity around himself. For example, when food runs low, Cheo and Bayfish bring back fish for the children of Memoria. Ura’s jealousy of his citizens’ appreciation for this act leads him to cast Cheo to sea with a paddle and a net, claiming that he will return with enough fish for everyone. And in the face of this impossible promise, his citizens rejoice. They choose to believe their cacique, participating in nightly rituals honoring him. Perhaps they do this for lack of alternatives, but I think they (and others who stay in Puerto Rico in spite of the hardships) fear detachment and a loss of history. Before María, Banto stays around Ura even when he hurts and humiliates him, saying “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Better him than some stranger</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.” The known is home. Home is history. And what is a person without history?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The characters in </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Velorio </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">identify themselves through their relationships, but also through language and nature. Chapters narrated by Urayoán are written in present tense, so his words sound like prophecy as he seems to predict events that occur later. Bayfish and Moriviví struggle to find the right words at emotional moments, their strength lying instead in confrontation, especially to defend their friends. Their more pensive and poetic counterparts are Damaris and Cheo, who journal their observations and experiences. Cheo especially is intentional in his poeticism, making lists that culminate in a final portrait of his life as he drifts into the Atlantic. Considering that the inciting incident is natural, it’s fitting that the elements appear as important symbols throughout </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Velorio</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Uprooted trees sprouting at odd angles reflect the resilience of those fighting to survive and reclaim their sense of home. Ura embodies the passion and anger of fire, which ultimately consumes Memoria, both metaphorically and literally. And constant references to water elicit not only hurricane María, but also signals rebirth: rivers returning to their natural flow, the ocean’s changed waves, a new perspective for Cheo, who finds his final home in the salt and waves.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Velorio </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">explores the corrupting nature of power, the value of poetry, and the ebbs and flows of grief. But what I most connected with was its love for Puerto Rico. These characters are uniquely Puerto Rican, from their slang to their experiences living on the island. And while Memoria ends with blood and fear, Puerto Ricans may identify with Ura’s thirst for change. While reading, I recalled the lush landscapes I call home, the images of them shredded and drowned. Although I didn’t experience María, my family has shared about the unnatural sounds of water making rubble of homes, the frustration of losing access to basic needs, the “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">after she hit</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> effect” that Moriví describes. Like Damaris in the book, Navarro Aquino documents the lives lived and lost due to Hurricane María with the tenderness of a poet, no doubt in part because of his Puerto Rican identity. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Velorio</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, then, is a sort of time capsule, a way for me to understand what my people dealt with and still deal with in spite of my separation from the island. “I guess that’s what [poetry]’s for,” says Cheo, “to carry and keep no matter how distant we drift out to sea.”</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you enjoy(ed) </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Velorio</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">’s dystopian setting and themes of power, I recommend William Golding’s classic, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lord of the Flies</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Thanks to HarperVia for the review copy!</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><div style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzwAFAfyuhNn-AJnJ3qMM8AqwQCK3xGp5q5naJLI4YGgc4Hdkhfu7MxsEH5BF0Sdphq1VWgCrDrARi7LsSgsyYEt1S6vo__CeV3v5LsZIgxV6eIxy-YbMzPiPPx-RvbrrnP5n6uLUTQb6/s200/Headshot.jpg" style="clear: left; color: blue; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left; text-decoration-line: none;"><span> </span><span> </span><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="149" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzwAFAfyuhNn-AJnJ3qMM8AqwQCK3xGp5q5naJLI4YGgc4Hdkhfu7MxsEH5BF0Sdphq1VWgCrDrARi7LsSgsyYEt1S6vo__CeV3v5LsZIgxV6eIxy-YbMzPiPPx-RvbrrnP5n6uLUTQb6/w149-h200/Headshot.jpg" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="149" /></a></div><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in;"></p></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></i></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Brittany Torres Rivera is a Puerto Rican writer whose work deals with culture, family, and (un)belonging. She has a BA in English with a concentration in Creative Writing from Florida International University. She is based in Orlando, FL.</span></i></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0pt 0in;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;"></span></p></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><div><br /></div><div><br style="background-color: #f8f3ee; color: #4d626c; font-family: times;" /></div></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br style="background-color: #f8f3ee; color: #4d626c; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /></span></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p>Brittany Torres Riverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17231198248351077877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348283351005310041.post-37420965542541761082022-05-09T18:28:00.009-05:002022-05-10T02:41:17.817-05:00The preliminary judges have spoken...<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4O4XOMYalkEfHMLxP5e4s-7mZrXhW96npj7-TmhFGB_fx2NRfHNZeaSbRt_1ajkXasWlb2c7cJdO337dv_YBSZewL7Sdrn1n91AEbgSTZPVDSBfi9SK43LTZV73HO74fX7frbLfdCcQFhuWLYUnoDIcQKohTTetJpy_pWXXFlKwbbOjGzi3jdQEs4pg/s350/Andre%CC%81s_Montoya.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4O4XOMYalkEfHMLxP5e4s-7mZrXhW96npj7-TmhFGB_fx2NRfHNZeaSbRt_1ajkXasWlb2c7cJdO337dv_YBSZewL7Sdrn1n91AEbgSTZPVDSBfi9SK43LTZV73HO74fX7frbLfdCcQFhuWLYUnoDIcQKohTTetJpy_pWXXFlKwbbOjGzi3jdQEs4pg/s320/Andre%CC%81s_Montoya.jpg" width="274" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></b></div>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Adela Najarro</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ariel Francisco</b>,</span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">the
preliminary judges of the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">10<sup>th</sup>
edition</b></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">of
the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize</b>,</span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">have
completed their work.</span></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Final
judges</span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Alexandra Lytton Regalado</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">and
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sheila Maldonado</b></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">are
now undertaking theirs.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">FINALISTS</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Eucalyptus</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">………………………….Lupita
Eyde-Tucker (Melbourne Beach, FL)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Bodypolitic</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">…………………………Aerik
Francis (Denver, CO)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">La
Kapital</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">…………………………..John Infante (New York, NY)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ghosts
in Training</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">………………….Bertha Combret (Tallahassee,
FL)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
History of the Earth</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">…………….Miguel Garcia (El Paso, TX)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">La
Casa Roja</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">………………………..Alonso Llerena (McClean,
VA)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Papi
Pichón</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">………………………….Dimitri Reyes (Kearny, NJ)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Red
String on a Saguaro Cactus</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">…….Kimberly Vargas Agnese (Fresno,
CA)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
Cats of Old San Juan</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">……………David M. de Leon (Jersey City,
NJ)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Santa
Tarantula</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">………………………Jordan Pérez (Decatour, GA)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Little
Love</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">……………………………Cristi Donoso (Alexandria, VA)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Almond
Songs</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">………………………..Vinnie Lopez (Salida, CA)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Devotional</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">……………………………Sarah
Yanni (Encino, CA)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Epilogue
to Paradise</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">…………………Ryan Clinesmith (New York,
NY)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">California
Silence</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">…………………….Stella Santamaria (Miami, FL)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></p><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">SEMI-FINALISTS</span></b>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In
the fields and in the barrios</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">………....Yelisa Ambriz (Fresno, CA)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Casa
de Negro / House of Black</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">……..…Karla Maravilla (Granger, WA)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
Day Buries Itself</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">…………………...Luisa Caycedo-Kimura
(Bloomfield, CT)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Tell
Me, Fantasma</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">…………..……..…...Guillermo Filice
Castro (North Bergen, NJ) </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We
Carry Wela’s Waters</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">…………….…Gisselle Yepes (Bloomington,
IN)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Self-Immolation
Diaries</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">………….……..Paloma Martinez-Cruz (Columbus, OH)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A
Grito Contest in the Afterlife</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">…………Vincent Rendoni (Seattle, WA)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
Magician</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">……………………………Jose Hernandez Diaz (Norwalk, CA)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Francisco Aragónhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17324802869512989420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348283351005310041.post-77970685246238956392022-05-01T09:30:00.001-05:002022-05-31T14:55:11.849-05:00A House of Our Own: Muscle Memory by Kyle Carrero Lopez<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://pankmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Kyle-Carrero-Muscle-Memory-FINAL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="518" height="438" src="https://pankmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Kyle-Carrero-Muscle-Memory-FINAL.jpg" width="284" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: xx-small;">Photo credit: PANK via https://pankmagazine.com/shop/muscle-memory/</span></div><p></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-d70d4c44-7fff-96fa-e81c-c11f6814861c"><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">“spanish chunks twist en mi mind’s mix—too few sprinkled / to shut latinx snobs up. they call it our native speech. ¡jajaja! our? / yorùbá says hi, and nice try cuttin’ her all the way out.”<br /></span></span><span style="font-family: times; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">—Kyle Carrero Lopez, </span><span style="font-family: times; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Muscle Memory </span><span style="font-family: times; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(PANK, 2021)</span></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kyle Carrero Lopez’s debut chapbook </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Muscle Memory </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">challenges social, economic, and historical authority, combining compelling sonics with diverse poetic forms to discuss Blackness, capitalism, and the implications of historical oppression on culture.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In “Black Erasure,” the first poem of the collection, Carrero Lopez replaces the word “Black” with the letters “[POC],” a device as visual as it is metaphorical that demonstrates the minimization of the Black experience in the U.S.: “[POC] Lives Matter to the public / for about a week at a time.” Replacing Blackness with a vague cloud of identities refutes the shared history of Black people in the Americas. The phrase “POC” also conflates the Black experience with that of Latinxs in the diaspora who may harbor internalized anti-Blackness. “The conception of Latinidad…has necessitated…a sort of homogenization,” said Carrero Lopez when we spoke. “We're white, Black, Indigenous…Many people still are uncomfortable with the idea that there’s a difference.” This idea is espoused by lines such as the epitaph and in “From an Agnostic,” which explains the importance of the Afro-diasporic religion Santería as a unifying factor for Afro-Latinxs using parentheticals: “(Because Yemayá’s portrait in any home / brings me home).” As a white Latina, I was taught that Santería was mystical and antithetical to the Christian beliefs that saturated my extended family. However, </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Muscle Memory</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is part of a growing collection of Afro-Latinx books that challenge these cultural notions. As Carrero Lopez said, “there isn’t Latin American culture without Blackness.”</span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One way this cultural interplay arises in these poems is through the discussion of labels. “Mi Gente Estadounidense” reads: “‘Latino’ is a vintage, oversized sweater—not for everyone.” This line shows the over-simplifying nature of certain labels: “I’m not Mexican, but whatever, aren’t we all, here?” This ties back to the use of POC to lump together a swath of disparate experiences. In “(SLANG)UAGE,” hyphenation (as in “Afro-Latinx”) is a possible solution to the muddling of individuality that results from the term POC, intentionally acknowledging the two cultures it conjoins. But the hyphen can also “rotate / to a wall,” appearing to some as an intra-cultural division. “[People] who are very strongly American don't even want to hear about your African-Americanness,” said Carrero Lopez. However, hyphenation can help people recognize the consequences of historical subjugation and challenge the prevailing discourse about them, something that several authors featured in </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wild Tongues Can’t Be Tamed </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">touch upon as well. “In order to build new things,” said Carrero Lopez, “you have to understand how the old things worked.” </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Muscle Memory</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> identifies problems with these “old things” by illustrating the carceral state.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“There's muscle memory involved in in the perpetuation of slavery,” said Carrero Lopez. “When you've had a particular system working in a particular way for such a long time, you have to abolish the system entirely.” The poem “After Abolition” presents similarities between slavery and the prison industrial complex, making the case that the U.S. police state is just another iteration of slavery. This idea is reinforced in the poem “Petty,” where the speaker jumps a train turnstile and is confronted by a man “who kneel[s] to a state’s boots for licks.” This kneeling symbolizes the repeated empowering and subjugation of the same groups; Carrero Lopez described how New York police target subway stations near Black and Latinx neighborhoods when “there's actual white collar crime being committed constantly.” This selective misuse of authority echoes the original purpose of police: slave patrol. But targeted policing is not the only evidence of slavery discussed in this collection; In “Modern Fiction,” an English professor teaching at a university that used to be a plantation reads the n-word and students glorify a slave owner while the speaker is the victim of a racially-motivated verbal assault (“what strikes breaks skin, soars past bone, / through each lobe and out). These poems explore repeated patterns of abuse, which will be replicated unless the existing system is replaced. </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Muscle Memory</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, then, is a series of tableaus that challenge readers to question “whether or not we want to keep [what we've been handed],” as Carrero Lopez said.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Racism in the U.S. is not only historical, but also economic. Capitalism, Carrero Lopez says, is “inextricable from how [he] understand[s] racism.” In “Note to Lightness,” the speaker admits the advantages that having light skin granted him, both in the workforce and as a man; “If manhood gave me a stage, / you got me the mic.” This quote shows that, while being a male can be an economic privilege, racism negates this privilege to Black men. His lighter skin allows the speaker to reclaim some of this advantage,</span><span style="color: #00796b; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">although it’s still not enough in the poem “Monday,” where “some white guy / on [his] team, same experience level, got hired / a whole title ahead.” </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Muscle Memory</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> also touches on the commodification of Black bodies in poems like “Beauty Examined,” which asserts that, when disenfranchised, people become symbols and are capitalized upon by corporations to sell items like the</span><span style="color: #00796b; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Black excellence t-shirt worn by a white man in “Black capitalist wet dream.” Carrero Lopez refers to this “cooptation” of Black culture and expression as “the story of Blackness.”</span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“These are not hypothetical questions,” Carrero Lopez told me. “[A poem can] ask people to decide for themselves what [they’re] getting from [it].” And </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Muscle Memory</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> succeeds in this respect, saying it like it is when necessary while still granting readers ample room to reinterpret poems with each new reading. Featuring playful rhymes and haunting images, these poems challenge readers to question what they’ve been taught, lest systems of oppression return under “with new names.”</span></span></p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Thanks to PANK for the review copy and to Kyle Carrero Lopez for the Zoom interview!</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><div style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzwAFAfyuhNn-AJnJ3qMM8AqwQCK3xGp5q5naJLI4YGgc4Hdkhfu7MxsEH5BF0Sdphq1VWgCrDrARi7LsSgsyYEt1S6vo__CeV3v5LsZIgxV6eIxy-YbMzPiPPx-RvbrrnP5n6uLUTQb6/s200/Headshot.jpg" style="clear: left; color: blue; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left; text-decoration-line: none;"><span> </span><span> </span><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="149" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzwAFAfyuhNn-AJnJ3qMM8AqwQCK3xGp5q5naJLI4YGgc4Hdkhfu7MxsEH5BF0Sdphq1VWgCrDrARi7LsSgsyYEt1S6vo__CeV3v5LsZIgxV6eIxy-YbMzPiPPx-RvbrrnP5n6uLUTQb6/w149-h200/Headshot.jpg" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="149" /></a></div><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in;"></p></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></i></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Brittany Torres Rivera is a Puerto Rican writer whose work deals with culture, family, and (un)belonging. She has a BA in English with a concentration in Creative Writing from Florida International University. She is based in Orlando, FL.</span></i></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0pt 0in;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;"></span></p></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br style="background-color: #f8f3ee; color: #4d626c; font-family: times;" /></div></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br style="background-color: #f8f3ee; color: #4d626c; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Brittany Torres Riverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17231198248351077877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348283351005310041.post-16090561060024161372022-04-30T23:23:00.010-05:002022-05-24T14:59:42.810-05:00Letras Latinas invites applications for its Poetry Coalition Fellowship<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">POETRY COALITION </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">PILOT FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR FELLOWS</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>LETRAS LATINAS</b>, a
founding member of the Poetry Coalition, is accepting applications for a paid
Poetry Coalition Fellowship position. This position is 20 hours per week from
September 5, 2022 to June 30, 2023. The stipend is $18,720 plus $1,000 toward
health care. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Poetry Coalition is
a national alliance of more than 25 organizations dedicated to working together
to promote the value poets bring to our culture and the important contribution
poetry makes in the lives of people of all ages and backgrounds. Members are
nonprofit organizations whose primary mission is to promote poets and poetry,
and/or multi-genre literary organizations that serve disabled poets and poets
of specific racial, ethnic, or gender identities, backgrounds, or communities.
All members present poets at live events. All members present poets at live
events. Each March, members present programming across the country on a theme
of social importance. The Poetry Coalition is coordinated by the Academy of
American Poets and we are grateful to the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for its
support of this work.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Poetry Coalition
Fellowship Program is a three-year pilot program. The goals of this are to
help:</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></p>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">diversify the leadership of the
nonprofit literary field by encouraging more inclusion of individuals from
under-represented communities;</span></li></ul>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></p>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">develop future literary leaders
regardless of educational background; </span></li></ul>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></p>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; mso-list: l7 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list .5in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">introduce the individuals who
are interested to nonprofit literary arts management, fundraising,
programming, and editorial work, providing experiences that will be useful
as they seek jobs and inspiring them to consider working in the literary
field; and </span></li></ul>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></p>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo4; tab-stops: list .5in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">increase the capacity of our
individual organizations by having additional assistance. </span></li></ul>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Paid fellowships will
not “level the playing field.” Opportunity in our country is not equally
distributed across ability, class, ethnic, gender, and racial lines. And we
alone cannot erase and undo the biases, barriers, discrimination, and prejudice
that exist in our country. But we hope poetry organizations can be out front in
building equity and inclusivity in literary arts organizations and
spaces. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></b><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2022-2023 POETRY COALITION FELLOW </span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">POSITION DESCRIPTION</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">HOST ORGANIZATION MISSION: </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Letras Latinas, the
literary initiative at the Institute for Latino Studies (ILS), strives to
enhance the visibility, appreciation and study of Latinx literature both on and
off the campus of the University of Notre Dame. We put an emphasis on programs
that support newer voices, foster a sense of community among writers, and place
Latinx writers in community spaces. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For more information
about <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Letras Latinas</b>, visit:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://latinostudies.nd.edu/news-events/letras-latinas/">https://latinostudies.nd.edu/news-events/letras-latinas/</a></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">POSITION OVERVIEW: </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Poetry Coalition Programs & Communications position
supports the planning, publicizing, and carrying out of select initiatives,
including but not limited to: “Curated Conversation(s): A Latinx Poetry Show;” “Afro-Latinx Poetry Now;” and<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Letras Latinas Blog.</i> Letras Latinas seeks someone who can think
creatively and collaboratively while also being able to work independently. An
ideal candidate will have substantive knowledge not only of contemporary poetry,
but also a particular interest in Latinx poetry. An ideal candidate will also
have some experience with literary programming, which could include: editing,
curating, event planning, as well as the skill set to deploy social media for the purpose of
amplifying a literary program. The Poetry Coalition Fellow in Programs & Communications
reports to the Director of Letras Latinas.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">FELLOWSHIP LOCALE:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Although Letras Latinas
is part of the Institute for Latino Studies (ILS) at the University of Notre
Dame in South Bend, IN, the candidate is not required to be present on site.
But the candidate must be able to work remotely with reliable access to the
internet and phone, and be willing to do some Poetry Coalition and
Fellowship-related travel.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">FELLOW RESPONSIBILITIES</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">: </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Committing to 20 hours
per week for the entire ten-month fellowship</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Adhering to rules and policies of Letras Latinas as
appropriate </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Assisting substantively with the following:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">production of season 2
of “Curated Conversation(s): A Latinx Poetry Show.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Content production and regular
writing for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Letras Latinas Blog</i>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Assisting with “Afro-Latinx Poetry Now,” a mini-conference slated for the Fall of 2022.<br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-list: l6 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">General administration</span></p>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo6; tab-stops: list .5in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Assisting with the host
organization’s Poetry Coalition joint programming in March</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo6; tab-stops: list .5in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Attending and participating in
meetings</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo6; tab-stops: list .5in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Attending and participating in
monthly Zooms with other Poetry Coalition fellows and Academy staff to
foster community, professional development, and create a peer learning
group to learn about the following:</span></li></ul>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Community outreach</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Marketing and promotion,
including materials development</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Grant writing and/or
fundraising</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Content production for
websites or social media</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Programming and curating
live events, such as poetry readings and workshops</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-list: l5 level1 lfo7; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">General administration</span></p>
<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo8; tab-stops: list .5in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Participating in the Poetry
Coalition’s fall convening and professional development trainings</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo8; tab-stops: list .5in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Completing evaluations at the
end of the fellowship year</span></li></ul>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">FELLOW QUALIFICATIONS: </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*Passion for poetry and/or
knowledge of contemporary poets, and interest in, Latinx poetry</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*Interest in literary arts programming, administration, and
management</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*Exceptional organizational skills and attention to details</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*Ability to multi-task and chip away at more than one project at a
time</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*Solid knowledge and experience with social media and information technology </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*Being comfortable with regular, camera-on ZOOM consultations and check-ins<br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*Some experience with, and/or being willing to do, public speaking—such
as introducing writers </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*Some graphic design skills</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*Demonstrated experience in the areas listed above</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">For more
information about <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“Curated
Conversation(s): A Latinx Poetry Show,”</b> please visit:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://www.writer.org/curatedconversations/">https://www.writer.org/curatedconversations/</a>
</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Note: We welcome all
applicants, including those who are enrolled in or have recently graduated from
MFA programs in creative writing. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">TO APPLY: </span></b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Please submit a cover
letter, resume, and names and contact information for 2-3 references to: <a href="mailto:faragon@nd.edu">faragon@nd.edu</a> (please put in the subject line:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“POETRY COALITION FELLOWSHIP”. No calls
please. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><b>DEADLINE</b>: July 3, 2022.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"> </span><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">EQUAL OPPORTUNITY:</span></b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The University of Notre
Dame is dedicated to equal employment opportunity and to the implementation of
positive programs designed to ensure the prevention of any discriminatory
practices, either intentional or inadvertent, with respect to race, color,
national or ethnic origin, disability, veteran status, age, or sex. The
University is completely committed to full compliance with the letter and
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of 1972, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and all other federal, state, and
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For more information,
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</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://equity.nd.edu/equity-resources/equal-employment-opportunity/ "><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">https://equity.nd.edu/equity-resources/equal-employment-opportunity/
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{margin-bottom:0in;}</style></p>Francisco Aragónhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17324802869512989420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348283351005310041.post-24913802584061971732022-04-01T11:06:00.001-05:002022-05-01T09:25:31.695-05:00A House of Our Own: ¡Ándale, Prieta! by Yasmín Ramírez<div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: large; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.leeandlow.com/uploads/book_cover_image/6804/main_AndalePrieta.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="238" height="459" src="https://www.leeandlow.com/uploads/book_cover_image/6804/main_AndalePrieta.jpg" width="297" /></a></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: times; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Photo credit: Lee & Low Books via </span></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.leeandlow.com/books/andale-prieta</span></span></div><div style="font-size: large; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">“Would I be like Ita, a huge wall of tough exterior protecting her from whatever made her eyes shine when she sang?”</span><br /><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">—Yasmín Ramírez, </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">¡Ándale, Prieta! </span></span></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">(Lee & Low Books, 2022)</span></div><span id="docs-internal-guid-58a67da1-7fff-32e4-e37a-96eb583336f1"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Centering on her relationship with her grandmother, Yasmín Ramírez’s debut memoir </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">¡Ándale, Prieta!</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> touches on everything from gender violence to food politics to the importance of religion.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ramírez’s grandmother, Ita, is the focus of the first section of </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ándale</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, where readers learn that she was forced to defend herself against several of her husbands, who physically abused her. Young Yasmín imagines her grandmother as a cool greaser chick fighting men, but, in our interview, Ramírez described how this romantic idea faded: “That marriage was an escape…not necessarily out of love,” she said. “...she couldn't deal with her mother and the horrible things that she would say.” Ramírez described the cultural pressure on Ita to conform to a maternal role and to “look the other way no matter what.” By putting these expectations on women, Latinx culture had a hand in this abuse, as it did in the abuses suffered by both of my grandmothers. However, neither Ita nor my grandmothers stop searching for love, a persistence that leads Ita to teach Yasmín not to look for a fight, but to “be ready if someone starts one” (chapter two).</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This lesson is an effect of generational trauma explored in </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ándale</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Communication among the women in Yasmín’s family is strained, a struggle made visual in one conversation between Yasmín (on behalf of Ita) and her mother, Leticia. Leticia’s words climb diagonally as Yasmín’s trickle down, rendering the emotional distance between Leticia and Ita. However, they are more alike than they’d like to think. Ita’s mother disapproved of Ita’s first husband just as Ita did Leticia’s. And both show their love through gifts. “Even though they…didn't get along, they did truly love each other,” Ramírez told me. This is especially visible after Ita’s death, which I read about having just returned from my own grandfather’s funeral, making the scenes feel even more intimate and powerful: “My mom…curled herself onto her side, knees pulled into her stomach like a child, and began to cry,” writes Ramírez in a scene that parallels Ita’s reaction to her mother’s death (chapter 29). In many ways, these women carry on the legacy of their foremothers.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another aspect of this memoir that I related to was the women’s conscious rejection of tradition. Leticia refuses to rely on anyone but herself. Ita lived with several men throughout her life, worked multiple jobs, and made the difficult decision to have abortions when she had no other options. The same spirit leads Yasmín to cut her hair, confront her absent father, and prioritize her happiness by pursuing writing. This career was subtly supported by her mother, who would “never take [her] books away” as a punishment (chapter 17). “I think [it was] because of my mom's own educational limits,” Ramírez told me. “My mom saw reading as an extension of [education]...she knew…where reading would lead me.” As I read about these women, I thought about the ways I’ve rejected tradition. I can’t cook, which, ironically, Yasmín does to feel close to Ita.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ándale</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, food is a prism of Yasmín’s culture. It’s a vehicle of sexism when Ita only serves her son his plate: “as much as [Ita] went against the grain, she clung to this business about men” (chapter 12). I recently witnessed the same treatment of men in my family; my cousin’s husband, who sat playing dominoes with the other husbands, was admired for waiting for his dinner to be served so his wife could finish her game of dominoes. And yet, food is also a symbol of love and tenderness, from the way Ita arranged cheese on Ramírez’s breakfast plate to the way Ramírez watches people enjoy her food. Whenever I prepare food, I also wait to watch the first bite. As Ramírez put it during our conversation, “It's such a pleasure to know that I put love into this and then someone’s enjoying it, and I think that's what would happen with my grandma…[food] was also her love language.”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">However, food isn’t always positive in this memoir. The most unique chapter uses food to criticize the emptiness of religion. Yasmín eats a church, describing the flavors and textures of the pews, the windows, and God, but never feels satisfied. “</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That’s not God! He won’t fill you!,</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” she thinks as she hosts the communion at Ita’s funeral, which wasn’t held in her church because they disapproved of her cremation (chapter 28). Another negative culinary experience occurs at a dinner Yasmín has with her father’s family, who are surprised that she doesn’t put salt on her salad. Ramírez told me that was the first time she’d ever asked herself: ‘Wait, am I not Brown enough?’” This echoes the idea of only ‘half-belonging’ present in a lot of first-gen literature and highlights that, while food can bring one closer to their family and culture, it can also be a factor of separation.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As I read </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ándale</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, I was surprised by how deeply I was able to relate to Yasmín, from her fear of her mother dying at work to the way she dressed as a teenager. After telling this to Ramírez, she shared her thoughts on diasporic literature: “I wrote a book that I needed to find…Sometimes I feel isolated from first-gen stories…but then we have some similarities… I hope more people…connect with parts of this story.” The implications of culture are definitely present in this memoir, but, at its core, this is a book about love– its anger, its care, its pain, and all the ways we choose to love others and ourselves.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">¡Ándale, Prieta! </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">comes out April 19 (pre-order </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/%C2%A1Andale-Prieta-Memoir-Yasm%C3%ADn-Ram%C3%ADrez/dp/1947627554" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">!). In the meantime, check out another heart wrenching and intimate memoir about familial love: </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Glass Castle </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">by Jeanette Walls.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thank you to Lee & Low Books for the review copy and to Yasmín Ramírez for the Zoom interview!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><div style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzwAFAfyuhNn-AJnJ3qMM8AqwQCK3xGp5q5naJLI4YGgc4Hdkhfu7MxsEH5BF0Sdphq1VWgCrDrARi7LsSgsyYEt1S6vo__CeV3v5LsZIgxV6eIxy-YbMzPiPPx-RvbrrnP5n6uLUTQb6/s200/Headshot.jpg" style="clear: left; color: blue; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="149" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzwAFAfyuhNn-AJnJ3qMM8AqwQCK3xGp5q5naJLI4YGgc4Hdkhfu7MxsEH5BF0Sdphq1VWgCrDrARi7LsSgsyYEt1S6vo__CeV3v5LsZIgxV6eIxy-YbMzPiPPx-RvbrrnP5n6uLUTQb6/w149-h200/Headshot.jpg" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="149" /></span></a></div><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in;"></p></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></i></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Brittany Torres Rivera is a Puerto Rican writer whose work deals with culture, family, and (un)belonging. She has a BA in English with a concentration in Creative Writing from Florida International University. She is based in Orlando, FL.</span></i></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0pt 0in;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;"></span></p></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /><br /><div><br style="background-color: #f8f3ee; color: #4d626c; font-size: 13.2px;" /></div></span></div></span></span>Brittany Torres Riverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17231198248351077877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348283351005310041.post-78259234086267211242022-03-01T17:23:00.001-05:002022-05-01T09:26:11.270-05:00A House of Our Own: x/ex/exis: poemas para la nación by Raquel Salas Rivera<p></p><p style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://uapress.arizona.edu/app/uploads/2022/03/9780816544363-683x1024.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="534" height="458" src="https://uapress.arizona.edu/app/uploads/2022/03/9780816544363-683x1024.jpg" width="306" /></a><br /></p><span style="font-family: times;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #4d626c; font-size: xx-small;">Photo credit: The University of Arizona Press via https://uapress.arizona.edu/book/x-ex-exis</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">“<i>I don’t want myself like this, / but this is the way you love me.* / *I don’t love myself like this, / but this is the way you want me</i>.”<br /></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">—Raquel Salas Rivera, <i>x/ex/exis: poemas para la nación </i>(</span><span style="font-size: large;">The University of Arizona Press, 2021)</span></div></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Raquel Salas Rivera’s poetry collection <i>x/ex/exis</i> entangles culture, government, and gender in Puerto Rico and in the U.S. Drawing from historical and personal events, <i>x/ex/exis</i> is a psychedelic amalgamation of themes that eludes straightforward explanation, giving readers a peek into the experience of a trans person on an island plagued by colonialism.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Each poem in <i>x/ex/exis</i> appears in Spanish and English, a unique linguistic experience for bilingual readers. In “notes in time,” walls of medieval castles “absorbed stenches / that not even the wind.” In English, it feels like a word is missing, but read the Spanish version (“que ni el viento”), and the message arises. This syntactical suspension implies that not even the wind would approach or deal with the stenches. Salas Rivera employs this flexibility to play with meaning, as in the epigraph, whose Spanish version reads “<i>no me quiero asi, / pero asi me quieres</i>,” using the double meaning of the verb <i>querer</i>. Still, Salas Rivera doesn’t shy away from the violence of the Spanish language. “The requirements for being amadx / are: being amada,” they write in “the cut.” Using first a gender-neutral form of the adjective “loved,” then the feminine, these lines define the exclusionary nature of gendered language. Salas Rivera writes about rejecting love over a word split “in halves / that don’t complete” them. This is one of several instances where they use a dichotomy to exemplify the tenuous relationship between Puerto Rican culture and their trans identity; another is found in extreme temperatures. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">In this collection, heat is associated with the island: “i fight with my girlfriend because she opened the window / and it was cold…because it’s cold and i’m not in puerto rico…because it isn’t the rio piedras sun.” The heat is physical here, but it is also cultural, emotional. Contrary to their experience in the U.S., Salas Rivera said that “[In Puerto Rico]…there’s a sense of belonging but also a sense of people in your business…it can become stifling.” Latinx culture at large tends to value tight-knit families. However, this warmth is not always comforting. “The heat of the coveted embrace / always suffocates,” writes Salas Rivera, expressing the complicated feelings of rejection without hatred, of a family that loves but does not accept. “I love being around [my family],” they shared in our interview, “but I always feel like there’s a part of me I have to sacrifice. We don’t talk about my gender.”</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Another complex interplay investigated in this collection is that between Puerto Rico and the U.S. The poem “a beach exists” compares Puerto Ricans leaving for the U.S. to mermaids amputating “their singular leg / wanting to be bipeds…for the future children / to be born without gills.” This calls upon one of the prevailing ideas from last month’s column: the erasure of culture to ensure success. However, Puerto Rico’s unique relationship with the U.S. also influences this discussion of culture. In “the word <i>resources </i>selects us,” the author juxtaposes moments of cultural immersion in Puerto Rico with the threat of U.S. influence: “the word resources selects us…saying / <i>i need you ornamental lover of the territory</i>.” “Territory” refers to the commonwealth status of Puerto Rico in the U.S. that makes the former susceptible to plundering by the latter. This poem follows “a long procession of loudspeakers in mourning,” which emphasizes the importance of Puerto Rico attaining agency; it’s culture and economy under the threat of colonialism and capitalism.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">The final lines of “the word <i>resources </i>selects us” read “and i keep planting translucid fences / around the plaza del mercado.” These fences are a final defense against the encroaching power of the U.S., but they also represent internal conflicts. “I’m obsessed with names,” Salas Rivera told me. “The names of streets and highways of Puerto Rico are the story of our history.” Including them was a conscious choice with historical implications. “[Luis] Muñoz Marín … would build a housing project next to a rich <i>condominio</i>…[so] the people in the housing project would be inspired to better their lives…this kind of twisted colony stuff.” By voicing their experiences, <i>x/ex/exis</i> denounces attempts to erase and exclude underprivileged/underrepresented communities within Puerto Rico.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Yet another institution of exclusion in these poems is the Catholic Church. “The history of the Catholic Church tied in with conquest in Puerto Rico, with colonialism,” Salas Rivera said. Nowhere is this connection clearer than in “in puerto rico we inherit your wars,” which equates the violence of the state (and Church) with the betrayal of history. In this poem, “the father” asks “<i>if it’s worth / destroying faith</i>” to recover Taíno bones discovered beneath a church. Based on a true story, this poem examines the Church’s willingness to abandon people like those in trans communities, who Salas Rivera says the religious ultra right view as “the enemy”: “gender inclusive language [is called] as an oppressive thing…trans people are the target.” Again, the author’s culture denies their right to be.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Toward the end of our interview, Salas Rivera admitted that this collection paints a bleak image of transness, but they also point out that it captures a moment in their life they needed to document. And it does just that. It presents a complex web of relationships between government, culture, and gender, asking readers to question the systems that define their culture, their country, and their self.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">If you enjoy(ed) the themes and episodic narrative of <i>x/ex/exis</i>, I recommend Carmen Maria Machado’s, <i>In The Dream House</i>. If you enjoy(ed) its visceral diction, check out <i>blud </i>by Rachel McKibbens. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Thanks to The University of Arizona Press for the review copy and to Raquel Salas Rivera for the interview!</span></p><p><br /></p><div style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzwAFAfyuhNn-AJnJ3qMM8AqwQCK3xGp5q5naJLI4YGgc4Hdkhfu7MxsEH5BF0Sdphq1VWgCrDrARi7LsSgsyYEt1S6vo__CeV3v5LsZIgxV6eIxy-YbMzPiPPx-RvbrrnP5n6uLUTQb6/s200/Headshot.jpg" style="clear: left; color: blue; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="149" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzwAFAfyuhNn-AJnJ3qMM8AqwQCK3xGp5q5naJLI4YGgc4Hdkhfu7MxsEH5BF0Sdphq1VWgCrDrARi7LsSgsyYEt1S6vo__CeV3v5LsZIgxV6eIxy-YbMzPiPPx-RvbrrnP5n6uLUTQb6/w149-h200/Headshot.jpg" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="149" /></span></a></div><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in;"></p></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></i></span></div><div style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Brittany Torres Rivera is a Puerto Rican writer whose work deals with culture, family, and (un)belonging. She has a BA in English with a concentration in Creative Writing from Florida International University. She is based in Orlando, FL.</span></i></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0pt 0in;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;"></span></p></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /><div><br style="background-color: #f8f3ee; color: #4d626c; font-family: times;" /></div></span></div><p><br /></p>Brittany Torres Riverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17231198248351077877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348283351005310041.post-9309742847597275032022-02-01T10:41:00.001-05:002022-05-01T09:27:32.100-05:00A House of Our Own: Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed edited by Saraciea J. Fennell<p><span style="font-family: times;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><a href="https://mpd-biblio-covers.imgix.net/9781250763426.jpg?w=900" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="518" height="444" src="https://mpd-biblio-covers.imgix.net/9781250763426.jpg?w=900" width="289" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: times;"><br /><span style="background-color: #f8f3ee; font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: Macmillan Publishers via https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250763426/wild-tongues-cant-be-tamed</span></span><p></p><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #f8f3ee;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #313131; white-space: pre-wrap;">“What a strange thing it was: To be so close to a culture…to be so removed from the parts of it I needed to feel whole and safe.”<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #313131; font-family: times; white-space: pre-wrap;">—Cristina Arreola, “The Land, the Ghosts, and Me” <br /></span><span style="color: #313131; font-family: times; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">from </span><span style="color: #313131; font-family: times; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wild Tongues Can’t Be Tamed</span></span><span style="color: #313131; font-family: times; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">, edited by Saraciea J. Fennell (Flatiron Books, 2021)</span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span> </span></div><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-8f619463-7fff-f20c-c966-783584b83bd0" style="background-color: #f8f3ee;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-8f619463-7fff-f20c-c966-783584b83bd0"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #f8f3ee;"><span style="color: #313131; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In </span><span style="color: #313131; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wild Tongues Can’t Be Tamed</span><span style="color: #313131; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, authors from various Latinx cultures share their diasporic experiences. Edited by Saraciea J. Fennell, a Black Honduran Indigenous American, this anthology centers underrepresented Latinx voices. These pieces explore hyphenated identity and intersectionality to broaden the canon of Latinidad.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #f8f3ee;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #f8f3ee; color: #313131; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Most authors in this collection express a longing for language. Mark Oshiro’s “Eres Un Pocho'' tells of a man trying to reclaim his Mexican heritage by learning Spanish, and Natasha Diaz references “a language” she knows “only in lullabies.” This lack leaves some feeling unable to claim their culture. It’s something I’ve heard before; my classmate once said she wasn’t a “real Puertorican'' because she didn’t speak Spanish. Not speaking the mother tongue creates a painful reality for second-generation children hungry to connect with their heritage, but it also highlights linguistic discrimination in the U.S. Sometimes, as in the case of Zakiya N. Jamal, the lack of language comes from parents’ fear that their children wouldn’t assimilate, that their opportunities would be limited, that they wouldn’t be respected if they spoke another language. This severed connection, then, speaks to linguistic privilege, as immigrant parents might feel forced to choose between their children’s belonging and their success.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #f8f3ee;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #f8f3ee;"><span style="color: #313131; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For Janel Martinez, writer of “Abuela’s Greatest Gift,” Spanish is one of two missing mother tongues. The other is Garifuna, spoken by the Garinagu, an Afro-Indigenous community living throughout Central America. By including this and other essays in </span><span style="color: #313131; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wild Tongues</span><span style="color: #313131; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Fennell accomplishes a specific goal. “When we look at the Latinx canon,” Fennell said, “it lacks several experiences that </span><span style="color: #313131; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wild Tongues</span><span style="color: #313131; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> centers, like Black, queer, and Indigenous experiences.” As a white Latina, this anthology put me face-to-face with ugly truths about the culture to which I cling so tightly. “Not only does Latinidad erase Blackness and Indigeneity,” writes Martinez, “but it also relies on one’s proximity to whiteness, as well as how much privilege one has based on gender… language spoken, and mobility, among other things.” Other writers reflect upon the same sentiments.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #f8f3ee;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #f8f3ee; color: #313131; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One recurring idea is the prevalence of mental health issues, especially for Latinas. Elizabeth Acevedo writes: “So many young Latinas struggle privately and inwardly with being overwhelmed, depressed, anxious, and those feelings are met with the external expectations of boca cerrada te ves más bonita.” This might be explained by a socioeconomic issue brought up by Lilliam Rivera in “More than Nervios”: “Essos son los blanquitos…seeking medical help for anything dwelling in the mind is really meant only for a privileged few.” Here, whiteness and money are privileges that differentiate Latinx experiences. Rivera mentions needing to “maintain appearances” and the stigma around mental health therapy. These may be intensified for Latinxs striving to present as a “model citizen,” something Naima Coster references in “The Price of Admission.” One cause of stress in the lives of young Latinas may be a sense of displacement, whether due to their spoken language or the language they use to refer to themselves.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #f8f3ee;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #f8f3ee;"><span style="color: #313131; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For instance, Afro-Latinxs may have a unique linguistic experience from other Latinxs. Jasminne Mendez, a Black Dominican, describes feeling like a “circus sideshow” for speaking Spanish. Many BIPOC authors in </span><span style="color: #313131; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wild Tongues</span><span style="color: #313131; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> detail a complicated relationship with their hyphenated identity. In her piece, Fennell writes that, upon learning she was part Hispanic, some peers would be “excited” that she wasn’t “just another Black girl.” In “#Julian4spiderman,” Julian Randall writes that half-Black-half-Puertorican Spiderman Miles Morales’s “least believable power” is that he doesn’t feel pressured “to prove his Latinidad.” </span><span style="color: #313131; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wild Tongues </span><span style="color: #313131; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">expounds on people with hyphenated identities not feeling sufficiently either. Although many U.S.-based Latinxs feel that push-and-pull regardless of race, </span><span style="color: #313131; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wild Tongues</span><span style="color: #313131; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> highlights the added effect that racism has on this, both in the diaspora and within Latinx cultures. Authors point out the lack of Afro-Latinx representation in popular media, making characters like Miles Morales all the more significant. As Randall writes: “I was born into a country of no rain, so when it drizzles, I see a river; I see my face in every drop.”</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #f8f3ee;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #f8f3ee;"><span style="color: #313131; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As I read this anthology, I was struck by its thematic similarities to last month’s read, Ariana Brown’s </span><span style="color: #313131; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We Are Owed</span><span style="color: #313131; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">., especially regarding the issue of labeling. On the pages of </span><span style="color: #313131; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wild Tongues</span><span style="color: #313131; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, authors change, embrace, and reject labels depending on their experiences. Names bear a similar power to labels, as Jamal describes feeling “inauthentic” for having an African name rather than a “Spanish” one. She describes this dual-culturality as “two halves…at war.” I relate to this, although my name (along with my sister Tiffany’s name) is often associated with whiteness (have you seen </span><span style="color: #313131; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">White Chicks</span><span style="color: #313131; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">?). My name separates me from my culture, a sensation compounded by my diasporic upbringing. Of a similar experience, Cristina Arreola writes: “I haven’t been steeped in the culture long enough to make me strong with its flavor, but just enough that you couldn’t hide the scent.” I do, however, want to differentiate these experiences, as my discomfort with not being coded as Latina carries the privilege of whiteness and not the burden of racism. However, I think the significance of labeling can be seen in both cases. “[Labeling] is used…to define who we are at that given point/moment,” said Fennell. “[Y]ou can’t really [label] people, especially communities of color because we are always evolving.”</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #f8f3ee;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #f8f3ee;"><span style="color: #313131; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I started this column, I wanted to view Latinidad from unique perspectives separate from my (very privileged) one. Reading </span><span style="color: #313131; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wild Tongues Can’t Be Tamed</span><span style="color: #313131; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and last month’s </span><span style="color: #313131; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We Are Owed</span><span style="color: #313131; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">., has greatly contributed to this education, and I am excited to see where else these stories take me.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #f8f3ee;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #f8f3ee; color: #313131; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thank you to Flatiron Books for the review copy and to Saraciea J. Fennell for making time for an interview!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #f8f3ee; color: #313131; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: #f8f3ee; color: #313131; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><div><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #313131; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div><span style="font-size: medium; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="separator" style="background-color: #f8f3ee; clear: both; color: #4d626c; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; white-space: normal;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-c9729a88-7fff-84d1-b01c-a3a8845f813f"><span style="font-family: times;"><div style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzwAFAfyuhNn-AJnJ3qMM8AqwQCK3xGp5q5naJLI4YGgc4Hdkhfu7MxsEH5BF0Sdphq1VWgCrDrARi7LsSgsyYEt1S6vo__CeV3v5LsZIgxV6eIxy-YbMzPiPPx-RvbrrnP5n6uLUTQb6/s200/Headshot.jpg" style="clear: left; color: blue; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="149" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzwAFAfyuhNn-AJnJ3qMM8AqwQCK3xGp5q5naJLI4YGgc4Hdkhfu7MxsEH5BF0Sdphq1VWgCrDrARi7LsSgsyYEt1S6vo__CeV3v5LsZIgxV6eIxy-YbMzPiPPx-RvbrrnP5n6uLUTQb6/w149-h200/Headshot.jpg" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="149" /></a></div><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in;"></p></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in;"><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Brittany Torres Rivera is a Puerto Rican writer whose work deals with culture, family, and (un)belonging. She has a BA in English with a concentration in Creative Writing from Florida International University. She is based in Orlando, FL.</i></p></span></div></blockquote></blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0pt 0in;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;"></span></p></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /><div><br /></div></span></div></span></span></div></span></div></span></span>Brittany Torres Riverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17231198248351077877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348283351005310041.post-32147054961473808532022-01-24T21:42:00.011-05:002022-01-30T14:19:33.480-05:00Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize: 10th edition<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Letras Latinas </span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">announces jury for the 10<sup>th</sup>
edition</span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">of the Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize</span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">DEADLINE: March 15, 2022</span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Submissions portal opens February 1, 2022</span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
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<a href="https://letraslatinas-ilsnd.submittable.com/submit/154166/andres-montoya-poetry-prize"><b><span style="background: blue; color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-highlight: blue; mso-themecolor: background1;">SUBMIT HERE</span></b></a>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="background: blue; color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: blue; mso-themecolor: background1;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: white; mso-themecolor: background1;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><style>@font-face
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Letras Latinas, the literary
initiative at the University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Latino Studies, is
pleased to announce a four-person jury for its flagship book prize. Named after
the late award-winning Chicano poet from Fresno, the Andrés Montoya Poetry
Prize supports the publication of a first full-length collection by a Latinx
poet residing in the United States.</span>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For the first time in the Prize’s
history, there will be <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">two</i> final judges,
alongside two preliminary judges. They are <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Alexandra
Lytton Regalado</b>, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sheila Maldonado</b>,
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ariel Francisco</b> and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Adela Najarro</b>, respectively. For more
information, see their bios below, as well as statements by the final judges. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For the second time, the Prize will once
again be administered via Submittable. The portal for submissions is
slated to open on February 1, 2022, and the deadline will be on March 15, 2022.
Watch this space (<b><i>Letras Latinas Blog</i></b>) for the Submittable link, which will
take you to the Prize guidelines. As always, there is no reading fee for the
Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In the meantime, <b>Darrel Alejandro Holnes</b>’ <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Stepmotherland</i></b>, winner of
the 9<sup>th</sup> edition of the Prize and selected by <b>John Murillo</b>, with
assistance from <b>Yesenia Montilla</b> and <b>Roberto Carlos Garcia</b>, is set to launch on
February 1, 2022 with University of Notre Dame Press.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg6YExgv8dniAAdLZOdXLpAP37eSIO0UeqVbS8YU9xhSrvGrg-Ikw06QBicJKpH5z_zOBc_4obHNV5fgiSTLVNp5ouvfUHQfswuqcZ1vWGpjLgBn5N1w3ez0Lidx8bG-qmDWzefVrnUnmoJtUiXsiwo6AI5bacRowQggKOIKA13k95R1GWI1TUgezjUzw=s499" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg6YExgv8dniAAdLZOdXLpAP37eSIO0UeqVbS8YU9xhSrvGrg-Ikw06QBicJKpH5z_zOBc_4obHNV5fgiSTLVNp5ouvfUHQfswuqcZ1vWGpjLgBn5N1w3ez0Lidx8bG-qmDWzefVrnUnmoJtUiXsiwo6AI5bacRowQggKOIKA13k95R1GWI1TUgezjUzw=s320" width="214" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">On serving as a final judge of the 10<sup>th</sup> edition
of the Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize:</span>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Alexandra Lytton Regalado writes:</span></b>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“When Letras Latinas invited me to be a judge for the 10<sup>th</sup>
edition of the Andrés Montoya Prize for Latinx Poetry I was sending out my
second manuscript to contests and I know what it’s like to walk that
tightrope—when you release your work into the world hoping it will connect with
a reader and I know that process can sometimes take a decade (in the case of my
first book) or surprisingly (in the case of my second book), a single year. Tienes
que ser necia, tweak it and stubbornly keep sending it out. I am a huge fan of
past winners of the Andrés Montoya Prize—each has a distinctive and genuine
voice—and it has been exciting to see their post-award trajectories so it is an
honor to be a part of the selection process. I’m interested in work that
searches and leaves doors open. Reading a favorite poem feels like an
encounter, a transference of energy. I connect with sincerity and poems that
leave me with an increased sense of awareness.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiHo4P8vAxucUo4MTy76Oww9TiI2lOxJs_Dw1vC7HBJNfc2KTu1uN5bBkO58Pm3wUXEc03to1KlLWvFJT48Cm3k3IC4ZfZ40MiHR_xVNTmvdQiDReEXD1lEEgKa7KK7HFeXSlclSbK6yQpVe8rSM2-olnuRERFDwrxiEqBtf6BeH4gjWBmgwwYLPc762Q=s1280" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="865" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiHo4P8vAxucUo4MTy76Oww9TiI2lOxJs_Dw1vC7HBJNfc2KTu1uN5bBkO58Pm3wUXEc03to1KlLWvFJT48Cm3k3IC4ZfZ40MiHR_xVNTmvdQiDReEXD1lEEgKa7KK7HFeXSlclSbK6yQpVe8rSM2-olnuRERFDwrxiEqBtf6BeH4gjWBmgwwYLPc762Q=s320" width="216" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> photo credit: Caroline Lacey<br /></span></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Alexandra Lytton Regalado</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">’s second poetry collection, <i>Relinquenda</i>, winner of
the National Poetry Series, is forthcoming from Beacon Press in fall
2022. She is also the author of <i>Matria</i>, winner of the St.
Lawrence Book Award (Black Lawrence Press, 2017). Alexandra is a
CantoMundo fellow, winner of the Coniston Prize, and her work has appeared in<i> The
Best American Poetry</i>, <i>The Academy of American Poets,
Narrative, Gulf Coast, and Creative Nonfiction </i>among others.
Her translations of contemporary Salvadoran poetry will soon appear in <i>Poetry
International.</i> Co-founder of Kalina press, Alexandra is author,
editor, and/or translator of more than fifteen Central American-themed
books. <i> </i></span><a href="http://www.alexandralyttonregalado.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">www.alexandralyttonregalado.com</span></a>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sheila Maldonado writes:</span></b>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“I probably did not apply for this prize when
I was working on my first book. I was probably intimidated and thought I needed
to have a particular voice. I didn’t realize that the prize was relatively new
in the poetry world and was just one attempt at addressing invisibility. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Latinx poets have been around so long and it
has been such a struggle to be recognized. I struggle with what that really
means, to be recognized by who, an academic world that didn’t see us for so
long. I went to school for poetry but also feel a part of what poetry is in New
York City, so that the city is my true school. I can also feel like an outsider
as a Central American in U.S. Latinx communities. I think being involved in
this for me is acknowledging that Latinx poetry and art in the U.S. often exists
outside of institutions. It is about creating spaces for people long
overlooked. We need many of them and this prize is a beginning, not an end all
be all. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In the years since my first book was
published, I got to know so many Latinx poets, many of them on the list of
winners and judges for this prize. They are all generous souls who make
beautiful work. Knowing them and their work, I feel truly honored to be asked
by Letras Latinas to read a world of people who want to be seen and heard in
all their complexity.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhiytuSPrxYIgV8hd7_jrgiQFP6wWswd3z2qpZAM1ur7cgtW0DBYSkWaiOfCEfCpzwzREf4qYYP7BnfaGHHT6V0xYsvEQmmB1qFJHdX1bAgSjPan8S7qXxKd0ULzeibNE3ZAhMH8i6BgG79szQ-NUsz1d3dSp4k7iLdDbW443faOhTi7b9zpRRDA3tpxA=s1300" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1300" data-original-width="1257" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhiytuSPrxYIgV8hd7_jrgiQFP6wWswd3z2qpZAM1ur7cgtW0DBYSkWaiOfCEfCpzwzREf4qYYP7BnfaGHHT6V0xYsvEQmmB1qFJHdX1bAgSjPan8S7qXxKd0ULzeibNE3ZAhMH8i6BgG79szQ-NUsz1d3dSp4k7iLdDbW443faOhTi7b9zpRRDA3tpxA=s320" width="309" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> photo credit: Nikki Johnson<br /></span></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sheila Maldonado</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> is the author of the
poetry collections <i>that's what you get</i> (Brooklyn Arts Press,
2021) and<i> one-bedroom solo </i>(Fly by Night Press / A Gathering
of the Tribes, 2011). She is a CantoMundo fellow and a Creative Capital awardee
as part of desveladas, a visual writing collective. She teaches English for the
City University of New York. She was born in Brooklyn, raised in Coney Island,
the daughter of Armando and Vilma of El Progreso, Yoro, Honduras. She lives in
El Alto Manhattan.</span>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">*</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Preliminary judges:</span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></b></p><p><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgIlXxG35qJUCJ9WDx96zkgFNZK3-f73cpEDljyguF_Cj3JwSIt_H4TccsYxQ-zwZ7OlOeooNM8dWFGWnxPfebcK9MNFOy2vpdsYEMtgzzkB7Zwpdj9Cr75M03lfKaLBJPMHsQyZJXOGsUfQfwiujhOAJ4qtdQ6lPmGDHG2hTkUkB2KFd4z-oGqWdwGkA=s4316" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3371" data-original-width="4316" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgIlXxG35qJUCJ9WDx96zkgFNZK3-f73cpEDljyguF_Cj3JwSIt_H4TccsYxQ-zwZ7OlOeooNM8dWFGWnxPfebcK9MNFOy2vpdsYEMtgzzkB7Zwpdj9Cr75M03lfKaLBJPMHsQyZJXOGsUfQfwiujhOAJ4qtdQ6lPmGDHG2hTkUkB2KFd4z-oGqWdwGkA=s320" width="320" /></a></span></b></div><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ariel Francisco</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> is the author of <i>Under
Capitalism If Your Head Aches They Just Yank Off Your Head</i> (Flowersong
Press, 2022), <i>A Sinking Ship is Still a Ship</i> (Burrow Press, 2020) and <i>All
My Heroes Are Broke</i> (C&R Press, 2017). A poet and translator born in
the Bronx to Dominican and Guatemalan parents and raised in Miami, his work has
been published in <i>The New Yorker, American Poetry Review, Academy of
American Poets Poem-a-Day, The New York City Ballet</i>, <i>Latino Book Review,</i>
and elsewhere. He is Assistant Professor of Poetry at Louisiana State
Universit<b>y.</b></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgA2AEJiuyFEA9WXh-KGBiBUw63Lp7TGmyUqXI-7XGA_fFiYSHoH2cGAOZCQZNOrjsSE3vtGHrkEOe16SL8DFy07FZmCbmR0g1jRRoFjmD0sB7OE00gmt7R3j-KuSYLRD_xytZ_MxofUQnTGjPIzNXqdgrxlySP0nEiTxH7TN94KCHv0nGJDx-eDShBCg=s1200" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="801" data-original-width="1200" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgA2AEJiuyFEA9WXh-KGBiBUw63Lp7TGmyUqXI-7XGA_fFiYSHoH2cGAOZCQZNOrjsSE3vtGHrkEOe16SL8DFy07FZmCbmR0g1jRRoFjmD0sB7OE00gmt7R3j-KuSYLRD_xytZ_MxofUQnTGjPIzNXqdgrxlySP0nEiTxH7TN94KCHv0nGJDx-eDShBCg=s320" width="320" /></a></b></span></div><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Adela
Najarro</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> is the author of three poetry collections: <i>Split Geography</i>,
<i>Twice Told Over, </i>and<i> My Childrens</i>, a chapbook that includes
teaching resources. With <i>My Childrens</i> she hopes to bring poetry into the
classroom so that students can explore creative writing, identity, and what it
means to be Latinx in US society. She holds a doctorate in literature and
creative writing from Western Michigan University, as well as an M.F.A. from
Vermont College, and is widely published in numerous anthologies and literary
magazines. More information about Adela can be found at her website: </span><a href="http://www.adelanajarro.com" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">www.adelanajarro.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">.</span>
<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></b></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Francisco Aragónhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17324802869512989420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348283351005310041.post-36209284641470437122022-01-01T20:53:00.002-05:002022-05-01T09:28:12.718-05:00A House of Our Own: We Are Owed. by Ariana Brown<p><span style="font-family: times;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><a href="http://www.grieveland.com/store/p14/weareowed.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWCLNk8vnlWfHRpmR6bq6q2yEPNDOVR1hk7TYqiWwmp050VZEZ9mZrw_zMsaeDGIH4Hz8VganEoa4SCu1HenorjxBDGi9_JV1qKOYWYSZaNC-TbaEnYQIC49HoRfjZmUzLe_IbtKTjn76k/w301-h452/image.png" width="301" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span>Photo Credit: Ariana Brown via http://www.arianabrown.com/we-are-owed.html</span></span><br /></span><p></p><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">“we thought / by wearing the name / of our conqueror, / we might somehow / become him”<br /></span></span><span style="background-color: #f8f3ee; color: #4d626c; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">—</span><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ariana Brown, </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We Are Owed. </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(</span></span></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">Grieveland, 2021)</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ariana Brown’s </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We Are Owed.</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> investigates identity at the intersection of cultures, countries, and languages, illuminating a gap in the archive. Through poems that experiment with use of space, voices, and historical anecdotes, Brown brings about themes of antinationalism, namelessness, and loss of history to show readers the internal turmoil that comes with being Black and Mexican.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In “There Are Güeros & Then There is Me,” Brown asserts that, in Spanish, “there is no word / to describe [her] with grace.” This namelessness resurfaces throughout, expressing the anti-Black racism in Latinx cultures, which exists even linguistically; in “Mexico City, scenes: III. Arena de México,” the speaker’s crush, a </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">güero</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (white Mexican), uses a racist slur. Without “graceful” names, Black people become a segregated unit within the Latinx and other communities, resulting in a loss of identity and promoting the spread of racist perceptions of Blackness.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">“Borderlands suite: Nightmares” shows how the speaker’s Blackness influences her relationship with her family and culture: “Mom yells, breaks a hairbrush on my head. / Every Spanish word I learn is an insult.” Here, the language’s violence comes from its mundanity; who doesn’t curse when their hair won’t cooperate? This moment speaks to a larger issue: every aspect of Blackness is rejected, in this case, curly/kinky hair. The following line break from “There are Güeros & Then There is Me” stood out to me: “The first day of first grade, / three pencils & a set / of hands I found in my hair.” The words “a set” create an expectation of school supplies, but the next line highlights the everyday nature of this subtle racism. Again, the lack of positive language for Blackness results in a negative experience. In response, the speaker reclaims that language in “Alternate Names for Pelo Malo.”</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hair appears repeatedly as a symbol of the speaker’s isolation from her country. In “Don’t Know Nobody from Ellis Island,” her “exiled hair was a harbor” that she and the only other Black Mexican in her classroom “both could have moored in.” This poem features an extended metaphor using the Statue of Liberty, a symbol of American nationalism, to explore why allegiance to a country does not constitute identity. Although I am not Black and my hair is far from kinky, I, too, draw my identity in part from my hair, especially, as Melissa Lozada-Oliva writes in</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Dreaming of You</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, “to separate [myself] from whiteness.” As a white Latina, the history of my identity is uncomfortable, as it is for Jessica Alba in “There are Güeros & Then There is Me” when she realizes that she and the narrator are “on opposite sides of the sword.” My curls, however loose, somehow justify my Latinidad, in addition to my language. No such connections to country and culture exist for the narrator. Thus, she constructs a new identity.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We see the power of hair again in “Mexico City, scenes: VI. Universidad Iberoamericana.” Spanish, a symbol of the country that rejects her Blackness, fails the speaker as she tries to explain her hairstyle to a fellow “negrita.” However, this kinship over hair supersedes language. Spanish appears throughout </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We Are Owed.</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> but is never italicized. I suspect this was meant to strip the language of any additional power over the speaker, who has been oppressed by it all her life, left wishing “daily” for an accent to tie her to her culture (“There are Güeros & Then There is Me”). As the speaker says, she “had a choice—to erase the words that erased [her] already or make new ones.”</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Throughout the collection, the narrator explores the erasure of Blackness from Mexican history. In “Case Study, ” she struggles to dance like the </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">güeras</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Here, internal rhyme and alliteration mimic musical rhythm: “Without a </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">bu</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">zzing in my </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">bloo</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">d, </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">drunk</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> only with </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">dr</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">eam, I thi</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">nk</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.” These sounds express her familiarity with the cumbia moves, though she cannot own them until she’s learned they originated in the shackled steps of slaves. Another such erasure appears in “Field Notes,” which experiments with space on the page to combine experiences on a trip in Mexico with historical text. Here, country has failed the speaker, excluding her from what should have been her history: “the exhibit on racism al museo de la ciudad de / méxico mentioned black people three times.” The poem also explains her fascination with Yanga, the creator of “the first free African settlement in the Americas,” a man who lived in the same intersection of identities she does. In Yanga, she finds a family member who understands, who could teach her “to be a person without a nation.”</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">Other family members cannot understand her. In “Volver, Volver,” the speaker distinguishes her grandmother’s struggles with racism from hers: “my grandmother / is an essay on shame… I recognize but cannot read.” Her culture keeps her outside of its “beautiful fist,” forcing her to look elsewhere for identity: “to love no nation, to kiss / my mirror with the mouth / I own.” Upon rejecting nationalism, she reimagines her experience, creating a family of Black women to support her in “Lotería de la Negra”: “i wished for a mother that looked like me / so i find las negras & give them names here.”</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We Are Owed.</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> fills in crucial gaps in the history of Black Mexicans, showing readers how the narrator has been forced to reject country and culture and define herself anew. In “Inhale: the Ceremony,” she admits that her exclusion is not exclusive to her: “The elders … know / everything I am / going to say.” The line break after “I am” expresses the narrator’s identification with those who share her forgotten history, assuring readers that this story is not new, but has merely been buried, leaving people isolated at the intersections of cultures, countries, languages, and identities to construct a new reality. One where they belong.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;">Thanks to Grieveland for providing a review copy.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div class="separator" style="background-color: #f8f3ee; clear: both; color: #4d626c; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif; white-space: normal;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-c9729a88-7fff-84d1-b01c-a3a8845f813f"><span style="font-family: times;"><div style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzwAFAfyuhNn-AJnJ3qMM8AqwQCK3xGp5q5naJLI4YGgc4Hdkhfu7MxsEH5BF0Sdphq1VWgCrDrARi7LsSgsyYEt1S6vo__CeV3v5LsZIgxV6eIxy-YbMzPiPPx-RvbrrnP5n6uLUTQb6/s200/Headshot.jpg" style="clear: left; color: blue; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="149" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzwAFAfyuhNn-AJnJ3qMM8AqwQCK3xGp5q5naJLI4YGgc4Hdkhfu7MxsEH5BF0Sdphq1VWgCrDrARi7LsSgsyYEt1S6vo__CeV3v5LsZIgxV6eIxy-YbMzPiPPx-RvbrrnP5n6uLUTQb6/w149-h200/Headshot.jpg" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="149" /></a></div><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in;"></p></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in;"><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span>Brittany Torres Rivera is a Puerto Rican writer whose work deals with culture, family, and (un)belonging. She has a BA in English with a concentration in Creative Writing from Florida International University. She is based in Orlando, FL.</span></i></p></span></div></blockquote></blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0pt 0in;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;"></span></p></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /><div><br /></div></span></div><div><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span></span></div><p style="background-color: #f8f3ee; color: #4d626c; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; white-space: normal;"></p></span></div></div><span id="docs-internal-guid-c5638887-7fff-7196-8194-0332a32cf51d"><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Brittany Torres Riverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17231198248351077877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348283351005310041.post-60962750227989881162021-12-01T17:55:00.005-05:002022-05-01T09:29:04.999-05:00A House of Our Own: Gordo: Stories by Jaime Cortez<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://groveatlantic.com/core/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/GordoPKcover-340x509.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="509" data-original-width="340" height="509" src="https://groveatlantic.com/core/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/GordoPKcover-340x509.jpg" width="340" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: Grove Atlantic via https://groveatlantic.com/book/gordo/</span></div><p></p><div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">“My legs are burning...but Pa looks happier now, and I think he’s not gonna hit me, and he’s not gonna shout. That’s not bad.”<br /></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">—Jaime Cortez, </span><span style="font-family: times; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gordo: Stories </span><span style="font-family: times; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(</span><span style="font-family: times; white-space: pre-wrap;">Grove Atlantic, 2021)</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-c9729a88-7fff-84d1-b01c-a3a8845f813f"><span style="font-family: times;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Those with and those without. Money. Strength. Work. Papers. Language. Place. Acceptance. Jaime Cortez’s short story collection, </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gordo: Stories</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, employs the child’s propensity for keen, honest observation to make explicit these implicit hierarchies.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Primarily set in a camp for migrant agricultural workers in California, </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gordo </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">explores masculinity in Hispanic cultures. Our main narrator is Gordo, a boy known only by his nickname whose effeminate nature brands him an outsider. From the first story, Gordo feels shame for disappointing his father, Antonio, a traditional Hispanic man. In “El Gordo,” Antonio buys Gordo boxing gear, but Gordo's emphatic interest in the “pretty” sparkly boots elicits a negative reaction. Thus, Gordo learns that his natural inclinations are unacceptable to his father, his peers, and his culture at large.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For Gordo, there are only two options: upset people by behaving naturally or be invisible by keeping to himself and his books. In “Fandango,” Gordo enjoys invisibility on the outskirts of the group of men at the barn party. Only by drinking alcohol, a masculinity-defining behavior in these stories, is he accepted into the circle and by his father, who exclaims “That’s my Gordo!” The only other time we see this pride is when Gordo wins a fight against a neighborhood boy, proving his masculinity through violence. What Antonio doesn’t know is that Gordo’s victory was accidental, and his guilt overpowers any sense of victory he might have felt. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In “The Nasty Book Wars,” Gordo disapproves of Cesar, his older friend and other model of masculinity, hurting Tiny, the youngest of the girls against whom they are warring over a stash of adult magazines. Gordo is torn: “I didn’t really care about the books anymore. It was now a war for the victory of boys or girls— an excruciating binary to a sissy boy like me.” Gordo doesn’t belong to either world, but he understands the dangers of being “different.” We see these dangers later as we follow Raymundo, a gay middleschooler who is bullied and beaten but refuses to fight back. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In these stories, violence amounts to masculinity. Alex, who Gordo thought was a man until he accidentally saw her breasts, is only considered more manly because she abuses her girlfriend, Delia. In Gordo’s words, “[n]obody hassles [his] ma. Except Pa.” Gordo’s mother, Esperanza, declares that Alex is “worse than a man, because she should know better.” This quote expresses a dangerous double standard in Hispanic culture. In “The Pardos,” Nelson Pardo beats his sons whenever they show weakness, and his hatred of women manifests in a schoolwide rumor that he killed his wife. Women, however, are not traditionally violent. Before overhearing a fight between Fat Cookie and her mother, Gordo had “never even heard of a mother and daughter fight.” Upon being violent, Fat Cookie’s mother becomes masculine; Gordo compares her to “a dad coming home on a Saturday after disappearing since Friday.”</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">While violence persists as a mark of masculinity, silence is expected of women; “Black eyes are top secret…you’re supposed to shut up like nothing happened and swallow the story,” observes Gordo in “Alex.” This silence preserves traditional cultural gender expectations; Hispanic women end up proliferating violence, implicitly teaching their daughters to live with abuse. Which is not to call Hispanic women weak—Esperanza encourages Delia to fight against Alex’s attacks as she did Antonio’s—but not addressing this violence on a larger scale allows such patterns to persist. As a Hispanic woman, I’ve seen many of us have to unlearn behaviors we’ve inherited from the women around us. Upon experiencing life outside of the bubble of our cultures, children living in the diaspora gain the perspective necessary to criticize long-standing cultural dynamics. Maybe this empowers us to challenge the status quo, especially regarding gender-based violence.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Although they don’t speak out, the women in </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gordo </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">see. Fat Cookie’s mother accurately predicts that Sylvie, Gordo’s sister, will be desired by men when she’s older. Raymundo’s mother is aware of her son’s homosexuality as a source of harassment and offers him advice. Esperanza defends Gordo against ridicule, calling him her “best helper” in the kitchen. The women in these stories are the backbones of families, the preservers of peace (albeit through at times self-endangering means), the true heads of households. The young girls in the story exhibit this behavior as well. In “The Nasty Book Wars,” the girls refuse to divulge where they hid the magazines: “[W]e’re smarter,” says Sylvie. “We might wait fifty-seven hundred million days before we even look at ‘em.” Their patience, cunning, and, in the case of Fat Cookie, brute strength, overpowers the boys’.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The second half of </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gordo </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">presents other facets of Hispanic masculinity. Raymundo becomes a confident artist proud of his town. Shy Boy Pardo, a quiet, homesick artist hidden behind a “cholo” exterior, loses his life to violence, a victim to the demands of masculinity. Even the men’s tough sadness in “Fandango” is unpacked. “I finally understand why the drunk guys scream like women when this song comes on,” Gordo reflects in “Ofelia’s Last Ride.” “It feels like you’ll never stop being sad, never stop wishing you weren’t a loser, but you are. You lose things. You lose people and you can’t get them back.”</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Thus, a simple similarity between men and women arises— Delia’s desire to return to El Salvador. Juan Diego’s violent grief over an inexpressible loss. Gordo’s solace in invisibility—we all long for something. I’d like to think this conclusion brings Gordo peace. The worlds of men and women aren’t as different as they appear, so perhaps he can find comfort in the space between.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you enjoy(ed) the exploration of nontraditional masculinity and the first-generation experience in </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gordo</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, I recommend Ocean Vuong’s </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Thanks to Grove Atlantic for providing a review copy.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><div style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzwAFAfyuhNn-AJnJ3qMM8AqwQCK3xGp5q5naJLI4YGgc4Hdkhfu7MxsEH5BF0Sdphq1VWgCrDrARi7LsSgsyYEt1S6vo__CeV3v5LsZIgxV6eIxy-YbMzPiPPx-RvbrrnP5n6uLUTQb6/s200/Headshot.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="149" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzwAFAfyuhNn-AJnJ3qMM8AqwQCK3xGp5q5naJLI4YGgc4Hdkhfu7MxsEH5BF0Sdphq1VWgCrDrARi7LsSgsyYEt1S6vo__CeV3v5LsZIgxV6eIxy-YbMzPiPPx-RvbrrnP5n6uLUTQb6/w149-h200/Headshot.jpg" width="149" /></a></div><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></span><p></p></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><p><i style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Brittany Torres Rivera is a Puerto Rican writer whose work deals with culture, family, and (un)belonging. She has a BA in English<span> </span>with a concentration in Creative Writing from Florida International University. She is based in Orlando, FL.</span></i></p></span></div></blockquote></blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: times;"></span></p></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /><div><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #f8f3ee; color: #4d626c; font-size: 13.2px;" /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span></span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p>Brittany Torres Riverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17231198248351077877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348283351005310041.post-91960901302019185312021-11-01T12:21:00.001-05:002022-05-01T09:29:49.025-05:00A House of Our Own: Dreaming of You by Melissa Lozada-Oliva<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images1.penguinrandomhouse.com/cover/9781662600593" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="298" height="450" src="https://images1.penguinrandomhouse.com/cover/9781662600593" width="298" /></a></div><div><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13.2px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></div><span face=""Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13.2px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><p></p><div style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><p style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: times; font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;">Photo credit: Penguin Random House via </span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/675770/dreaming-of-you-by-melissa-lozada-oliva/</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">“she was a girl who / smelled good and therefore made me / feel like I stunk, but I think I loved that.”</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">—Melissa Lozada-Oliva, <i>Dreaming of You </i>(A</span></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: large; white-space: pre-wrap;">stra House, 2021)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Melissa Lozada-Oliva’s <i>Dreaming of You</i> is a story of expectations and fragmentation. Through characters that represent facets of our narrator’s identity, this novel in verse asks us to reconsider what it means to be an artist, a Latina, a woman, a person.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">In my experience, Latinx artists, though drawn to pursue their passions, experience anxiety about doing so as a career. An inherited drive toward financial stability, perhaps something our parents or grandparents were unable to achieve, makes dedication to the arts almost unjustifiable. Add in parental pressure, like her father encouraging her to study medicine, and it’s possible that the narrator in <i>Dreaming</i>, identified as “Melissa,” feels such shame about her profession as a result of a cultural expectation to do something else, something more lucrative or less abstract. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Melissa’s mother expects a different kind of commitment from her. In “March 31, 1995,” Melissa cries to get her father through customs. She claims that, at three years old, she had agency over her actions, but it’s made clear that her mother implored her to make the sacrifice for her family. In “In Which I Answer All of the Questions from My Imaginary and Very Important Interview of the Future,” Melissa’s performance is ignored and she’s forced to sit by her mother. The mother guides the daughter’s life, a common dynamic in patriarchal cultures that keeps Melissa connected, and perhaps subservient, to the family. Abraham Quintanilla, a symbol of patriarchy, promotes this idea in “Dear Ms. Melissa Lozada-Oliva”: “Your parents have worked hard!!!! You should be nicer to your parents!!!”</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">These expectations create the Selena Quintanilla-shaped hole into which Melissa struggles to fit. Selena was a financially-successful artist and she was close to her family, as chronicled by a biopic and a Netflix series. Selena, then, becomes a benchmark for Latinidad. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">In “I Made You a Playlist to Get the Real You Back Even Though Real You Doesn’t Listen to Lyrics,” Melissa and her sister “say [they] hate / country songs to separate [themselves] from whiteness / but what’s the difference between a country / song and a ranchera, anyway?” This strained relationship with cultural identity is explored in “Killing Time at Karaoke” and “The Future is Lodged Inside of the Female,” which contain exasperated comments about Latinx oppression. “The novel is…[an] unraveling of identity…[identity] can sometimes keep us from making progress or helping others,” said Lozada-Oliva. Thus, Selena Quintanilla in this story is not just an archetypal Latina; an intersectional approach reveals her to be a symbol of femininity.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Selena laughs even when men aren’t funny. She is bubbly. She is forever young. “My mom always says that Selena got killed because she was ‘too nice,’” said Lozada-Oliva. “[S]he was trusting and vulnerable...that’s a gift that we’re told to shed away...to protect ourselves.” With her femininity, Selena overshadows Melissa, making her invisible in Part II. Selena is juxtaposed against Yolanda Saldivar, her real-life murderer and a manifestation of the jealousy and bitterness that denote the other extreme of womanhood as perceived by others. Beyond that, Yolanda is much older than Selena. “As a CULTURE,” said Lozada-Oliva, “we just don’t know what to do with [women] when they [age].” In real life, Yolanda’s crime confirms societal expectations for women that aren’t traditionally feminine: they are evil, untrustworthy villains. Thus, the interplay between gender and violence becomes a focal point of <i>Dreaming</i>.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Part I highlights the widespread-to-the-point-of-mundanity violence against women by men. The idea that men are violent is thus established and later challenged by the violence of the feminine symbols. In “Yolanda Leaves a Note,” Yolanda plans to kill Selena to survive; the Selena-shaped hole has taken over her life as it has our narrator’s. “I think [Yolanda’s] saying, we all have holes we need to fit through... this is how I am choosing to get through,” said Lozada-Oliva. She also shared her friend’s thought: “when violence is necessary, why not be able to use it?” The urge to remove that which challenges us is universal. However, while viewed as an indication of an honorable competitive spirit in men, in women, it is discouraged, dismissed as cattiness. As Lozada-Oliva put it, “these women are punished for very normal, human attributes in a way then [sic] men won’t be.”</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">In the climax, Melissa kills Selena, the symbol of her femininity, to save the man she loves. Thus, <i>Dreaming </i>challenges readers’ conceptions of men and masculinity: “...maybe there’s a way to love men without being oppressed by patriarchy...masculinity, it's actually beautiful,” said Lozada-Oliva. These ideas elicited a conversation I’ve been having with my coworker, a Brazilian woman twice my age, who believes her masculinity has kept her from finding a relationship. This has made me consider my own masculinity, beginning with how I eat; hunched over my plate, I add a second bite before I’ve swallowed the first. I’m not sure what to make of her ideas. Is it okay to change to make men comfortable? When Melissa kills her femininity, is the resulting lack of it what keeps her and her love apart? Maybe violence is agency. Maybe Melissa’s agency sets her free. Maybe the cost of that freedom is love.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><i>Dreaming of You </i>is an excavation of the self. Through fragmentation, Melissa deconstructs her jealousy, her anger, her joy, her love, and explores how they contribute to her whole. In this way, <i>Dreaming </i>is a coming-of-age novel. ‘“[T]owards the end,'' Lozada-Oliva said, “the narrator starts to feel more comfortable and empowered, because she’s let the hang-ups of her youth go, or simply accepted them.” Does time heal all? Can resurrecting the past help you move forward? Are these mutually exclusive? Perhaps finding these answers is part of growing up.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">If you enjoy(ed) the intersectional protagonist and exploration of identity in <i>Dreaming</i>, I recommend Paule Marshall’s <i>Brown Girl, Brownstones</i>.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Thank you to Melissa Lozada-Oliva for the interview and to Tiffany Gonzalez and Astra House for the review copy and ongoing support.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzwAFAfyuhNn-AJnJ3qMM8AqwQCK3xGp5q5naJLI4YGgc4Hdkhfu7MxsEH5BF0Sdphq1VWgCrDrARi7LsSgsyYEt1S6vo__CeV3v5LsZIgxV6eIxy-YbMzPiPPx-RvbrrnP5n6uLUTQb6/s200/Headshot.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="149" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzwAFAfyuhNn-AJnJ3qMM8AqwQCK3xGp5q5naJLI4YGgc4Hdkhfu7MxsEH5BF0Sdphq1VWgCrDrARi7LsSgsyYEt1S6vo__CeV3v5LsZIgxV6eIxy-YbMzPiPPx-RvbrrnP5n6uLUTQb6/w149-h200/Headshot.jpg" width="149" /></a></div><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></span><p></p></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><p style="text-align: left;"><i style="font-family: times; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Brittany Torres Rivera is a Puerto Rican writer whose work deals with culture, family, and (un)belonging. She has a BA in English<span> </span>with a concentration in Creative Writing from Florida International University. She is based in Orlando, FL.</span></i></p></span></div></blockquote></blockquote><div style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: times;"></span></p></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #f8f3ee; color: #4d626c; font-family: times; font-size: 13.2px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" /></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"></blockquote></span></div>Brittany Torres Riverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17231198248351077877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348283351005310041.post-62179882505648413502021-10-01T14:59:00.004-05:002022-05-01T09:30:22.907-05:00A House of Our Own: Variations on the Body by María Ospina<div style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1475/9808/products/9781566896108_FC_1024x1024.jpg?v=1599835860" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="534" height="499" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1475/9808/products/9781566896108_FC_1024x1024.jpg?v=1599835860" width="333" /></a></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; white-space: pre-wrap;">Photo credit: Coffee House Press via https://coffeehousepress.org/products/variations-on-the-body</span></p></span></div></span><div style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"</span></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">The occasion arises and decides what occurs."<br /></span><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">—María Ospina, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Variations on the Body </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(</span></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Coffee House Press, 2021)</span></div></div><p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In her debut short story collection, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Variations on the Body</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, María Ospina explores the lives of Colombian women from different generations and social strata as they search for community and belonging.</span></span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-8ac2f4fa-7fff-d927-ee09-b4c2363451c7" style="font-family: times;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These stories feature a sense of wandering exemplified by a symbol of defiant independence: stray dogs. “I was interested in exploring...how we care for others or ask others to care for us,” said Ospina about her inclusion of stray dogs in each story. Strays complicate the ideas of care and dependence, choosing to exist outside domesticity in search of something greater. In “Collateral Beauty,” Estefanía dresses up as a stray dog for her first Halloween in New York, where she hopes to recover a final connection with a kindred spirit. Marcela in “Policarpa” is a kind of stray dog herself; struggling to rejoin civilian life and hesitant to reach out to her family, she exhibits the solitude of the stray. The rootlessness these characters face when attempting to redefine themselves in a new society is similar to that of Latinxs trying to make the U.S. their home. Like the stray dogs in </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Variations </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(and the characters that reflect them), Latinxs strike their own path, battling loneliness and fear while redefining their relationship with the surrounding culture.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Unlike the strays mentioned, the dog in “Saving Young Ladies” doesn’t need saving. In fact, its pride disturbs Aurora. For her, the dog is a proxy for young Jessica, whom she wants to rescue from the perceived shackles of the convent. Her desire to connect with Jessica, however, becomes obsessive. In a culture dominated by machismo, intra-women interactions are foundational for young Latinas. These vital relationships become precarious when power is divided asymmetrically, as in the relationship between Aurora and Jessica and others in these stories. Such a dynamic can, at times, border on the homoerotic, as described by Ospina:“[Women] are drawn to...situations in which they can ‘save others’...That transcends the desire to be with a man...it’s a kind of queer desire, in a way.” When I was a young teen, I experienced something similar. I became drawn to a classmate as if by siren call. There was a certain </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">yo no sé qué </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">that made me want to be near her, to know what pained her, to take it away. I followed her around like a stray dog, though not a proud one, and to this day I can’t quite define the energy between us, though I suspect it is one-sided. This “queer desire” flies in the face of the heteronormative and patriarchical, or </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">machista</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, culture of Latinxs. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Machismo also limits women’s access to education and, therefore, their ability to tell their own stories, another aspect of the Latina experience that Ospina expounds in </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Variations</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. She calls writing a “determinant factor in the modes in which you exist in the world, especially…[in a sexist society]...where women have less access to writing than men.” In “Occasion,” for example, Zenaida attributes her poor spelling to her father, who barred her from school after fourth grade. However, that these women write at all speaks to their innate desire to document their existence. “These stories,” said Ospina, “are about...telling one’s own story, especially as these characters are all migrants...How do you give an account of yourself as you move, as you change spaces?” This concept applies to the Latinx experience in the U.S., where, amid a disruption of place, identity, and language, a sense of groundedness can only be found in oneself. Perhaps this is why so many Latinxs turn to writing and other forms of art: to record this change, to reconcile who they were </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">there </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and who they are becoming </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The solitude of rootlessness is expressed in </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Variations </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">by the destruction of writing; Marcela burns her letters to her mother, Mirla (from the titular story) never writes for television, Aurora burns her manuscript, and on and on. Ospina described the characters’ search for community as a “fantasy” that is ultimately destroyed by the realities of isolation. Isolation results in a lack of control, for which the characters in this collection seek various odd remedies. The narrator of “Fauna of the Ages” tracks flea bites. Mirla collects scissors. Martica, who appears throughout the collection, is tasked with all things skin-related. Ospina categorizes these behaviors as “part of a compulsion, of trying to control” in the midst of instability. (Im)migrants, for whom cultural instability is a given, may gravitate to such behaviors. While I don’t consider myself an immigrant, I relate to these tendencies; I have difficulty discarding seemingly useless items, and I’ve always obsessed over the marks on my skin. Could these be side effects of a fragmented identity, my own attempts at uniting the disparate parts of myself?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Although </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Variations </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">isn’t set in the U.S., the characters’ experiences parallel those of Latinxs seeking belonging in the U.S., a place that doesn’t yet belong to them. Whether they are emotional, physical, or cultural migrants, the characters in </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Variations on the Body</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and, I suspect, all people, hunger for community, stability, and acceptance.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you enjoy(ed) the recurring symbols and themes of wandering in </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Variations</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, I recommend </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Adios, Happy Homeland!</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> by Ana Menéndez.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thank you to María Ospina for making time for an interview and to Coffee House Press for providing a review copy of the book.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p></span><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzwAFAfyuhNn-AJnJ3qMM8AqwQCK3xGp5q5naJLI4YGgc4Hdkhfu7MxsEH5BF0Sdphq1VWgCrDrARi7LsSgsyYEt1S6vo__CeV3v5LsZIgxV6eIxy-YbMzPiPPx-RvbrrnP5n6uLUTQb6/s992/Headshot.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="992" data-original-width="738" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzwAFAfyuhNn-AJnJ3qMM8AqwQCK3xGp5q5naJLI4YGgc4Hdkhfu7MxsEH5BF0Sdphq1VWgCrDrARi7LsSgsyYEt1S6vo__CeV3v5LsZIgxV6eIxy-YbMzPiPPx-RvbrrnP5n6uLUTQb6/w149-h200/Headshot.jpg" width="149" /></a></p></blockquote><p> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: times;"><p style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i style="font-size: medium;">Brittany Torres Rivera is a Puerto Rican writer whose work deals with culture, family, and (un)belonging. She has a BA in English with a concentration in Creative Writing from Florida International University. She is based in Orlando, FL.</i></span></p></span></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"></blockquote><span style="font-family: times;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span><p></p></span>Brittany Torres Riverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17231198248351077877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348283351005310041.post-50246421730583521112021-09-15T14:13:00.001-05:002022-01-01T10:07:57.678-05:00A House of Our Own: A Latinx Literary Column<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.hispanicheritagemonth.gov/files/2019/09/NARA-HHM-homepage.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="650" height="240" src="https://www.hispanicheritagemonth.gov/files/2019/09/NARA-HHM-homepage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-small;">Photo credit: Detail of Hispanic Heritage Select Photos, by David Valdez via https://www.hispanicheritagemonth.gov/</span><div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;">“A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to
write fiction.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;">—Virginia Woolf, <i>A Room of One’s Own</i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><o:p><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;">There is no singular Latinx experience. To assert such would
be to reduce the histories of nations and continents, of imperialism and
genocide, of liberation and expression to one set of eyes, one lifetime, one
breath. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;">Every Latinx person lives a Latinx experience, whether or
not it resembles that of another. Naturally, though, certain similarities arise
among stories written by or about Latinxs, especially where the Latinx diaspora
in the United States is concerned. Themes of exile, longing, (un)belonging, and
isolation create a common thread through many Latinx stories, while differences
in culture, race, and gender bear new iterations of the Latinx identity with
each generation.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;">My story begins in my birthplace, Puerto Rico. Before my
first birthday, my family left the island, settling in South Florida where I
grew up surrounded by other Latinx kids for whom communicating in Spanish was
nothing but natural. The same was true in college in Miami, where students’
conversations were peppered with Spanish phrases and most employees expected
you to address them as <i>“usted”</i> instead of “you.” This constant
confirmation of my <i>Latinidad</i> molded my self-definition; before all else,
I am Boricua, the product of an island inextricable from its language. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;">Even though I lived away from the rest of my family,
frequent visits to my island and confidence in my Spanish assuaged much of the
uncertainty I felt around my cultural identity growing up. In the years since
leaving South Florida, however, I have noticed gaps in my Spanish vocabulary
where there once were none, and this unwelcome discovery has caused me to
question myself. <i>Am I Latina enough?</i> It’s a concern I’ve heard echoed by
other Latinxs in the diaspora, and one which I hope to ease as this column unfolds.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;">“A House of Our Own” is a love letter to Latinx literature.
With an intersectional collection of writings, I hope to tease out the common
narratives that tie each of us to <i>Latinidad</i>. This column will cover writings
in different genres written by Latin American authors who either immigrated to
the U.S. or are the descendants of those who did. With its limited scope of
twelve books, this column is not my attempt to define <i>Latinidad</i> with any
degree of certainty. Rather, I hope to piece these authors’ stories into a
mosaic to which readers can relate, regardless of their cultural identity. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;">Each month, I will post a new book response. The books have
all been released or are slated for release in 2021 and 2022. I hope to
interview as many of the authors as possible and incorporate their words into
my writing. The tentative reading list is as follows:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><o:p><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></o:p></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><o:p><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;">2021<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;">October:<i> Variations on the Body</i> by Maria Ospina<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;">November: <i>Dreaming of You</i> by Melissa Lozada-Oliva<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;">December: <i>Gordo: Stories</i> by Jaime Cortez <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;">2022<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;">January: <i>We Are Owed</i> by Ariana Brown<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;">February: <i>Wild Tongues Can't be Tamed</i> by Saraciea J.
Fennell<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;">March: <i>x/ex/exis</i> by Racquel Salas Rivera<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;">April: <i>Andale Prieta</i> by Yasmin Ramirez<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;">May: <i>Muscle Memory</i> by Kyle Carrero Lopez<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="ES" style="font-family: times; mso-ansi-language: ES;">June: <i>Velorio</i>
by Xavier Navarro Aquino <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;">July: <i>Desgraciado: (the collected letters)</i> by Angel
Dominguez <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;">August: <i>A Woman of Endurance</i> by Dahlma
Llanos-Figueroa<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;">September: <i>The Kissing Bug</i> by Daisy Hernandez<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;">I hope you will take this journey with me, that your own
anxieties about identity will be somewhat eased, and that you find some part of
yourself reflected in these words. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: times;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;"><i>Un abrazo</i>,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;">Brittany</span><o:p></o:p></p></div>Brittany Torres Riverahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17231198248351077877noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348283351005310041.post-63002101721811374952021-08-28T13:16:00.011-05:002021-09-07T00:33:04.137-05:00Introducing Brittany Torres Rivera and more<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEyj02OoNMSW802bsNM8uo2JD31krgtJuKxd24ICgCYNDTLWzpMTYyUzUp3xADBGRqTVPtpI5mukC8lWQrcoh_bzxSGJ1ufWpNeAMphO_-H4fCHxO48GGV9bObShUPo8TcvsMK1z-nh6cW/s992/Headshot.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="992" data-original-width="738" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEyj02OoNMSW802bsNM8uo2JD31krgtJuKxd24ICgCYNDTLWzpMTYyUzUp3xADBGRqTVPtpI5mukC8lWQrcoh_bzxSGJ1ufWpNeAMphO_-H4fCHxO48GGV9bObShUPo8TcvsMK1z-nh6cW/w298-h400/Headshot.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><b> Brittany Torres Rivera</b><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Letras Latinas aspires to create opportunities for Latinx
writers to shine—particularly new and emerging voices. But carrying out these gestures
wouldn’t be possible without the cooperation of the wider literary community. For
example, <b>Richard Blanco</b> reached out recently to introduce me to a former
student who’d just completed her degree at Florida International University. She
was seeking to work in Latinx letters as an intern somewhere. Perhaps, he thought,
Letras Latinas might have a few leads. After a couple of e-mails with Richard's former student, a fruitful,
sprawling conversation on ZOOM took place. The result: the idea for a book
column—here at </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Letras
Latinas Blog<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">. She had shared with me some
samples of creative and critical work she’d produced while at FIU, and I was
sold. </i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Brittany Torres Rivera will say more about her
column in a couple of weeks or so. But first, I thought to ask her three
questions as a way of introducing her to our readers. My thanks to Richard Blanco
for making this possible, in more ways than one. —FA</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">First of all, thank you so much,
Brittany, for agreeing to take a few questions—not only about your poetry, but
also writing and literature in general. Let me start by asking if you could
briefly share with us the evolution of your passion for books. What was the spark,
and how did that spark evolve? Was the passion for your own writing
concurrent, or did that come later? In short, what’s your origin story as a
writer?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As with most people who enjoy
reading, my love of being transported to another world began in my childhood.
Each time a book ended I felt a sense of loss. I always wanted more. I felt
that same spark with other forms of art, so I would characterize my passion for
books as a passion for storytelling. Its evolution, then, took many
forms, not all of which were strictly book-related. For example,
I grew obsessed with movies to the point where I kept a running list of my
favorite characters. These characters were confused or troubled or
changing and they all had something to discover. Around the same time, I
began looking for ways to come to my own discoveries. I was in middle school
when I wrote my first real poem, and after that I would write whenever I felt
drawn to an idea, a metaphor, an image. It wasn't until high school, though,
that I began to take my hobby more seriously. I would often talk to my English
teacher about poetry and music and one day he asked me why I didn't pursue
writing in college. At this point I was about sixteen and my plan was to study
medicine. It hadn't occurred to me that reading and writing and creativity
could be more than something I did for fun. This was a pivotal moment and it
marked the beginning of my creative career. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’ve had the pleasure of reading a
sampling not only of your own poetry, but also your writing about poetry—let’s
say, as a budding critic. Could you talk a bit about what it’s like writing in
these two modes. In other words, could you compare and contrast these two
writing practices—as it pertains to your own writing practice?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Writing poetry is putting sand
together until it makes a castle, and writing about poetry is trying to
understand each grain. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When I write poetry, I start with a
feeling, a moment, a pile of sand and some water I want to expand on until it
feels larger than it used to. Then I find ways to sharpen, add details and
devices that accentuate its shape-- the drawbridge, the sconces, the
seawater moat that turn a sand house into a sand castle. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When I write about poetry, I often
start with a pretty solid idea of what the poems are. Then it's about building
a case, finding evidence of the poet's hand in the work that supports my
thoughts. The great thing about poetry, though, is that every reader can
assemble this evidence toward a different conclusion. I might see a gargoyle
where another reader sees a security camera, evidence to support their
assertion that it is not a medieval sand castle but instead a present-day sand
mansion.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In this way, both acts are acts of
creation-- making something out of grains of sand and hoping it sticks together.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
<b>This brief introduction of you to our readers will serve as an introduction
to the book column you’ll be inaugurating soon for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Letras Latinas Blog</i>. Could you share with our readers how you
arrived at the twelve titles you’ll be reflecting on, and what your hopes are
for the column—not only as it pertains to your own development as a literary
artist, but also what you hope to convey to our readers?</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">These twelve titles are my best
attempt at representing Latinx stories in all their diversity. I looked for
books from 2021 and 2022 that represent the variety of experiences that
comprise Latinidad regardless of their genre or popularity. The authors are
from different cultures, races, generations, and artistic traditions, so the
works represent a small taste of all that Latinx art has to offer. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Reading the work of Latinx authors,
I have found myself represented again and again, not only because I am Latina
but also because I am a person looking for a place in the world, within myself,
and among the grains of sand that I want to make into more. My hope is that
this column introduces readers to stories they have never known or stories they
have needed all their lives. I want to show readers characters they'll add to
their lists of obsessions and books they'll be sad to finish.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For myself, this will be the first
time I take on literary writing on this scale, so I look forward to discovering
something new. I plan on applying my knowledge of creative writing as I
experiment in this form and I hope readers will be excited and along for the
ride.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Brittany Torres Rivera</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> is a Puerto Rican writer whose work deals with
culture, family, and (un)belonging. She has a BA in English with a
concentration in Creative Writing from Florida International University and
lives in Orlando, FL</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style>Francisco Aragónhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17324802869512989420noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3348283351005310041.post-53534030752807485422020-08-14T20:36:00.010-05:002020-08-16T23:58:04.141-05:00SAVE THE DATE: Tuesday, August 18<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <b><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif; font-size: 18pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">One Poem: A Protest Reading in</span></b></p><b>
</b><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif; font-size: 18pt;">Support of Black Lives</span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif; font-size: 18pt;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFvA9i_Qisx8-oW4hSSlihwKFzVqNPxZ5npqIxPHaU5SEzLQWKSND0uQOuvd4ZlPyzYJKV9Q_OgL9zgU-6NJyOs7hene9bUaz4hqxvclWzpR8uhVZfvp1QuMYeyksuGxns4qlWazZpCZpH/s1633/event-cover-5714.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1633" data-original-width="800" height="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFvA9i_Qisx8-oW4hSSlihwKFzVqNPxZ5npqIxPHaU5SEzLQWKSND0uQOuvd4ZlPyzYJKV9Q_OgL9zgU-6NJyOs7hene9bUaz4hqxvclWzpR8uhVZfvp1QuMYeyksuGxns4qlWazZpCZpH/w491-h1000/event-cover-5714.jpg" width="491" /></a></b></div><b><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif; font-size: 18pt;"> </span></b><b></b><b><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"></span></b><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;">The founding
members of the Poetry Coalition, a network of 25+ poetry organizations from
across the United States, are honored to present <a href="https://linktr.ee/onepoem"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">One Poem: A Protest Reading in Support of Black Lives on Tuesday,August 18 at 8 PM EST</b></a> via live broadcast. In this nationwide reading
curated by the coalition, a poet invited by each founding member organization
will share a poem in support of Black lives.</span>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;">Letras Latinas,
the literary initiative at the University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Latino
Studies, has invited <a href="https://emmatrelles.com/"><b>Emma Trelles</b> </a>to perform her poem, “How We Lived.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3M3v_RLM05OvZyRWqpUCunUQAumJC-MY0iNbbK-H47ZehKKih8ruxYNUOU4_CqRaYY8RjyRGRLkod9E2ehi-sdStQrD3UbKP4lfn98M9NcKa-Eyq3VfQ2kN9JMEOgKHDJS8FlZ91_GWeS/s301/Emma+Trelles.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="301" data-original-width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3M3v_RLM05OvZyRWqpUCunUQAumJC-MY0iNbbK-H47ZehKKih8ruxYNUOU4_CqRaYY8RjyRGRLkod9E2ehi-sdStQrD3UbKP4lfn98M9NcKa-Eyq3VfQ2kN9JMEOgKHDJS8FlZ91_GWeS/s0/Emma+Trelles.jpg" /></a></div> <p></p><a href="https://emmatrelles.com/"><b><span face="" style="color: black; font-family: "georgia", serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Emma Trelles </span></b></a><span face="" style="color: black; font-family: "georgia", serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">is the
daughter of Cuban immigrants and the author of <i>Tropicalia </i>(University
of Notre Dame Press), winner of the Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize, a
finalist for Foreword/Indies poetry book of the year, and a recommended read
by <i>The Rumpus</i>. She is currently writing a second book of
poems, <i>Courage and the Clock</i>. Her work has been
anthologized in <i>Verse Daily</i>, <i>Best American Poetry</i>, <i>Best
of the Net</i>, <i>Political Punch: Contemporary Poems on the Politics of
Identity</i>, and others. Recent poems appear or are
forthcoming in the Poetry Coalition’s "One Poem: A Protest Reading in
Support of Black Lives"; the <i>Santa Barbara Literary Journal; </i>the
<i>South Florida Poetry Journa</i>l;<i> </i></span><i><span face="" style="color: black; font-family: "georgia", serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">SWWIM</span></i><span face="" style="color: black; font-family: "georgia", serif; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">; <i>Zócalo
Public Square; </i>the <i>Colorado Review;</i> and <i>Spillway</i>. A
CantoMundo Fellow and a recipient of an Individual Artist Fellowship from the
Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, she lived and worked for many years as an
arts journalist in South Florida and now lives with her husband in
California, where she teaches at Santa Barbara City College and curates the
Mission Poetry</span><span face="" style="color: black; font-family: "georgia", serif; font-size: 13pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> </span>
<p class="MsoNormal"><style>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;">Full Roster of Poets </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;">Prisca Afantchao </span>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;">Sojourner Ahebee </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;">Kazim Ali </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;">Kimberly Blaeser </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;">Jericho Brown </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;">Meera Dasgupta </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;">Kwame Dawes </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;">Tongo Eisen-Martin
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;">Safia Elhillo </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;">Martín Espada</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;">Sesshu Foster </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;">Kimberly Jae </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;">Raina J. León </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;">Mwatabu S. Okantah
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;">Alberto Ríos </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;">Terisa Siagatonu </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;">Matthew Thompson </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;">Emma Trelles </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;">Nikki Wallschlaeger
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;">Monica Youn </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;">avery r. young</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;">This virtual event
is free. Attendees will have the opportunity to contribute funds to support
organizations nationwide working against injustice.</span>
</p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"> </span><a href="https://www.crowdcast.io/e/OnePoem"><b><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif; font-size: 14pt;">RSVP for One Poem: A Protest Reading in Support of Black Lives</span></b></a></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"> </span></p><b><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif; font-size: 14pt;">About
the Poetry Coalition</span></b>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face="" style="font-family: "georgia", serif;"><a href="https://poets.org/academy-american-poets/poetry-coalition"><b>The Poetry Coalition</b></a> is a national alliance of more than 25 organization dedicated to
working together to promote the value poets bring to our culture and the
important contribution poetry makes in the lives of people of all ages and
backgrounds. Members are nonprofit organizations whose primary mission is to
promote poets and poetry, and/or multi-genre literary organizations that serve
poets with disabilities and of specific racial, ethnic, or gender identities,
backgrounds, or communities. All members present poets at live events. Each
March, members present programming across the country on a theme of social importance.
The Poetry Coalition is coordinated by the Academy of American Poets and we are
grateful to the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for its support of this work.</span></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Francisco Aragónhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17324802869512989420noreply@blogger.com0