Label Me Latina/o Fall 2020 Volume 10

September 17, 2020 edited by Label Me Latina/o
Filed under: Fall, Volume 10 (2020) 

Scholarly Essay

‘Strand-ed:’ Interrogating the Shame of the Afro-Dominican Female Body in Elizabeth Acevedo’s ‘Hair’ and ‘Afro-Latina’

By K.C. Barrientos

K.C. Barrientos is a PhD student and Presidential Fellow in Spanish and Portuguese Languages and Literatures, and a Kellogg Institute Doctoral Student Affiliate at the University of Notre Dame. She holds a BA and MA in Hispanic Literature and Latin American & Caribbean Studies (LACS), summa cum laude, from the University at Albany in New York. Her research centers on decolonial studies, bodies of color, and cultural space in Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Brazilian and Afro-Latino literature of modern and contemporary eras. She also analyzes the depiction of human rights violations and spatial invasion of indigenous communities in Central American literature. Above all, K.C. is interested in how the poetry of these regions collectively paints the assertion of cultural identities in the midst of a postcolonial world. When she is not occupied with her academic pursuits, KC also writes her own fiction and poetry, and plays, sings, and composes music.

Una mujer de su(s) palabra(s): Julia Alvarez’s Attempt at Racial Reconciliation Through Poetic Self-Translation

By Jana F. Gutiérrez-Kerns

Jana F. Gutiérrez Kerns specializes in 19th-21st century Spanish American and LatinX poetry, literary translation and creative expression. She is a past recipient of the Feministas Unidas essay prize and is heavily involved in civic engagement with her translation and interpreting students at Auburn University. Her essay exploring the “queer urban geotext” of Federico García Lorca and Francisco Aragón will appear in a transatlantic/transcultural volume edited by Lori Celaya and Sonja Stephenson Watson. She recently has presented talks on transcreative approaches to Rubén Darío’s poetry and musical imagery in Soundtrack by Costa Rica’s Felipe Granados. Currently she is embarking on a long-term project involving literary criticism and translation of works by Cuba’s Odette Alonso.

Creative Non-fiction

Licha: Anécdotas de Una Mujer Guerrerense

By Marili Alvarado

Marili Alvarado is a Mexican-American education advocate born in Florida and raised in North Carolina. She has earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queens University of Charlotte and a Master of Arts degree from Durham University in England. Marili is expected to graduate with a Doctor of Education degree from the University of Florida in 2022. Research interests focus on education equity via financial support systems and post-secondary education opportunities for Latinx and undocumented students. Marili’s work experience covers international and multicultural settings in different sectors including education. Currently, Marili is working for the family business in the real-estate and jewelry retail sectors.

Short Story

Cherán de las luciérnagas

By Estela González

Estela González is a Professor of Luso-Hispanic Studies at Middlebury College where she teaches fiction and nonfiction, Latin American and Latino narrative, and all levels of Spanish language. She writes in English and Spanish about the liminal lives of vulnerable creatures: endangered species, LGBT individuals, and those whose skin color or culture are seen as less. Her work has appeared in the Barcelona Review, Cobalt, Revista Cronopio, Flyway, Luvina, Kudzu House, the Under the Volcano anthology, Revista de Literatura Mexicana Contemporánea, Salon, Solstice, and the Vermont Public Radio Commentary Series. She is currently seeking representation for her novel and screenplay ARRIBADA. “Cherán de las luciérnagas” is inspired by the Mexican town of Cherán’s 2011 uprising and expulsion of the loggers that had decimated its forest. Subsequently, the people of Cherán established an autonomous government based on indigenous traditions and sanctioned by the Mexican Supreme Court, bringing with it peace and the chance to steward the landscape that sustains them all.

¿Amor, pasión o qué?

By Ana Cecilia Lara

Ana Cecilia Lara was born in El Salvador. She received her Doctoral degree from Middlebury College, DML in Spanish and Italian. Her two areas of specialization are Cultural Studies and Spanish-American Literature, and Methods of Teaching World Languages (Spanish) and Second Languages Acquisition. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of English, Theatre, and Foreign Languages at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. Currently, she is the Director of Foreign Languages Program, and Coordinator of the Spanish Teacher Licensure (K-12). She is the author of the book Huellas de la guerra y la violencia en la literatura contemporánea salvadoreña (2019). Her research has also focused on finding educational tools that motivate students in the language learning process

Poetry

It is I, the Immigrant

By Elizabeth Jiménez Montelongo

Elizabeth Jiménez Montelongo is a visual artist, poet, and teacher based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her writing is influenced by her indigenous Mesoamerican ancestry, Mexika (Aztec) philosophy, Mexican culture, Chicano history, and her experiences as a woman in the United States. Her poetry is included, and forthcoming, in literary magazines and anthologies. Elizabeth’s visual artwork has been included in over fifty exhibitions in galleries and museums across the United States. www.ejmontelongo.com/poetry

Deniers

By Brandy Del Río

Brandy Del Río is a writer and aspiring activist. With a love for her Mexican-American heritage, she enjoys delving into the bifurcated identity that she grew up immersed in and recognizes how important it is to talk about these issues now more than ever. She has a passion for bringing to light many of the unspoken truths about herself and the experience of many women like her. She intends to use her writing to speak about the topics we shy away from in society

#2

From the collection La sombra del almendro   

By José Figueroa Díaz

José Figueroa Díaz is from Tegucigalpa, Honduras. He has a BA in Literature from Universidad Autónoma de Honduras and an MA degree in Spanish from the University of Cincinnati. He has worked as a teacher for the Spanish Department in Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras (UNAH). His main area of interest is Central American Literature, focusing especially on Honduran literature. He also is a keen enthusiast of multimedia formats as a basis for humanities related topics.

 

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