#LeticiaUrieta

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From Front Porch Journal’s Issu 33, blog editor Leticia Urieta reviews the translation of 18th century poet Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz’s lost book of poetry, Enigmas, and her conversation with translator and poet Stalina Emmanuelle Villareal about the translation process. 

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Conversations at AWP 2017 by blog editor Leticia A. Urieta

The Association of Writers and Writing Programs Conference is a microcosm of the national and international writing and publishing community, where hundreds of writers, publishers, educators and administrators convene in one city for four days and engage in a communal celebration of and conversation about the nature of writing. This year, the AWP conference was held in Washington D.C. and this made all the difference.

I should explain that this was my first time attending AWP, and I went into the experience primed by the charged environment of where we were and what I might experience. I was staying with friends and colleagues who had attended other AWP’s, and so I was given much conflicting advice: enjoy the panels, don’t go to the panels they are a waste of time, attend off site events, the readings are the best, etc. I also had to be cognizant of my scheduled time at the bookfair representing Front Porch Journal. When I downloaded the app the AWP provides to plan your schedule, I was a bit overzealous, like a young Hermione Granger attempting to attend too many classes; since I didn’t have a Time Turner, I would have to split my time as best I could between the bookfair, panels, readings and time with friends who I had the privilege of seeing because we were meeting in this city for these few days.

If I could summarize the conference into one word (besides more colorful words that my friends were using after a few nights of drinking), it would be resistance.

As I said, we were in the capital of our nation, where our president was signing contentious and discriminatory executive orders whose effects were taking place around us. While at the conference, part of me wanted to avoid social media, lock myself in this bubble of literary dreams to hear writers and poets like Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie speak about her novel or hear the quiet, hypersensitive voice of Ocean Vuong as he read his poetry like I’ve never heard anyone read before. It was invigorating to be around and amongst these talents, some I knew and some I was meeting for the first time, and gave me energy to want to return to my own thesis work, now at the end of my final semester in the Texas State MFA. Then I would get on Facebook and see the ICE raids occurring back home, threatening friends and youth in the community that I served. I couldn’t help but feel a certain amount of guilt and need to perform some form of resistance while I was here, to take some action that would mean something before I left the birthplace of so much fear and division in our country.

As I wandered the Bookfair and attended panels centered around race, language and identity as these facets of ourselves shape our relationship to our writing and to other writers, I saw people wearing black buttons with ‘Resist” written in bold white ink. I saw women wearing “Black Lives Matter” t-shirts and rainbow flags sewn to their coats. All around me, resistance was occurring in a multitude of forms, from the reading of political, angry, passionate poetry from Terrance Hayes, to the conversations taking place. At several points during the conference, there were overt acts of resistance to the current political regime, from several writers creating a “wall” during the bookfair (which I participated in) to inconvenience those trying to pass, as well as readings and candlelight vigils around the capital that made statements-this may be normal, but this is not OK. What was especially interesting, however, was that it seemed that the word “resistance,” meant very different things to different people. During our brief “human wall” demonstration, several people scoffed and complained that we were blocking their way to certain booths at the bookfair, to which we responded that that was exactly the point. It seemed that people who espouse the ideals of resistance, and continuously call for us to avoid normalizing the Trump administration, were in fact resistant to being criticized or made to feel uncomfortable for even a few minutes of their day. The dream bubble of AWP isolation was bursting before their eyes, and they didn’t like it.

Another resistance I discovered, and enjoyed, was people’s resistance to labelling themselves with binaries of genre, language, identity and even style. During my time at the bookfair, I had so many wonderful conversations with people who responded to our questions about what they wrote when they said “everything.” Having had the experience of people trying to label me and my work in binary terms, as fiction, or poetry, as real, or fantasy, as white, or latina, I loved finding kindred spirits who, despite the publishing industry's insistence that branding oneself means reducing yourself to one thing, were embracing hybridity, versatility and even the political act of affirming their very existence through their art. I attended a panel led by mixed writers, and took away so many quotes to live my life by as a mixed woman, including one reminder that stood out: “Insist upon the integrity of your work.”

During my last night in D.C. I went to eat with friends. At the dinner table, I asked a question I had considered before, but never voiced: What is the difference between a writer and an author? The responses varied-some said that writers worked, while authors were already published. Some said that the terms were interchangeable. I argued that there was a level of ethos associated with the term “author,” and that this ethos opened doors for authors to do more work and have a defined platform in the writing community. A poet acquaintance pointed out that you don’t have to be published to be active in the community. Even here, there was a resistance of definitions and delineations because, as traditionally marginalized writers, we all knew that the work for us would never be done. After hearing responses from friends and new writers I met, it was obvious to me that the act of writing is a conversation with the literary communities that form us. With so many of embarking into new and unknown territory, because we are graduating from MFA programs, or because we are beginning new community and artistic projects, we are looking for our places in a social landscape that is often in disagreement.

Sitting here at the airport waiting for my flight home, I am OK with the fact that I didn’t go to any museums or visit any landmarks while I was here. That will be another trip. I am OK that I didn’t go to all the panels and readings that I wanted. The body and spirit are both invigorated and exhausted after a conference that requires so much travel and creative energy. In the end, I am simply grateful to have been a part of a conversation.

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Editor’s recommendations

Here are a few publications that our Front Porch Journal editors recommend for submissions after their time at the AWP 2017 book fair:

Blog editor, Leticia Urieta- 

I got the chance to meet the editor of Origins Magazine at the Latinx caucus and she told me a bit about the publication. It is an online and print journal with a focus on publishing new, different and emerging voices, as well as highlighting some well-known folks. While this is not a Latinx only publication, it is welcoming of writers of color to highlight marginalized voices. 

Poetry Editor, Margaret Griffitts- 

One of my favorite tables I came across was The Gorilla Press, which publishes full-length manuscripts, chapbooks, pocket zines, and an online journal, Troop. They publish collections that push the boundaries of form, blend genres, and value ferocity over poetic politeness. A collection I picked up that I’m most excited about (and is perfect for Valentine’s Day) is Nec(Romantic)by Cathleen Chambliss who collaborates with visual artist Erin Money to accompany her poems that manage grief, love, politics, and addiction. In the middle of her book, look out for tarot cards and enchanting artwork that pushes against oppressive Eurocentric standards of beauty by showcasing the diversity of female bodies. It’s a collection that holds you by the throat and then kisses you. Support small presses and pick up a copy today. 

Social Media Editor, Marilyse Figueroa-

I talked to Lawrence Shimel with Midsummer Night’s Press. He was at the Latinx Caucus and handed out those Latinx publishing opportunities flyers. He writes in Spanish and gave me great advice about where to send my Xican@/Queer writing like Rio Grande Review and Raspa Magazine.

Managing Editor Phil Mandel-

I was really impressed with F(r)iction Magazine, with their beautiful combination of great writing and artwork. And their "parent" company, Tethered by Letters, is a good cause: "Tethered by Letters is passionate about educating budding authors and increasing literacy rates across the globe. We run several FREE programs to help cultivate the next generation of great literature: For more, visit our Education or Writing Resource Center."

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Weekly Round-up May 1st-May 5th

A new month is here, filled with graduations for MFA students and opportunities for summer travel and adventures. Ramiro Hinojosa discussed his hopes for his future after the MFA in his blog post “Endings“ on Monday. 

From Aerogramme Studio, here are some publishing opportunities for May and June to make your summer productive while you’re relaxing by the pool or binge watching newly released Netflix series.

As your blog editor, it has been my privilege to highlight the work that Front Porch Journal does, how we are innovating and what we are reading/writing. Now that my tenure this year is over, and I am graduating and preparing to find my own place post-graduation, I want to say thank you for reading and I want to welcome our new Front Porch blog editor who will be bring new content innovations to our interface. There are exciting new social media projects in the works, so stay tuned. -Leticia 

What are your plans for the summer? 

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Weekly Roundup April 24th-28th

To say goodbye to National Poetry Month, here are some links and events that we are celebrating this week:

A reminder that the weekend celebration of Sandra Cisneros is taking place all weekend. Our blog post contributor and graduating MFA student Bonnie Cisneros, whose blog post on Chingona Fest SA we shared earlier this week, will be one of the four writers and poets from the Texas State MFA program who will read at the event Saturday night in San Antonio at La Botanica bar and restaurant. Follow the link for more details if you are in the area and can come out to support these poets and their work. 

To read: a new poem by poet Rosebud Ben-Oni featured at the Iowa Review. 

Looking for more poets to read? The Poetry Foundation has compiled a list of African American poets and poets of the African Diaspora, both classic and contemporary, as a resource for poets and educators. Check the link out now!

To end the month, we ask our followers and viewers to please share with us: What has been your favorite poem or collection you’ve read this month?

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Weekly Roundup March 27th-March 31st

For our last week ruminating on the many forms of literary translation and how our work and stories translate to the page, here are some events to put on your radar and end your week:

Looking for something to fill the weekend of April 8th? Live in Texas? Interested in meeting local authors and having fun in downtown San Antonio? Saturday, April 8th is the 5th Annual San Antonio Book Festival! Come on over and enjoy the literary fun for all ages. If you know of any young writers ages 13-21 who are interested in a free writing workshop, have them register for the Barrio Writers 1 hour workshop, led by Leticia Urieta, FP blog editor. 

Author, professor and activist Dr. Angela Davis will speak Friday, March 31st from 3-5pm in an open conversation in the Evans Auditorium at Texas State University in San Marcos, TX. 

Bestselling author, TV host and activist Janet Mock will also be visiting Texas State University campus on Wednesday, April 5th from 7-8pm in the LBJ Student Center Teaching Theater. This event is free and open to the public, so if you have access to Texas State campus that day, what are you waiting for? Put it on your calendar now for this must see event. 

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Letting Myself, and My Writing, Off the Hook

By Leticia Urieta

As a writer, there is something quite paralyzing when personal guilt sets in. “I’ve been too busy to do…”, “I haven’t revised that story,” “I should get back to” project x, y and z. We are living lives fraught with obstacles to our writing: full time jobs, families, multiple projects, an array of never ending factors that, while wonderful, are keeping us from getting words on the page. This guilt at falling behind compounds, and suddenly the paralysis becomes an excuse to stay away from this project or that one until you, “really have something to say.” This, of course, will never happen because there is rarely an opportune time to write. Few of us have the luxury of sitting down at a well-lit desk, free of clutter, with a warm beverage and a picaresque view to pen the next beautiful sentence of our story. Who has that much time and comfort at their disposal? When you finally do have a moment or two of uninterrupted time, suddenly, avoidance sets in because you’ve been away too long. I know that I am in avoidance mode when I decide it is time to deep clean the house or take my two rambunctious dogs for a walk rather than face my own lack of progress.

To avoid the guilt of an overscheduled life, I’ve begun to break my writing time into chunks. This is not a new or revolutionary idea for a writer, but it has brought my blood pressure down and allowed me small successes throughout the day rather than grappling with the constant feelings of failure when a day passes, and I haven’t written a word.  In the fifteen or twenty minutes I take to eat breakfast, before my commute, I whip out my notebook and spend this precious time writing, simply writing. Whether I write a short poem or a new short story that has been ruminating in the back of my mind, or even continue writing a scene I had started the previous day, my words are recorded into tangible existence where they never were before. This simple act of creation, even if it comes to nothing beyond another page tucked away in my notebook, brings the story out of me and gives it room to breathe.

These small breaks throughout the day, when I escape the fluorescent lights of my office to walk outside, or the moments sitting in my car before I go home, are the moments to jot something down, so that, at the end of the day, I can say that I made something. There is euphoria in these small bursts uninterrupted time when my hand flashes across the page, the words new and exciting. This feeling of immediate creation is difficult to replicate. It is an act for me. It sustains me in a life of constant motion that constantly takes from me and allows me to give something back to myself.