CantoMundo is an American

literary Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to includ ...

organization founded in 2009 to support Latino poets and poetry. It hosts an annual poetry workshop dedicated to the creation, documentation, and critical analysis of Latinx poetry.

History

CantoMundo was founded in 2009 in San Antonio, Texas when

Norma Elia Cantú Norma Elia Cantú (born January 3, 1947) is a Chicana postmodernist writer and the Murchison Professor in the Humanities at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. Early life and education She was born in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, ...

, Celeste Guzman Mendoza, Pablo Miguel Martínez, Deborah Paredez, and Carmen Tafolla, inspired by the Cave Canem workshops for African-American poets, organized a workshop for Latino writers. The first workshop was held at the

National Hispanic Cultural Center The National Hispanic Cultural Center is an institution in Albuquerque, New Mexico dedicated to Hispanic culture, arts and humanities. The campus spans 20 acres and is located along the Rio Grande in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Avenida César Ch� ...

in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 2010. From 2011 to 2016 the workshops were held at the University of Texas, Austin. From 2017 to 2019

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manha ...

, in New York City served as home for the program and workshops."Poetry Friday: CantoMundo Retreat in NYC" by Ysabel Gonzalez, June 30, 2017 ''Dodge Blog'' http://blog.grdodge.org/2017/06/30/poetry-friday-cantomundo-retreat-in-nyc/ In August 2019, the University of Arizona Poetry Center formally announced a three-year partnership to host the CantoMundo workshops in Tucson, Arizona beginning in 2020."UA Poetry Center Partners with CantoMundo" by Sarah Gzemski August 20, 2019 https://poetry.arizona.edu/blog/ua-poetry-center-partners-cantomundo CantoMundo is one of over 25 members of the Poetry Coalition, an alliance of nonprofit organizations that aim to promote poetry that is coordinated by the

Academy of American Poets The Academy of American Poets is a national, member-supported organization that promotes poets and the art of poetry. The nonprofit organization was incorporated in the state of New York (state), New York in 1934. It fosters the readership of poetr ...

. In January 2019, the Academy of American Poets allocated a portion of a $2.2 million endowment from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to the Poetry Coalition, some of which went to CantoMundo.

Writing conference

During the four day writing conference, fellows are divided into two groups of 12-15 poets that engage in workshops with invited faculty members, attend keynote lectures, and participate in panel discussions. During the weekend, fellows also have the opportunity to share their work in front of an audience at the Friday and Saturday night readings which are free and open to the general public. Readings are sponsored by Columbia University's Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity and the Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Barnard College, and the Office of the Dean of Social Science in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Workshop faculty

* 2010: Martín Espada and Demetria Martínez. Keynote by Toi Derricotte * 2011: Naomi Ayala and

Benjamin Alire Sáenz Benjamin Alire Sáenz (born August 16, 1954) is an American poet, novelist, and writer of children's books. Early life and education Sáenz was raised near Las Cruces, New Mexico. He earned a BA in Humanities and Philosophy from St. Thomas Semi ...

. Keynote by Vikas Menon * 2012:

Aracelis Girmay Aracelis Girmay (born December 10, 1977) is an American poet. She is the author of three poetry collections, including ''Kingdom Animalia'' (2011), a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry. She is also Assistant Professor ...

& Roberto Tejada. Keynote by

E. Ethelbert Miller Eugene Ethelbert Miller, best known as E. Ethelbert Miller (born November 20, 1950), is an African-American poet, teacher and literary activist, based in Washington, DC.Hayley Garrison Phillips"Local Legend E. Ethelbert Miller Isn't Going Anywher ...

* 2013:

Valerie Martinez Valerie may refer to: People * Saint Valerie (disambiguation), a number of saints went by the name Valerie * Valerie (given name), a feminine given name Songs *"Valerie", a 1981 song by Quarterflash, from ''Quarterflash'' *"Valerie", a 1982 s ...

& Willie Perdomo. Keynote by Natalie Handal * 2014:

Rafael Campo Rafael Juan Campo y Pomar (24 October 1813 – 1 March 1890) was President of El Salvador 12 February 1856 – 1 February 1858.

Lorna Dee Cervantes Lorna Dee Cervantes (born August 6, 1954) is an American poet and activist, who is considered one of the greatest figures in Chicano poetry. She has been described by Alurista, as "probably the best Chicana poet active today." Early life C ...

. Keynote by

Sherwin Bitsui Sherwin Bitsui is a Navajo writer and poet. His book, ''Flood Song'', won the American Book Award and the PEN Open Book Award. Life and Education Bitsui was born in 1974. He is originally from Whitecone, Arizona. He is Navajo people, Navajo; his ...

* 2015: Sandra María Esteves. Keynote by

Tim'm West Timothy Terrell West (born July 6, 1972), better known as Tim'm T. West, is an American educator and multi-discipline performance artist, author, hip hop recording artist, poet, activist, and youth advocate.Wilson, D. Mark. "Post-pomo hip-hop homo ...

* 2016: Juan Felipe Herrera & Carmen Tafolla. Keynote by Natasha Trethewey * 2017: Rosa Alcalá & Rigoberto González. * 2018:

Daniel Borzutzky Daniel Borzutzky is a Chicago-based poet and translator. His collection ''The Performance of Becoming Human'' won the 2016 National Book Award. The son of Chilean immigrants, Borzutzky's work often addresses immigration, worker exploitation, pol ...

Ada Limon Ada may refer to: Places Africa * Ada Foah, a town in Ghana * Ada (Ghana parliament constituency) * Ada, Osun, a town in Nigeria Asia * Ada, Urmia, a village in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Ada, Karaman, a village in Karaman Province, Tur ...

. Keynote by Douglas Kearney * 2019: Monica De La Torre &

Natalie Diaz Natalie may refer to: People * Natalie (given name) * Natalie (singer) (born 1979), Mexican-American R&B singer/songwriter * Shahan Natalie (1884–1983), Armenian writer and principal organizer of Operation Nemesis Music Albums * ''Nat ...

. Keynote by Patricia Smith * 2020: Brenda Cárdenas & Urayoan Noel.

Current fellows (partial list)

* Amy M. Alvarez * Aldo Amparán * Diannely Antigua * John Manuel Arias * Mario Alejandro Ariza * Oliver Baez Bendorf * Amy Sayre Baptista * Andrea Blancas Beltran * Sara Borjas * M. Soledad Caballero * David Campos * Andrés Cerpa * MK Chavez * Karla Cordero * Cristina Correa * Carina del Valle Schorske * Carolina Ebeid * Joshua Escobar * Lauren Espinoza * Eduardo Gabrieloff * Suzi F. Garcia * Ysabel Y. Gonzalez * Marcelo Hernandez Castillo * Paul Hlava Ceballos * Jen Hofer * Ricardo Maldonado * Sheila Maldonado * Carlo Matos * Jennifer Maritza McCauley * Jasminne Mendez * Florencia Milito * Michelle Moncayo * Lara Mimosa Montes * Brenda Nettles Riojas * Christina Olivares * José Guadalupe Olivarez * Maryam Ivette Parhizkar * Emily Perez * Zenaida Peterson * Noel Quiñones * Gabriel Ramirez * Reyes Ramirez * Julian Randall * Alexandra Lytton Regalado * Monica Rico * Joseph Rios *

Raquel Salas Rivera Raquel Salas Rivera (born December 26, 1985) is a bilingual Puerto Rican poet who writes in Spanish and English, focusing on the experience of being a migrant to the United States, the colonial status of Puerto Rico, and of identifying as a quee ...

* Leslie Sainz *

Ruth Irupé Sanabria Ruth (or its variants) may refer to: Places France * Château de Ruthie, castle in the commune of Aussurucq in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département of France Switzerland * Ruth, a hamlet in Cologny United States * Ruth, Alabama * Ruth, Ark ...

* Cintia Santana * Roberto Santiago *

Nicole Sealey Nicole Sealey (born 1979) is an American poet who was born in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, and raised in Apopka, Florida, US. She is the former executive director of Cave Canem Foundation. She won the 2015 Drinking Gourd Chapbook Poetry Prize for ' ...

* Yvette Siegert * María Fernanda * Analicia Sotelo * Michael Torres * Emma Trelles * Norma Liliana Valdez * Dan Vera * Rich Villar * Vanessa Angélica Villarreal * Felicia Zamora

Former fellows (partial list)

Millicent Borges Accardi Millicent Borges Accardi is a Portuguese-American poet who lives in California. She has received literary fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Fulbright, CantoMundo, the California Arts Council, Foundation for Contemporary A ...

* Elizabeth Acevedo * Gloria Amescua *

Francisco Aragón Francisco Aragón is a Latino poet, editor and writer. Life Born in San Francisco, California, Aragón's parents migrated from Nicaragua in the 1950s. is a graduate of Archbishop Riordan High School. He studied at the University of Californ ...

* José Angel Araguz * Diego Báez *

Rosebud Ben-Oni Rosebud Ben-oni is a Latina-Jewish American poet and writer known for her "Poet Wrestling with" series and other creative work that mixes lyricism, humor and sometimes pop cultures with high-concept scientific theories. She is the author of sev ...

Marcelo Hernandez Castillo Marcelo Hernandez Castillo, born 1988, is a poet and activist."How poetry helped Marcelo Hernandez Castillo speak out on immigration" by Corinne Segal, ''PBS Newshour'', March 14, 2016 https://www.pbs.org/newshour/poetry/how-poetry-helped-marcel ...

Eduardo C. Corral Eduardo C. Corral is an American poet and MFA Assistant Professor in the Department of English at NC State University. His first collection, ''Slow Lightning'', published by Yale University Press, was the winner of the 2011 Yale Younger Series Po ...

* Anthony Cody * Cynthia Cruz * Barbara Brinson Curiel * Diana Marie Delgado * Michael Luis Dauro * Denice Frohman * Ángel García * Carmen Gimenez Smith *

Laurie Ann Guerrero Laurie Ann Guerrero is a Chicana poet from San Antonio, Texas. She was the poet laureate of San Antonio from 2014 to 2016 and the Poet Laureate of Texas from 2016 to 2017. In the fall semester of 2017, she became the first writer-in-residence ...

* Celeste Guzman Mendoza * Juan Luis Guzmán * Leticia Hernandez-Linares * Ire'ne Lara Silva * Raina León * Manuel Paul López * Sheryl Luna * Carl Marcum * Pablo Miguel Martínez * Florencia Milito * Juan Morales * PaulA Neves * Urayoan Noel * Deborah Paredez * Emmy Pérez * Ruben Quesada * Natalie Scenters-Zapico * Carmen Tafolla * Lauro Vasquez *

Javier Zamora Javier Zamora (born 1990) is a Salvadoran poet and activist. Early life Zamora was born in San Luis La Herradura, El Salvador and immigrated to the United States at the age of nine, joining his parents in California. Education He earned a BA a ...

CantoMundo Poetry Prize

The organization has partnered with the

University of Arkansas Press The University of Arkansas Press is a university press that is part of the University of Arkansas and has been a member of the Association of University Presses since 1984. Its mission is to publish peer-reviewed books and academic journals. It ...

for an annual book prize. Edited by Deborah Paredez and Celeste Guzman, the first judge for the prize is celebrated poet

Rafael Campo Rafael Juan Campo y Pomar (24 October 1813 – 1 March 1890) was President of El Salvador 12 February 1856 – 1 February 1858.

References

External links

CantoMundo Website

CantoMundo page on Columbia
{{Authority control 2009 establishments in Texas American poetry American writers' organizations Arts organizations based in New York City Arts organizations established in 2009 Hispanic and Latino American organizations Hispanic and Latino American literature Poetry organizations