Letras Latinas is the

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 novels, plays, and poems. It includes both print and digital writing. In recent centuries, ...

initiative at the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

's Institute for Latino Studies (ILS), with an office on campus in

South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. It lies along the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. It is the List of cities in ...

, as well as

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

It was founded in 2004 and strives to enhance the visibility, appreciation and study of Latino literature both on and off the campus of the University of Notre Dame, with an emphasis on programs that support newer voices, foster a sense of community among writers, and place Latino writers in community spaces. Letras Latinas is a founding member of the Poetry Coalition, an alliance of organizations working together to promote the values poets bring to culture and the important contribution poetry makes in the lives of people of all ages backgrounds. The founding director of Letras Latinas is

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 California ...

Current programs

Letras Latinas/Red Hen Poetry Series

The Letras Latinas/ Red Hen Poetry Series (formerly Prize) supports the publication of a second or third book by a Latino poet residing in the United States in partnership with

Red Hen Press Red Hen Press is an American non-profit press located in Pasadena, California, and specializing in the publication of poetry, literary fiction, and nonfiction. The press is a member of the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses, and was a fin ...

. The Series now operates as an "Editor's Choice" award, and is curated by

, Letras Latinas' founding Director.

Pintura : palabra

"PINTURA : PALABRA" is a multi-year initiative that encourages new Latino writing inspired by art, above all the

Smithsonian American Art Museum The Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM; formerly the National Museum of American Art) is a museum in Washington, D.C., part of the Smithsonian Institution. Together with its branch museum, the Renwick Gallery, SAAM holds one of the world's lar ...

exhibit
''Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art''
Aspects of the initiative included ekphrastic writing workshops; inviting writers to engage with the exhibit; and partnering with literary journals to publish portfolios of ekphrastic writing. The exhibit debuted its national tour in 2013 and concluded in 2017. The six resulting portfolios are currently part of a book arts project to mark the conclusion of the initiative. They appeared in

Poetry (magazine) ''Poetry'' (founded as ''Poetry: A Magazine of Verse'') has been published in Chicago since 1912. It is one of the leading monthly poetry journals in the English-speaking world. Founded by poet and arts columnist Harriet Monroe, who built it int ...

Poet Lore ''Poet Lore'' is an English-language literary magazine based in Bethesda, Maryland. Established in 1889 by Charlotte Porter and Helen Archibald Clarke, two progressive young Shakespeare scholars who believed in the evolutionary nature of lite ...

, Notre Dame Review,

The Los Angeles Review Red Hen Press is an American non-profit press located in Pasadena, California, and specializing in the publication of poetry, literary fiction, and nonfiction. The press is a member of the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses, and was a fi ...

, The Packinghouse Review, and the

Western Humanities Review The University of Utah (the U, U of U, or simply Utah) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, ...

. Among the poets who contributed are

Juan Felipe Herrera Juan Felipe Herrera (born on December 27, 1948) is an American poet, performer, writer, cartoonist, teacher, and activist. Herrera was the 21st United States Poet Laureate from 2015 to 2017. He is a major figure in the literary field of Chicano ...

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 Ce ...

, and Tino Villanueva.

Akrilica

AKRILICA is a co-publishing venture with

Noemi Press Noemi Press is an Small press, independent, Nonprofit organization, nonprofit, 501(c)(3) publisher. Noemi Press was founded in 2002 to publish and promote the work of emerging and established writers, with a special emphasis on writers traditional ...

which seeks to showcase new innovative Latino writing. The series is named in honor of the groundbreaking, bilingual poetry book published in the eighties by distinguished Chicanx writer

. Books in this series include ''These Days of Candy'' by Manuel Paul Lopez, ''You Ask Me to Talk About the Interior'' by Carolina Ebeid, ''lo teaciario/the tertiary'' by Roque Salas Rivera, and ''Beast Meridian'' by Vanessa Angelica Villarreal, among others.

Letras Latinas oral history project

The project is a collaborative effort with the ILS librarian/archivist and produces video interviews of Latino writers visiting the Notre Dame campus with the aim of making them available as an online resource for students, scholars, and the community at large. Recorded writers include William Archila,

Richard Blanco Richard Blanco (born February 15, 1968) is an American poet, public speaker, author, playwright, and civil engineer. He is the fifth poet to read at a United States presidential inauguration, having read the poem " One Today" for Barack Oba ...

Victor Hernandez Cruz The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

Martín Espada Martín Espada (born 1957) is a Puerto Rican-American poet, and a professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he teaches poetry. Puerto Rico has frequently been featured as a theme in his poems. Life and career Espada was born ...

, Valerie Martinez, Naomi Ayala, Brenda Cárdenas, Salvador Plascencia, Barbara Jane Reyes, Maria Melendez,

Daniel Alarcón Daniel Alarcón (born March 5, 1977, in Lima, Peru) is a Peruvian-American novelist, journalist and radio producer. He is co-founder, host and executive producer of '' Radio Ambulante'', an award-winning Spanish language podcast distributed by NP ...

John Phillip Santos John Phillip Santos (born 1957) is an American freelance filmmaker, producer, journalist, and author. In 1979, he became the first Mexican-American Rhodes Scholar.

, and many others. The archive began in 2006 and numbers 50+ video interviews.

Spotlight on U.S. Hispanic Writers

Spotlight on U.S. Hispanic Writers is a collaboration between Letras Latinas and both the Hispanic Division and Poetry and Literature Center at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

. It features emerging and established American poets and prose writers of Hispanic descent who write predominantly in English. In each audio segment the featured poet or writer participates in a moderated discussion with the curator of the series, Catalina Gomez, as well as reads from his or her work. Writers recorded in the Spotlight series include

Eduardo C. Corral Eduardo C. Corral is an American poet and Associate Professor of English at Washington University in St. Louis. His first collection, ''Slow Lightning'', published by Yale University Press, was the winner of the 2011 Yale Younger Series Poets awa ...

Carmen Giménez Smith ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the Opér ...

Rigoberto González Rigoberto González (born July 18, 1970) is an American writer and book critic. He is an editor and author of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and bilingual children's books, and self-identifies in his writing as a gay Chicano. His most recent projec ...

, and

Valerie Martínez Valerie Martínez (born 1961) is an American poet, writer, educator, arts administrator, consultant, and collaborative artist. She served as the poet laureate of Santa Fe, New Mexico from 2008 to 2010. Life Valerie Martinez was born and raised ...

Letras Latinas Presents

A series of strategic partnerships helps the initiative produce literary programming, both on campus and elsewhere. For example, ''Latino/a Poetry Now'' operated in collaboration with the

Poetry Society of America Poetry (from the Greek word '' poiesis'', "making") is a form of literary art that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meanings in addition to, or in place of, literal or surface-level meanings. Any partic ...

. Other partners include the

, the

Folger Shakespeare Library The Folger Shakespeare Library is an independent research library on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., United States. It has the world's largest collection of the printed works of William Shakespeare, and is a primary repository for rare materia ...

and the

Poetry Foundation The Poetry Foundation is a United States literary society that seeks to promote poetry and lyricism in the wider culture. It was formed from ''Poetry'' magazine, which it continues to publish, with a 2003 gift of $200 million from philanthrop ...

in Chicago, Illinois.

Letras Latinas Blog 2

A relaunch of its prior iteration, ''Letras Latins Blog 2'' publishes author spotlights, interviews, book round-ups, and in-depth poetry book reviews, among other articles related to contemporary Latinx writing. It was relaunched in 2022 upon receiving a grant from the

. Its contributing editors include

, Diego Báez, Brittany Torres Rivera, and Sofía M. Villamil DuránIts. Its managing editors are poets Brent Ameneyro and Laura Villareal.

Concluded programs

The John K. Walsh Mentorship Essays, named after Notre Dame alum (‘61) and distinguished hispanista, John K. Walsh (1939 – 1990), is an online series hosted by ORIGINS literary journal that recognizes and highlights the indelible role mentors play in the lives of emerging Latino writers.

John K. Walsh Residency Fellowship (originally the Letras Latinas Residency Fellowship)

This program, which has concluded, funded a Latino writer's one-month residency at the Anderson Center in

Red Wing, Minnesota Red Wing is a city in and the county seat of Goodhue County, Minnesota, United States, along the upper Mississippi River. The population was 16,547 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is part of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropo ...

. It was for writers working on a first full-length book. (2008 -2015)

Poetas y Pintores: Artists Conversing with Verse

A multidisciplinary initiative that paired twelve Latino and Latina artists with twelve Latino and Latina poets, Poetas y Pintores was a traveling exhibition that landed in New York, NY, Los Angeles, CA, San Diego, CA, Michigan City, IN, Albuquerque, NM, and Logan, UT in addition to Saint Mary's College in Indiana where the project was launched in January 2006. A joint effort with the Center for Women's InterCultural Leadership (CWIL) at Saint Mary's, the project was funded, in part, by the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...

(NEA). (2006 – 2009)

The Wind Shifts: New Latino Poetry ON TOUR

With funding from the National Association of Latino Art and Culture (NALAC), the

Missouri Arts Council The Missouri Arts Council is a division of the Office of the Lieutenant Governor. The Council is funded through the Missouri General Assembly, Missouri Cultural Trust, and National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts ( ...

, and

(NEA), and the logistical partnership of Guild Complex, Letras Latinas carried out a seven-city two-year tour featuring the authors in ''The Wind Shifts: New Latino Poetry'' (University of Arizona Press, 2007). The destinations were: Palm Beach, FL, Minneapolis, MN, Seattle, WA, Berkeley, CA, Chicago, IL, Kansas City, MO, and New York, NY. The award-winning volume was edited by Francisco Aragón, who directs Letras Latinas. The Wind Shifts Tour (2008, 2009)

Palabra Pura

A partnership with the Guild Complex (2006 – 2012), a community-based literary organization in Chicago, Palabra Pura is a Letras Latinas outreach program whose aim is to present the work, in live performance, of Latino poets from around the United States. At one point, Palabra Pura inaugurated literary dialogues between the Latino poetry community and other communities of color at special editions of Palabra Pura. The series was co-founded by the Guild Complex and Letras Latinas in 2006 and, since 2012, is independently produced by the Guild Complex, with guest curators.

Latino/a Poetry Now

A partnership with the

(PSA), Latino Poetry Now was a multi-year, multi-author tour that traveled to college campuses around the United States:

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

Macalester College Macalester College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1874, Macalester is exclusively an undergraduate institution with an enrollment of 2,142 students in the fall of 2023. The college ha ...

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

, and the

. The PSA published on its website—in tandem with each reading—a multi-poet roundtable poetics discussion. (2011 – 2013)

"Chloe's Cabaret: Poetry, Music, Coffee, Conversation"

A partnership with the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center (DPAC) at Notre Dame and the Creative Writing Program, this initiative transformed the Philbin Studio Theatre into a café for the purpose of presenting poetry and music to the campus community and the community at large. Poets who appeared included: Victor Hernández Cruz, Tracie Morris, Barbara Jane Reyes, Tyehimba Jess, and Naomi Ayala. (2006 – 2008)

Letras Latinas Young Writers Initiative

The Young Writers Initiative offered annual support to a Latino or Latina youth who was an aspiring writer. The project was a collaboration between Letras Latinas and Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Chicago and the Young Writers Workshop at

Southern Illinois University Southern Illinois University is a system of public universities in the southern region of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its headquarters is in Carbondale, Illinois. Board of trustees The university is governed by the nine member SIU Board of T ...

, Carbondale. The initiative offered a five-day program designed to give high school students the chance to explore and develop their talents in poetry and prose writing.

Letras Latinas Writers Initiative

The Letras Latinas Writers Initiative aimed to create community among Latino poets and writers enrolled in graduate creative writing programs. Its principal program was a 3-day informal retreat for writers to spend time with one another. The first two retreats took place at the

, and the second two took place at

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

in partnership with the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing and their Desert Nights, Rising Stars Writers Conference. (2013 – 2016)

''Latino Poetry Review''

The only journal of its kind in the United States, ''Latino Poetry Review'' published book reviews, essays, and interviews with an eye towards spurring inquiry and dialogue. ''LPR'' recognized that Latino poets in the 21st century embrace, and work out of, a multitude of aesthetics. With this in mind, the critical focus is the poem and its poetics. ''LPR'' was launched in 2008 and published two numbers, one in 2008 and another in 2009.

Momotombo Press

Founded in 2000 in Davis, CA by Francisco Aragón, Momotombo Press launched with the multi-authored anthology, Mark My Words. It eventually honed its mission of publishing new chapbook-length works by Latino authors including Brenda Cárdenas, Steven Cordova, Lisa Gonzales, Kevin A. González, Scott Inguito, Aaron Michael Morales, Michelle Otero,

Paul Martínez Pompa Paul Martínez Pompa is a Latino poet. The author of ''My Kill Adore Him'' (University of Notre Dame Press, 2009), (selected by Martín Espada for the 2008 Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize) and the chapbook ''Pepper Spray'' (Momotombo Press, 2006). ...

, and, Robert Vasquez. It concluded operations in 2009 with a chapbook by Octavio R. González.

''Letras Latinas Blog''

Letras Latinas Blog was an online site featuring e-interviews, book review round-ups, and other forms of literary commentary on contemporary Latino literature. Regular contributors have included Lauro Vazquez,

Emma Trelles Emma Trelles is a Latina poet, writer, and professor. She served as poet laureate of Santa Barbara, California from 2021-2023. Life Trelles earned an MFA from Florida International University in the 1990s, where she was mentored by the poet C ...

and Oscar Bermeo. A newer iteration of the blog was launched in 2022.

Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize The Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize Competition is a wikt:biennial, biennial program of Letras Latinas in collaboration with the University of Notre Dame Press. Founded in 2004, the Latino poetry competition seeks to publish the first collection of a ...

The

Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize The Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize Competition is a wikt:biennial, biennial program of Letras Latinas in collaboration with the University of Notre Dame Press. Founded in 2004, the Latino poetry competition seeks to publish the first collection of a ...

, in collaboration with

University of Notre Dame Press The University of Notre Dame Press is a university press that is part of the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. The press was founded in 1949, and claims to be the largest Catholic university press in the world. The ...

, supported the publication of a first book by a Latino poet in the United States. The Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize Initiative (AMPPI) is a campaign that helped underwrite the publication of ''A Jury of Trees''—a posthumous book of poetry by

Andrés Montoya Andrés Montoya (May 18, 1968 – May 26, 1999) was a Chicano poet. Early life Born on May 18, 1968, Montoya was the son of noted Chicano scholar, activist, and artist Malaquias Montoya and JoAnna Kerby. His father, Malaquias Montoya, teaches a ...

co-published by Bilingual Press and Letras Latinas, as well as "Together We'll Be a Song: a celebration of

, a symposium that took place in April 2018 in Fresno. Since 2023 the prize has been housed at the Huizache Literary Initiative at

UC Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Davis, California, United States. It is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University ...

and has published the selected book in collaboration with

University of Nevada Press University of Nevada Press is a university press that is run by the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE). Its authority is derived from the Nevada state legislature and Board of Regents of the NSHE. It was founded by Robert Laxalt in 1961. ...

References

External links

* {{official, https://latinostudies.nd.edu/news-events/letras-latinas
Letras Latinas Blog

Letras Latinas Blog 2

Red Hen Poetry Prize

Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize

Noemi AKRILICA Series

Spotlight on U.S. Hispanic Writers
American writers' organizations Hispanic and Latino American literature Hispanic and Latino American organizations Poetry organizations based in the United States

Current programs

Letras Latinas/Red Hen Poetry Series

Pintura : palabra

Akrilica

Letras Latinas oral history project

Spotlight on U.S. Hispanic Writers

Letras Latinas Presents

Letras Latinas Blog 2

Concluded programs

John K. Walsh Residency Fellowship (originally the Letras Latinas Residency Fellowship)

Poetas y Pintores: Artists Conversing with Verse

The Wind Shifts: New Latino Poetry ON TOUR

Palabra Pura

Latino/a Poetry Now

"Chloe's Cabaret: Poetry, Music, Coffee, Conversation"

Letras Latinas Young Writers Initiative

Letras Latinas Writers Initiative

''Latino Poetry Review''

Momotombo Press

''Letras Latinas Blog''

Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize The Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize Competition is a wikt:biennial, biennial program of Letras Latinas in collaboration with the University of Notre Dame Press. Founded in 2004, the Latino poetry competition seeks to publish the first collection of a ...

See also

References

External links