Sage Graduate Fellow of Cornell University (MFA) and Professor of English and Creative Writing at Lock Haven University, Marjorie Maddox has published eleven collections
Read MoreMi Nombre Es Dimas: Poetry by Gerardo Pacheco Matus
Gerardo Pacheco Matus, a Mayan Native, is the recipient of the distinguished Joseph Henry Jackson Award and fellowships from CantoMundo, The Frost Place, Bread Loaf Writers' Conference and The Katharine Bakeless Nason Endowment. Pacheco’s poems and essays have appeared and are forthcoming from La Bloga, Spillway, Grantmakers in the Arts, Apricity Press, Amistad, Haight Ashbury Literary Journal, Cipactli, Poets Responding to SB 1070, The Packinghouse Review, Tinderbox Poetry Journal, West Branch Wired, and The Cortland Review.
Read MorePospongan Mi Muerte, Por Favor: Poetry by Nancy Mercado
Nancy Mercado is the author of It Concerns the Madness (Long Shot Productions, 2000). Her work has also appeared in numerous anthologies and collections, including Looking In Looking Out Anthology of Latino Poetry (Arte Publico Press, 2013), Me No Habla with Acento: Contemporary Latino Poetry (Rebel Satori Press, 2011), and Poetry After 9/11: An Anthology of New York Poets (Tenth Anniversary Edition; Melville House, 2011). Mercado is currently an editor for Eco-poetry.org and an associate professor in English literature at Boricua College in New York City. More at www.nancy-mercado.com
Read MoreElegy in Which We Are Like Quantum Theory: Poetry by Roberto Carlos García
Roberto Carlos García's book, Melancolía, is available from Červená Barva Press. His poems and prose have appeared or are forthcoming in Academy of American Poets Poem-A-Day, The New Engagement, Public Pool, Stillwater Review, Gawker, Barrelhouse, Tuesday; An Art Project, The Acentos Review, Lunch Ticket, and many others. He is the founder of Get Fresh Books, LLC, a cooperative press. A native New Yorker, Roberto holds an MFA in Poetry and Poetry in Translation, and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. His website is www.robertocarlosgarcia.com
Read MoreElegy in Which I Rename a City for You: Poetry by Roberto Carlos García
Roberto Carlos Garcia's book, Melancolía, is available from Červená Barva Press. His poems and prose have appeared or are forthcoming in Academy of American Poets Poem-A-Day, The New Engagement, Public Pool, Stillwater Review, Gawker, Barrelhouse, Tuesday; An Art Project, The Acentos Review, Lunch Ticket, and many others. He is the founder of Get Fresh Books, LLC, a cooperative press. A native New Yorker, Roberto holds an MFA in Poetry and Poetry in Translation, and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. His website is www.robertocarlosgarcia.com
Read MoreAstra (Pantoum en el cielo): Poetry by Lupe Méndez
Originally from Galveston, TX, Lupe Méndez is published poet, educator, Librotraficante and Canto Mundo Fellow. His poetry has been published in Huizache, Nakum, La Noria and Glassworks. He is currently an On-Line MFA Candidate at the University of Texas @ El Paso. www.thepoetmendez.org
Cecilia Llompart is the Spanish Poetry Editor for Luna Luna.
Read MoreThe Mango Poem: Poetry by Zelene Pineda Suchilt
Zelene Pineda Suchilt is a CHí-CHí (CHilanga-CHicana) poet and storyteller living in The Bronx. Her work juxtaposes indigenous concepts and urban culture using a range of media, including poetry, painting, live performance and film making. Her literary work has been published on Huizache: The Magazine of Latino Literature, Free Press Houston, Quiet Lunch Magazine, The Panhandler Quarterly and MANGO Publications. In 2009, Zelene received the Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz Young Visionary Award from The National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago.
Read MoreSe llamaba José: Poetry by Zelene Pineda Suchilt
BY ZELENE PINEDA SUCHILT
CURATED BY CECILIA LLOMPART
Se llamaba José
Se llamaba José,
nombre tan común
Mi padre se llama
igual
Se llamaba José
Hombre tan común
Como el padre de Jesús
igual
Digo su nombre en alto
escribo su nombre,
esperanza permanente,
porque fue un héroe.
Se llamaba José,
nombre tan común
Mi padre se llama
igual
Se llamaba José
Hombre tan común
Como el padre de Jesús
igual
Mientras escribo su nombre
cristiano en lengua española,
lo quiero Quetzalcóatl
lo quiero Oró pulido
lo quiero inmortal
por ser tan común
por ser padre
que vivió por los vivos
sus hijos
su amor
tan eterno
lo quiero Turquesa
lo quiero Jade
lo quiero en las calles
que lo vea José en la cantina
que lo vea José en la taquería
que lo vea el muralista
que conmemora a los muertos de lejos
y no va al entierro del común
porque lo común lo enterró.
que lo vea Jesús el mesero
que lo vea Jesús en la escuela
que lo vea María
que lo vea María magdalena
las que cuidan l@s hij@s
que lo vea la que pinta en casa
la que conmemora las vivas
las que recogen tras los vivos
las que se pintan de rojo
porque la sangre importa.
Más viva que muerta,
me llamo Zelene y recuerdo a José.
Fui a su sepulto,
vi la bandera de sangre serpiente y pasto,
tomé su mano fría y abrase su sangre caliente
corriente sin paro
rio de su amor, su amor viva.
Cuando salgo, salgo corriendo
nombra, nombres de hombres
que murieron en contra de la muerte
y vivieron por amor.
Se llamaba José,
un hombre no común,
un hombre en paz.
Zelene Pineda Suchilt is a CHí-CHí (CHilanga-CHicana) poet and storyteller living in The Bronx. Her work juxtaposes indigenous concepts and urban culture using a range of media, including poetry, painting, live performance and film making. Her literary work has been published on Huizache: The Magazine of Latino Literature, Free Press Houston, Quiet Lunch Magazine, The Panhandler Quarterly and MANGO Publications. In 2009, Zelene received the Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz Young Visionary Award from The National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago.
Cecilia Llompart is the Spanish Poetry Editor for Luna Luna Magazine.
Liebre en el ejido: Poetry by José Antonio Rodríguez
BY JOSÉ ANTONIO RODRÍGUEZ
CURATED BY CECILIA LLOMPART
Liebre en el ejido
Por fin sale de su pozo
y su cuerpo acurrucado
se tisna con el humo desganado
de la basura que mis padres queman
por la húmeda tarde,
ante la vista de los vecinos.
Olfatea el plástico de la botella
que se retuerse entre las llamas
como chicharrones de cerdo
y cierra los ojos. Empieza
a caminar como una anciana.
No sé de sus años en el pozo.
Las parcelas se achican
ante las anchas carreteras.
La acequia se hace chorro
y el panteón se cree rey
con tantas coronas.
Ni siquiera voltea a ver
los trosos de papa
que tengo en mi mano.
Se va porque no quiere probar
las escarchas rosadas de mi casa.
¿Debo también celebrar su partida?
Aquí no se celebran los cumpleaños
porque llaman al recuerdo del nacimiento
que es la prueba de la concepción
que jamás se piensa —
como el sabor del terrón desmoronado
entre los dientes. Las velas se encienden
sólo para la iglesia.
La liebre se va
y el panteón se burla de mí.
José Antonio Rodríguez's books include The Shallow End of Sleep, Backlit Hour, and House Built on Ashes: A Memoir. His work has appeared widely in Poetry, The New Republic, Huizache, and elsewhere. He teaches in the MFA in Creative Writing program at UT-Rio Grande Valley. Learn more at www.JARodriguez.org
Cecilia Llompart is the Spanish Poetry Editor for Luna Luna Magazine.
Sangre al hospital: Poetry by Sheila Maldonado
Sheila Maldonado is the author of the poetry collection one-bedroom solo (Fly by Night Press, 2011). Her 2nd publication, that's what you get, is forthcoming from Brooklyn Arts Press.
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