CHOOSE A LANGUAGE BELOW

RUDOLFO ANAYA: CATCHING CULTURES IN BLESS ME, ULTIMA

Photo of Rudolfo Anaya

By Richard Wayne Etulain
Anaya greatly expands the cultural contributions of his novel by combining the usual (Bildungsroman—growing up theme) with the unusual (complex, diverse New Mexico Hispanic culture)…

UP BY OUR BOOTSTRAPS; TWO LIVES IN RETROSPECT

Photo of Edna and William in the 1960s posing together

By Finnie Coleman
I found myself fascinated with Dr. McIver’s transition from the stultifying hopelessness of the Segregation Era to the wistful hopefulness of the Civil Rights Era…

MARTIN L. KING, JR.’S DAMNING LETTER FROM JAIL

Photo of Martin Luther King, Jr. standing on a balcony overlooking a parking lot.

By Christopher A. Ulloa Chaves, ED.D.
“In the letter, King used a multi-disciplinary rhetorical approach that applied philosophical, theological, psychological, sociological, political, ethical and economic principles against systemic racism in Alabama…”

LITERATURE AS GUIDEPOSTS ON MY IMMIGRANT JOURNEY

Photo of Kei Tsuzuki

By Kei Tsuzuki
“What I have learned from books is that there is no one story that explains the world to us or captures our identity entirely. There is power in the specificity of each of our stories…”

RUDOLFO ANAYA’S MAGIC WITH WORDS

Grayscale pencil drawing portrait of Rudolfo Anaya

By Chris Chaves
“It seems that, for Anaya at least, libraries and the magical words hidden in their books can serve to impart knowledge, facilitate love, and encourage empathy about others.”

REFLECTIONS ON THE BLACK FOOTPRINT IN NEW MEXICO

Headshot of Darryl Wellington

By Darryl Wellington
“Let’s begin with a story that reflects my concerns that the Black presence isn’t significantly appreciated — but that simultaneously reaffirms my belief in the importance of teaching New Mexican Black history.”

BREAD OF DEATH AND LIFE: A SHORT HISTORY OF PAN DE MUERTOS

Pan de Muerto, skull shaped bread with orange marigold flowers on a white flowered plate on an altar table

By Vanessa Baca
“‘Bread is life.’ This platitude is among the most well-known in our culture, yet when we consider the Mexican holiday El Día de los Muertos and the food associated with that celebration, it takes on a much more significant and poignant meaning.”