SPAIN AND THE U.S. WAR OF INDEPENDENCE
By Eloy García
As we approach the U.S. Semiquincentennial of July 4, 2026 I think it is important that we in New Mexico reflect on the influence the Spanish Empire had on ensuring the success of the British colonist “War of Independence.”
DOROTHY B. HUGHES: A FEMINIST ICON, AN ICON FOR WRITERS
By Monika Dziamka
“When the search gets tough, and the professional identity crisis again looms nigh, I remind myself of the extraordinary career of Dorothy B. Hughes, a woman, mother, and writer who helped solidify New Mexico’s literary legacy not just in the United States, but around the world as well.”
CELLPHONES IN SCHOOLS: THE UNSPOKEN BROADER IMPLICATIONS
By Charity Darkwa
“This concludes that students treasure their social media interactions, games, and other cellphone activities over academics and intellectual pursuits.”
CULTURE ALSO COMES IN THROUGH THE KITCHEN
By Teresa Dovalpage
“Here in Hobbs, where I currently live, the Cuban community, very small when we moved here seven years ago, is growing fast.”
RUDOLFO ANAYA’S MAGIC WITH WORDS
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.”
ECOLINGUISTICS AND HOW LANGUAGE CAN SAVE THE WORLD
By Monika Dziamka
“It’s hard to talk about gender, equality, and equity without also talking about issues surrounding sustainability and the environment—which in turn relate to issues of power, colonialism, and capitalism.”
SO MANY BILLY THE KID STORIES — ANY LESSONS IN THEM?
By Richard Etulain
“What has happened in interpretations of Billy the Kid should awaken us to important thoughts about storytelling.”
MUNDANE MAJESTY: THE FOOD ODES OF PABLO NERUDA
By Vanessa Baca
“Seeing the tomato as an item of beauty and rarity allows us to appreciate it as though we are seeing it for the first time.”
THE BANDANA BRIGADE: WITH HEARTS AND HANDS, WOMEN DO IT TOGETHER
By Kim Suina Melwani
“Like a ‘bandana brigade’ these women seemed ready to face whatever obstacles that came their way.”
BELOVED WORD WARRIOR: THE POWER OF TONI MORRISON’S PEN
By Cathryn McGill
“In celebrating Women’s History Month, we acknowledge Toni Morrison’s indelible legacy, where her identity as a woman and an African American is inseparable from her literary genius.”