SEND IN THE CLOWNS: FUNERAL HUMOR
By Liz Hamilton
“I opened the lid to her cardboard coffin to find an adorable little old lady lovingly draped with a colorful silk scarf. And I found a clown outfit inside.”
PRE-PANDEMIC GRIEF, ANCESTRAL MEMORY, MOURNING THE WORLD IN 2020 AND HEALING IN THE PRESENT
By Venaya Yazzie
“I now find myself dwelling upon ancestral homelands of my Diné (Navajo) matriarchs and male patriarchs in the San Juan Valley and at Huerfano, N.M.”
NUESTRA VOZ: THE CHIHUAHUA HILL STORY
By Javier Marrufo
“Now that warm atmosphere of Spanglish that surrounded my youth has slowly been replaced by English…”
SOUTHWEST WORD FIESTA 2023
By Catalina Claussen
“The Southwest Word Fiesta offers a crossroads where writers, industry professionals, and word lovers meet to discuss the craft of written and oral expression.”
CENSORED VOICES: BANNED BOOK PROJECT
Co-written by Dillon Pacheco & Andrea Galindo
“In the realm of intellectual freedom, censorship emerges as a contentious force.”
AN EDUCATIONAL MOMENT AND MOVEMENT: BANNED BOOK WEEK
By Heather Frankland
Many of the books challenged are those written by and about populations traditionally marginalized.
IT’S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR: THE BURNING OF ZOZOBRA AND HERALDING THE NEW SEASON
By Nicolasa Chávez
“Now celebrating his 99th year, Zozobra is older than the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade and the lighting of the Rockefeller Center Tree.”
ANCIENT DEATH RITUALS RUN DEEP IN NEW MEXICO
By Ana Pacheco
“Through the mid-20th century some women wore the tápalo in the villages of northern New Mexico. That tradition is long gone, but the one that remains is the descanso, the roadside memorial.”
MY HALF-CENTURY-PLUS ASSOCIATION WITH THE NEW MEXICO HUMANITIES COUNCIL
By Jimmy H. Miller
“my association with the NMHC began before the Council was actually chartered.”
THE FREEDOM TO THINK OR WHY BOOK BANNING IS BORING
By Emily Romero
“if I truly like to think of myself as having a growth mindset then I have to support that with experiences and ideas that challenge me to be a critical & creative thinker and to engage with a variety of people and materials.”