REFLECTIONS ON THE BLACK FOOTPRINT IN NEW MEXICO
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.”
HATE VALENTINE’S DAY? TRY CELEBRATING IT ANYWAY
By Monika Dziamka
“It’s a missed opportunity to let Valentine’s Day be reduced to something that’s only cheesy and commercial.”
WHERE ARE THE HUMANITIES IN THE CLIMATE CRISIS?
By Thomas Cole
“Ethics are a core Humanities discipline and Aldo Leopold’s ‘The Land Ethic’ in his 1948 A Sand County Almanac is, as Wallace Stegner wrote, ‘almost a holy book in conservation circles… one of the great love letters to the natural world.'”
A MUSLIM FITTING INTO NEW MEXICO
By Ryqir Haden
“I am a Muslim, and I belong in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Surprised? So am I.”
KRAMPUS IS COMING: WHY HALLOWEEN IS ACTUALLY JUST THE START OF SPOOKY SEASON
By Monika Dziamka
“Krampus is the spice to Santa’s sugar. Neither one is as good alone as they are when paired with the other.”
BREAD OF DEATH AND LIFE: A SHORT HISTORY OF PAN DE MUERTOS
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.”
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“Now that warm atmosphere of Spanglish that surrounded my youth has slowly been replaced by English…”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.”