A Brief History of Puerto Rican and US Relationships by Now This and Dr. Yarimar Bonilla, Directora CENTRO, Center of Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College Bio Victor Fragoso (1944-1982) was a playwright, poet, and Associate Professor at Rutgers University. He wrote the first two books of poetry by a Puerto Rican that explicitly textualizes… Continue reading Newark, 1974- Victor Fragoso
ASYNCHRONOUS ASSIGNMENT (Deadline: 9/28 before the class) Instructions: 1. Read Victor Fragoso’s play “Newark, 1974.” 2. Group A (Avila to Martinez): In the comment section down below, answer ONE of the following prompts Group B (Montes to Torres): Respectfully interact with ONE of your classmates’ responses. Do you agree with their arguments and interpretations? Do you disagree? What other observations… Continue reading Asynchronous Assignment on “Newark, 1974”
Thinking of Words and Images Sean Qualls, Illustrator “I’m a full-time freelance illustrator and artist. I was born in Cocoa Beach, Florida. After graduating from high school, I moved to Brooklyn to attend Pratt Institute. I dropped out after a year and a half. I have taken a few night courses at SVA (the School… Continue reading The Poet Slave of Cuba (129-172)- Margarita Engle
Entry Question: Treinta Años/Thirty Years by Juan Francisco Manzano When I think about the course I have run, From my childhood itself to this day, I tremble, and fain would I shun, The remembrance of its terrors’ array. I marvel at struggles endured, With a destiny frightful as mine, At the strength for such efforts:–assured Tho’ I am, ’tis in vain… Continue reading The Poet Slave of Cuba (89-129)-Margarita Engle
ASYNCHRONOUS ASSIGNMENT (Deadline: 9/19 before the class) Instructions: 1. Read pages 87-129 of Margarita Engle’s novel in verse The Poet Slave of Cuba. 2. Group B (Montes to Torres): In the comment section down below, answer ONE of the following prompts Group A (Avila to Martinez): Respectfully interact with ONE of your classmates’ responses. Do you agree with their arguments and… Continue reading Asynchronous Assignment on The Poet Slave of Cuba (Pages 87-129)
Recap Part One Manzano could memorize and recite poetic verses, making him “the pet” of his mother’s owner Doña Beatriz who had him entertain and perform for her guests. Manzano secretly learned to read and write and later crafted his own poetry. At the age of six, Manzano’s mother was granted her freedom with the… Continue reading The Poet Slave of Cuba (Pages 44-86)- Margarita Engle
Entry Question Considering that most enslaved people in the Americas were prohibited from reading and writing, do you think that literacy and poetry could be conceived as tools of resistance against slavery and colonialism? Why? Cuba’s Historical Context after the Haitian Revolution After the Haitian Revolution, Cuban elites expanded the slave trade and thus increased… Continue reading The Poet Slave of Cuba (Pages 1-43)- Margarita Engle
ASYNCHRONOUS ASSIGNMENT (Deadline: 9/12 before the class) Instructions: 1. Read pages 1-43 of Margarita Engle’s novel in verse The Poet Slave of Cuba. 2. Group A (Avila to Martinez): In the comment section down below, answer ONE of the following prompts Group B (Montes to Torres): Respectfully interact with ONE of your classmates’ responses. Do you agree… Continue reading Asynchronous Assignment on The Poet Slave of Cuba (Pages 1-43)
Entry Discussion What ethical considerations does Gonsalez establish regarding tourism and diaspora? What is his notion of “belonging” (pages 259-261)? What distinction does Gonsalez propose between chronological history and the history of the body? (267-268) What connection do the desire for “belonging” and the “history of the body” have with Latinx writing? History of Latinx… Continue reading Pedro of the Americas (266-285)-Marcos Gonsalez
Marcos Gonsalez is an essayist and assistant professor of English living and working in New York City. .He is of Puerto Rican and Mexican descent and identifies as a MexiRican. .Pedro’s Theory Marcos’ book of autotheory features literary criticism, cultural analysis, and memoir writing. The essay “Pedro of the Americas” belongs to this collection. .He’s… Continue reading Pedro of the Americas (Pages 250-266)- Marcos Gonsalez
