Wednesday, August 30, 2006

 

Sharon Doubiago, Lorna Dee Cervantes

A couple of pieces of writing online that I found especially powerful and moving:

Sharon Doubiago is one of the poets whose work has been most important to me since I first read her poems some 25 years ago. Two chapters from Sharon Doubiago's memoir of her childhood, My Father's Love, are published in the online literary magazine ensemble jourine: hybrid writing by women. In the two chapters, Doubiago gives an unflinching and devastating account of having been raped by her father at the age of 7, and the immediate aftermath.

To read the chapters from Doubiago's memoir, go to this page; click on the "chapbook" link below the photo; then in the next screen, scroll all the way down and click on "download pdf file" near the bottom of the page. That will bring up the memoir chapters.

Much other excellent writing is in ensemble jourine as well. The main page of the magazine is here.

Lorna Dee Cervantes recently posted a passionate and forceful essay in her blog, giving some ideas about Chicano/Chicana poetry, touching along the way on the essential connection of poetry with radical political conscioiusness and activism, the importance of various poets in her own growth as a poet, and giving a brief account of the brutal murder of her mother. The essay exudes fire and sadness throughout. It's posted here.

The main page of Lorna Dee Cervantes' blog is here.

Sharon Doubiago's books of poems include Hard Country (West End Press), South America, Mi Hija (University of Pittsburgh Press), and Body and Soul (Cedar Hill Books--scroll down the page until you come to the listing for Doubiago's book). She is also the author of two books of short stories, The Book of Seeing With One's Own Eyes (Graywolf Press), and En Nino (Lost Roads Press).

Books of poems by Lorna Dee Cervantes include Emplumada (University of Pittsburgh Press), From the Cables of Genocide: Poems of Love and Anger (Arte Publico Press), and Drive: The First Quartet (Wings Press).

Comments:
Lyle
Thanks. I just posted to Lorna Dee's essay. It's fantastic. I've admired her poetry for a long time now.

I'll come back later and check out the links above hers. Off the puter for now.
 
Hi Lyle,
This is an interesting post. I was supposed to be in the ensemble jourine. Maybe it's not out yet. I never confirmed the galleys and now can't find the person's phone number. This reminds me to email her today.

The violence that Doubigo speaks of sounds like a tough read. But I was saddened to hear Lorna's story. I know I had a student whoose mother was brutally murdered. She shared some horribly graphic stuff with me and a similar murder in Denver had brought it all up again. The fact that it was unsolved and there was a similar murder many years later unnerved me.

I think violence against women
and young girls is a serious issue in society and well, maybe this is what I meant re: how there aren't supposed to be victims or villians in contemporary America, but there are.

You seem to have such a sensititivity to these issues re: women. It is nice to see that. I think this is one reason I sorta rail against status quo-- no emotions allowed, no trauma, etc.
--take on art.

Your interesting post has me thinking.
 
I enjoy Sharon's work quite a bit too. I have not read her memoirs -- only the poetry, but I'm going to zip over to this pdf. Thanks for the link to Lorna too!
 
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