Every Day is Magic: Ada Limón
In her 2015 collection, Bright Dead Things, a National Book Award finalist for poetry, Ada Limón writes of moving to Kentucky: “Confession: I did not want to live here.” It’s perhaps not a surprising sentiment coming from a coastally oriented person who was raised in Northern California, attended college in Seattle, and then spent over a decade in New York City.
But Limón and her husband, Lucas, have been in Lexington for seven years now and the effects of settling into this place are noticeable in her new book, The Carrying (Milkweed, Aug.). It’s a phenomenally lively and attentive collection replete with the trappings of living a little closer to nature. While Bright Dead Things is marked by a preponderance of light, such as images of fireflies and neon signs, The Carrying features numerous appearances by various trees, birds, and beetles. Limón also demonstrates a greater willingness to be explicit in naming colors, particularly green. “It’s crazy green, the whole book,” she says. “Lexington is the greenest place I’ve ever lived.” Similarly, where in Bright Dead Things, Limón tells a lot of stories and anecdotes, in The Carrying she is very present in her thoughts and experiences.
As it turns out, these shifts in focus have another, altogether unexpected source. While putting Bright Dead Things together, Limón was diagnosed with chronic vestibular neuronitis, which can cause bouts of vertigo. “If I’m really having vertigo, it’s pretty intense and I really have to focus,”
Read More…
PAPI: UNDERSTANDING THE TEJANO FATHER HYBRID IDENTITY WITHIN THE MEXICAN AMERICAN FAMILY, COMMUNITY, AND SCHOOL EXPERIENCE THROUGH A POSTCOLONIAL LENS
J Aleman – 2013
… Page 2. PAPI: UNDERSTANDING THE TEJANO FATHER HYBRID IDENTITY WITHIN THE
MEXICAN AMERICAN FAMILY, COMMUNITY, AND SCHOOL EXPERIENCE THROUGH A … crime,
honestly taught me what it meant to be a professional. Her understanding of the …
The purpose of this study was the better understand the hybrid identity of the Tejano father and his role within the educational journey of his children. This study examined the “in-betweenness
Link to dissertation
Dignity’s Elements: Mexican American Studies’ Transformational Resistance and Hip Hop Manifestations through Counterstorytelling
B Partida – 2013
Page 1. California State University, Northridge Dignity’s Elements: Mexican American Studies’
Transformational Resistance and Hip Hop Manifestations through Counterstorytelling … ix Figures
Page 27 Figure 1-The Mexican American Studies Model: Critically Compassionate …
Areas of conflict in the intimate couple
from “Trames”
by M.E. Meza-de-Luna and H. Romero-Zepeda.
In this paper conflict within couples is studied qualitatively in a Mexican context. The objective is to analyze the areas of conflict within couples of diverse sex and sexual orientation, focused on the areas of conflict in an intimate couple. Methodology: 61 narratives (43 interviews and 18 photo-interventions) were analyzed with Ground Theory. Results: Partners usually have a set of expectations that define their relationship.
Link to article
Two legacies: how blacks and Mexican-Americans helped shape University of Texas history
This article was written by Susan Smith and publised in “Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Before Heman Sweatt, an African-American from Houston, won his lawsuit to attend the University of Texas School of Law, Carlos Cadena, a Mexican-American from San Antonio, was among its brightest students. Cadena graduated summa cum laude from the law school in 1940, a decade before Sweatt’s lawsuit forced UT to open its graduate and professional programs to Blacks
The Relationship Between Mexican American Cultural Values and Resilience Among Mexican American College Students: A Mixed Methods Study
ML Morgan Consoli, JD Llamas – 2013
Page 1. Journal of Counseling Psychology The Relationship Between Mexican American Cultural
Values and Resilience Among Mexican American College Students: A Mixed Methods Study …
BRIEF REPORT The Relationship Between Mexican American Cultural Values and …
Linking Acculturation Patterns, Acculturative Stress, and Education Policies to Educational Competence among Mexican-American Children
YM Kim – 2013
Page 1. Linking Acculturation Patterns, Acculturative Stress, and Education Policies to
Educational Competence among Mexican-American Children Yoon Mi Kim … mentor. I am very
grateful for your valuable academic and professional advice and for sharing …
Link to dissertation
Trajectories of Mexican American and Mainstream Cultural Values Among Mexican American Adolescents
GP Knight, CD Basilio, H Cham, NA Gonzales, Y Liu… – Journal of Youth and …, 2013
… This sample of Mexican American families was diverse with respect to both SES and language
(Roosa et al. 2008). … professional experience in a social service agency), strong in communication
and organizational skills, and knowl- edgeable about computers. …
Link to abstract
THE MEXICANISATION OF THE PEW HISPANIC CENTER
It is with great pleasure to discover that The Pew Hispanic Center has at last recognized that Mexican Americans like to be referred to as Mexican and not Hispanic. It is also welcome news that they have begun to publish articles about Mexican Americans.
The groundbreaking fact that governmental institutions are referring to Hispanics as Mexicans and specific groups is forward-moving in two ways,
1. Because it gives governmental institutions and other institutions a more accurate reading of the Mexican American community therefore it makes it easier to plan and project and,
2. It provides Mexican Americans and the larger population with recognition and validation for their accomplishments as well as their failures. In California, the Hispanic population is now equal to the white population and Mexican Americans comprise the largest number of Hispanics.
When I was looking for information for my Mexican American Professionals Articles a few years ago, I called the Pew Hispanic Center. I was able to speak with one of their principal writers and I asked him if his center had any information about Mexican American Professionals they could share with me. He informed me, in a very authoritative and abrupt way, that the Pew Hispanic Center did not have any such information. That they only dealt with Hispanics in their research. I said thank you and moved on to the Census Bureau Data.
Since that time, by their own research, they have concluded that “a report based on a nationwide survey” found most Hispanics don’t embrace the term “Hispanic,” and even fewer prefer the term “Latino.” Some light at the end of the tunnel. Gee, they had to do a nationwide survey to conclude that individuals think of themselves as “Guatemaltecos,” “Peruanos,” and even Mexicans.
Of further interest is the newest report released by the Pew Hispanic Center entitled “A Demographic Portrait of Mexican-Origin Hispanic in the United States.” It’s nice to see that we are finally worthy of being looked at as the majority of a minority. By their own admission, The Pew Hispanic Center in their recent publication “A Demographic Portrait of Mexican-Origin Hispanics in the United States” …Mexicans are by far the largest Hispanic-origin population in the U.S., accounting for nearly two-thirds (64%) of the U.S. Hispanic population in 2012”.
I hope that the Pew Hispanic Center will continue to gather and release information pertinent to Mexican Americans with a more in-depth look at women and other variables. In the 2011 American Community Survey, Mexican American Women out earned Bachelor’s degrees by 2%. They also outnumber men in several other professional areas. In so far as other variables are concerned it is surprising to see that Mexican Americans in at least one area are almost equally represented:
The following data is from my article entitled “Results of the American Community Survey…for 2011”:
Industry: Civilian employed population 16 years and older:
• 10.6% of the general population was employed in the professional, scientific, management, administrative, and waste management services in 2010. In 2011, this number only increased by .1% to 10.7%.
• 10.1% of Mexican Americans were employed in the professional, scientific, management, administrative, and waste management services in 2010. In 2011, this percentage remained the same.
This information is of great benefit to those in government or educational institutions that rely on this data to administer resources.
In spite of the limited resource of one, my website mexican-american-proarchive.com has provided annual reports on the results of the American Community Survey since it’s inception. They focus on Mexican American professionals and provide a link between the census data and the ability to read the information in an anecdotal form. I focus on what I think are the most important differences and similarities between Mexican American professionals vs. the overall population. The data is footnoted with It’s sources and when available a URL to the raw data is given.
I can be reached at:
Betohg2012@gmail.com
Tel. 650-738-8584
A Cross-National Study on Prevalence of Mental Disorders, Service Use, and Adequacy of Treatment Among Mexican and Mexican American Populations
R Orozco, G Borges, ME Medina-Mora… – American Journal of Public …, 2013
… Among Mexican and Mexican American Populations … of family physicians, general practitioners,
and other medical doctors, such as cardiologists, or gynecologists (for women) and urologists
(for men), nurses, occupational therapists, or other health care professionals; 4. human …
Link to abstract
LUIS RODRIGUEZ OF L.A. TO BECOME FIRST LATINO TO LEAD THE STATE BAR OF CALIFORNIA
SAN FRANCISCO, July 19, 2013 – Los Angeles attorney Luis J. Rodriguez was elected today as president of the State Bar of California for 2013-2014. He will be the first public defender and first Latino to hold the office.
Rodriguez, 46, will be sworn in as the 89th president of the 243,000-member organization at the State Bar’s Annual Meeting in October in San Jose. He currently serves as vice president and ran unopposed in the Board of Trustees election. Craig Holden, 43, a partner at Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP of Los Angeles, was elected vice president. Heather Linn Rosing, 41, of Klinedinst PC in San Diego was elected treasurer.
Link to article
Mexican Company Outsourcing Jobs to the United States
by Jennifer Abbey, ABC news,
Within in the next three years, one out of three babies born in the United States will be Hispanic. Hispanic American families have become a force, soon spending $1.5 trillion a year on goods, creating jobs for the companies that jump on the opportunity.
While there has been a lot of talk about jobs being shipped across the border to Mexico, there is one company that is actually sending jobs to the United States.
Link to article
Attitudes of Mexican American Students Towards Learning English as a Second Language in a Structured Immersion Program
DU MARTÍNEZ, JG PÉREZ, DM FERNÁNDEZ – PORTA LINGUARUM, 2013
… pp. 205-221 Attitudes of Mexican American Students Towards … ABSTRACT: This study involves
the examination of the attitudes of a group of Mexican American students towards learning
English as a second language in a struc- tured immersion program. …
Link to article
Predictors of Mexican American Nursing Student Academic Success
BJ Gonzalez – 2013
… 55 Social Support and the Mexican American Family ….. 58 … and ideas of these racial
and ethnic groups; and 3) sharing of professional development … workforce is especially
important. When compared to all other health care professionals …
Link to dissertation
The Role of Family Support and Parental Monitoring as Mediators in Mexican American Adolescent Drinking Read More
M Pagan Rivera, D DePaulo – Substance Use & Misuse, 2013
… ORIGINAL ARTICLE. The Role of Family Support and Parental Monitoring as Mediators in Mexican
American Adolescent Drinking. … Analysis of the data utilizes multiple regression to identify risks and
protective factors of adolescent drinking in Mexican American youth. …
Link to article
The Presence and Significance of Imaginative Play in the Lives of Mexican-American Adults
AT PERONE III – 2013
Page 1. The Presence and Significance of Imaginative Play in the Lives of Mexican-American
Adults … Side Institute for Group and Short Term Psychotherapy and Carrie Lobman at Rutgers
University for co-creating play spaces with me at professional conferences, in print, and in …
Link to dissertation
SPOUSAL CONCORDANCE ON COGNITIVE TRAJECTORIES: AN EXPLORATORY LATENT CLASS APPROACH WITH MEXICAN AMERICAN OLDER ADULTS
K Small, J Margrett, D Russell – Successful aging and social contexts: The importance …, 2013
… 4 SPOUSAL CONCORDANCE ON COGNITIVE TRAJECTORIES: AN EXPLORATORY LATENT
CLASS APPROACH WITH MEXICAN AMERICAN OLDER ADULTS … provided oral informed consent
and were interviewed in their home by trained, professional personnel employed …
Link to dissertation
A Demographic Portrait of Mexican-Origin Hispanics in the United States
A record 33.7 million Hispanics of Mexican origin resided in the United States in 2012, according to an analysis of Census Bureau data by Pew Research Center. This estimate includes 11.4 million immigrants born in Mexico and 22.3 million born in the U.S. who self-identified as Hispanics of Mexican origin.
by Ana Gonzalez-Barrera and Mark Hugo Lopez
Mexican-Origin Hispanics in the United States
Link to article
Mexican Roots for Majority of Latino Americans
Mexican Latinos make up more than two thirds of all Latinos in the United States, according to a new Pew Hispanic report.
Of the 51.9 million Latinos living in the United States in 2011, more than 33.5 million trace their family back to Mexico.
The report looked at demographic data collected from the 2011 American Community Survey. The report also examined U.S. citizenship, education levels and median income among U.S. Hispanics.
Link to article
Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Author, Poet & Teacher
Benjamin Alire Sáenz Wins 2013 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
By Lisa Y. Garibay
UTEP News Service
Chairman of the Department of Creative Writing Benjamin Alire Sáenz has been selected as the winner of the 2013 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, America’s largest peer juried prize for fiction. He won the prize for his collection of short stories titled Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club, published by El Paso company Cinco Puntos Press, making it a double honor for the city of El Paso.
“The people of the border have given me my voice. All I have ever done is return those words back to the people who taught me to speak,” Sáenz said. “This award does not belong to me — it belongs to us. This border is my heart and I believe it is the heart of this nation. And I also believe that Juárez is the heart of Mexico,” Sáenz said.
Taking its title from a storied Juárez club just over the U.S.-Mexico border, Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club offers seven different stories examining the lives of people in the El Paso-Juárez border region. The press release about the award describes them as struggling “with the impossible ambiguities of borders, whether they be sexual, emotional, national or economic.
“Ben Sáenz’s work is well-deserving of this award,” said UTEP College of Liberal Arts Dean Patricia Witherspoon, Ph.D. “He is a consummate storyteller who writes with strength and yet tenderness, who shares his space and time with his reader and always brings us willingly on the journeys he takes. He is one of the few writers who can speak eloquently to adults, young adults and children. And what a wonderful person to have among us as a colleague.”
“He’s one of the most prolific writers I have ever met, sometimes producing two books in one year, like he did this year,” said Saenz’s colleague Associate Professor of Creative Writing Daniel Chacon. “Both of those books have gone on to win amazing prizes and to get positive critical attention.”
In speaking about his experience as co-host of KTEP-FM’s (88.5) “Words on a Wire” radio program with Sáenz, Chacon said, “We have the chance to talk to some of the greatest writers in the country, and together we are able to extract a lot of valuable information and advice from these writers, but the ironic thing is that Ben himself is one of the country’s most distinguished writers.”
Judge A.J. Verdelle praised Saenz’s mastery of language.
“In Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club, his 20th published book, Benjamin Alire Sáenz shows how decades working at your craft gives birth to might and mastery … He presents a rendering of reality that is lush, tender, expansive, inclusive and profound. The author takes stunning care with language — English, Spanish, and the languages of sunlight, daylight, dimlight, night light — twisting and tumbling with the whispered language of the human heart. Sáenz also devotes impressive attention to rendering communities on the borders of the United States and Mexico, on the boundaries of sensual and sexual expression, on the edge of despair, and on the cusp of redemption.”
In addition to teaching at UTEP, Sáenz is a poet, fiction writer and essayist who has been a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and PEN Center’s award for young adult fiction. He was recently awarded the American Library Association’s Pura Belpré Award and the Stonewall Book Award for his young adult novel Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. The book also was recognized as a 2013 Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature Honor Book.
As winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award, Sáenz receives $15,000. He will be honored during the 33rd annual PEN/Faulkner Award Ceremony at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., on May 4. Previous winners include E.L. Doctorow, Ann Patchett, Philip Roth, John Updike, Sherman Alexie, and Annie Proulx.
“He’s, quite frankly, a brilliant writer, and as a friend and as a colleague he has been incredibly supportive,” Chacon recalled. “When I started off here as a new writer, he was very encouraging, and I learned a lot. His passion for El Paso is unsurpassed by any other writer.
“In many ways, my latest book was improved because of his advice,” Chacon continued. “He once told me, ‘If it doesn’t hurt, it’s not worth much.’ He writes with unapologetic passion, and when he writes it hurts, but he produces some of the most beautiful prose in the country, which is obvious in winning this incredibly prestigious fiction prize.”
Journalist Alfredo Corchado says it’s ‘Midnight in Mexico’
By Hector Tobar, Los Angeles Times
June 14, 2013, 8:00 a.m.
Journalist Alfredo Corchado has had a front seat to many of the most important events of recent Mexican history. In the 1980s he covered the protests in Northern Mexico that foreshadowed the end of one-party rule, and he was later a Mexico City correspondent for the Dallas Morning News. In 2000, he conducted the first interview with President-elect Vicente Fox, the opposition candidate…
Link to article
