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,”
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“…The U.S. Hispanic population reached 62.5 million in 2021, up from 50.5 million in 2010. The 19% increase in the Hispanic population was faster than the nation’s 7% growth rate, but slower than the 23% increase in the Asian population. In 2021, Hispanics made up nearly one-in-five people in the U.S. (19%) – the 50 states and the District of Columbia. This is up from 16% in 2010 and just 5% in 1970…”
“…What began in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week expanded in 1988 to become National Hispanic American Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America, and Spain. In honor of this important month, seven Latinx leaders share how they are making a mark on the industry and their perspectives on the importance of National Hispanic American Heritage Month…”
“…Hollywood still hasn’t caught up with the fact that while there are so many talented Latina actors,t hey’re still underrepresented in film and television. Latinx actors held just 7.7 percent of top film acting roles in 2021, according to the 2022 UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report. Angered by the disproportionate amount of Latinx folks in the industry, more than 270 Latinx showrunners, creators, and television and feature writers wrote an open letter to Hollywood in October 2020, calling for systemic change, noting: “We refuse to be filtered through a White perspective….”
https://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/g37091944/latina-actresses/
“…San Antonio author Rudy Ruiz knows there’s no rewriting history.
But in his latest novel, Valley of Shadows, he blends history, his own experience growing up near the border and plenty of fiction to look at what it might be like if certain events had turned out differently…”
“…The luxury retailer tapped Madrid-born fashion designer Alejandra Alonso Rojas, Mexican-American professional soccer player Sofia Huerta, and Black American Dominican filmmaker Djali Brown-Cepeda for the campaign, which also spotlights apparel from Hispanic and Latinx designers available to purchase on Saks.com. Among the designer labels that are featured on the site include Proenza Schouler, Oscar de la Renta, Demarson, Aquazzura, and Manolo Blahnik, as well as pieces from Alonso Rojas’ eponymous brand, which launched in 2016…”
“…From Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, NC State joins in the national celebration of Latinx Heritage Month. Over the next four weeks, all of campus is invited to take part in a series of events honoring the experiences and impact of the Latin American community on our Wolfpack and this country.
Many of these events are coordinated by Multicultural Student Affairs (MSA), one of four campus community centers that serve to inform, support and expand the cultural horizons of the entire NC State student body…”
https://news.ncsu.edu/2022/09/latinx-heritage-month-explained/
“…Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM) starts on Sept. 15, the anniversary of the Cry of Dolores that began the Mexican War of Independence, and runs until Oct. 15. September 15 is the anniversary of independence for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on Sept. 16 and Sept. 18 respectively…”
https://www.hrmorning.com/news/hispanic-heritage-month/
“…Loosely defined, culture refers to the shared values, beliefs and norms of a specific group of people. Culture, therefore, influences the manner we learn, live and behave. Because of this, many theorists believe that culture is an important shaper of our personality. One of the general assumptions asserting the effect of culture to personality is that people who are born and bred in the same culture share common personality traits…”
https://explorable.com/culture-and-personality
“…UC Santa Barbara is among the 20 top-tier research institutions comprising the recently launched Alliance of Hispanic Serving Research Universities (HSRU). The member universities, which span nine states, all are designated HSIs. Its collective goals are to double the number of Hispanic doctoral students and increase by 20% the Hispanic professoriate in our universities by 2030…”
“…Jenna Ortega started out in the business as an actress. With the help of her mother and agents, she started getting auditions at a young age. In 2012, she made her first guest appearance in the popular TV show Rob, and then she had a short role in the American show CSI NY.
In 2013, she got her start in movies with a small recurring role in Iron Man 3, and in the same year, she made a big impression in the horror movie Insidious Chapter 2…”
“…Two-thirds of California’s 195,000 lawyers are white, compared to 39% of adult residents, according to the state bar’s latest diversity report card, released Monday. Hispanics comprise 36% of California’s adult residents, but only 6% of its lawyers as of 2021. And Black lawyers comprise 3% of attorneys in the state, though 6% of Californians are Black…”
“…Brazil and Mexico are regional data protection leaders, as they also suffer a rising number of cyberattacks, Carolina Pardo, partner at Baker McKenzie, told BNamericas. “Other jurisdictions are not implementing specific measures, although there are some good starting points in the guidelines on data security in Colombia and a bill in Chile,” she added…”
https://www.bnamericas.com/en/features/spotlight-cybersecurity-regulation-in-latin-america
“A pair of Latino consultants — one Democrat and one Republican — is launching a new website focused specifically on curating news about Latino voters.
The big picture: Latino.vote aims to be a RealClearPolitics or Drudge Report-like aggregation source for any news about Hispanic voters, a growing bloc whose political power is being closely tracked amid recent shifts in voting behavior.
“…On Friday, September 2nd, the beautiful iconic actress posted a video on her Instagram platform – in the video Salma showcased her ageless figure as she danced around on a boat to Stevie Wonder’s 1981 hit “Happy Birthday” in her two-piece red bikini. Hayek completed her vacay vibe with green holographic sunglasses and wore her hair loose, with her long, signature curls blowing in the wind…”
‘Latina Professionals of Chattanooga will mark the start of Hispanic/Latinx Heritage month on Sept. 15 with its first annual Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month events celebrating the Hispanic/Latinx culture and contributions to the local community and nation.
Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated nationally in recognition of the contribution and influence Hispanic Americans bring to the history, culture and achievement of the United States. Originally adopted in 1988 by the United States Congress, the resolution was designated Sept…”
https://www.chattanoogan.com/2022/9/1/455114/Latina-Professionals-Of-Chattanooga.aspx
“…Museums, curators and art students use search engines and databases to access information on art works dating back hundreds of years.
But searches on art works by communities and cultures of color are often limited by an English, Eurocentric lexicon. Searches using Spanish words as common as “piñata” may yield few or even inaccurate results on Mexican American art.
Two professors on opposite sides of the U.S. created a digital portal that aims to fill that disparity…”
https://www.tpr.org/podcast/fronteras/2022-08-26/fronteras-new-digital-portal-makes-har
“…A REPORT by the NGO Prisoners Defenders assured on Thursday that the members of the Cuban medical missions, which include 650 health professionals sent to Mexico, work in conditions of “slavery” and that 80% of their salaries are stolen by the authorities of the regime…”
https://elamerican.com/report-cuban-doctors-brought-to-mexico-work-in-slavery-conditions/
“…American and Mexican citizens do not require a Temporary Resident Visa to enter Canada, so applications for a CUSMA work permit can be done at any Port of Entry or at a Visa office.
There are four categories of temporary work covered under CUSMA:
“..California students offered freshman admission are more diverse this year as well. Students from underrepresented groups increased to 43.8 percent of admitted California freshmen (37,377), up 2.5 percent from last year (36,462). This year, Latino and Latina students again make up the largest ethnic group among California admitted freshmen at 37.3 percent (31,763), about the same as last year’s 37 percent (31,220). African American students increased from 5.5 percent of admitted students in 2021 (4,608) to 5.7 percent (4,855) this year. While American Indians make up a small but growing proportion of admitted students, offers to these students increased by 36 percent, a gain of 136 students…”
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Forward Daniela Solis is the personification of an ever-growing connection between soccer in the United States and Mexico — one that’s only going to intensify as the 2026 World Cup looms.
Major League Soccer’s All-Star Game against Liga MX counterparts, an expanded Leagues Cup competition next year and a series of women’s exhibition matches this summer all aim to bridge the border…”
