Mayra Santos-Febres | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1966 (age 57–58) Carolina, Puerto Rico |
| Notable works | Pez de Vidrio (translated to English as Urban Oracles), Sirena Selena vestida de pena |
| Notable awards | Guggenheim Fellowship, long-listed for IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, Juan Rulfo Award, Letras de Oro |
| Website | |
| mayrasantosfebres | |
Mayra Santos-Febres (born 1966 in Carolina) is a Puerto Rican author, poet, novelist, professor of literature, essayist, and literary critic and author of children's books. [1] Her work focuses on themes of race, diaspora identity, female sexuality, gender fluidity, desire, and power. [2] [3] She is a cultural activist who helps to bring books to young readers and the less fortunate. [4] Her writings have been translated into French, English, German, and Italian. [5] [1]
Santos-Febres was born in 1966 to parents who were both schoolteachers. Her mother, Mariana Febres Falu was an Elementary School teacher of Spanish. Her father, Juan Santos Hernandez, was a high school teacher of Puerto Rican History. He was also a baseball player. Later, he became the Director of Sports and Recreation Department in the township of Carolina, Puerto Rico. Mayra Santos-Febres began writing at the age of five because her asthma did not permit her to "climb trees or ride bikes like the kids in the neighborhood." [6] She states that her disability, combined with her educator parents' knack for keeping books in the house, catapulted her into the beginnings of her writing career. At the age of fifteen, after writing poetry for ten years, she was encouraged to take her writing seriously by Ivonn Sanavitis, the only female teacher who was not a nun at her Catholic school Colegio Lourdes, Puerto Rico. [6]
Santos-Febres completed her undergraduate work at the University of Puerto Rico in 1991 and currently holds an M.A. and Ph.D. from Cornell University. She has been a visiting professor at Rutgers University, Harvard university and Cornell University as well as at Universidad Complutense de Madrid in Spain and Universidad del Valle in Cali, Colombia [7] [8]
While still an undergraduate at the University of Puerto Rico, Santos-Febres had her work published in magazines and journal reviews such as Casa de las Américas in Cuba, Página doce in Argentina, Revue Noire in France and Review: Latin American Literature and Arts, in New York. [5] [1] Santos-Febres acknowledged in El País the Puerto Rican narrators who influenced her career: “I come from a long tradition of women writers, Rosario Ferré, Giannina Braschi, Ana Lydia Vega. Mayra Santos-Febres got a bachelor's degree in Hispanic Studies, from the University of Puerto Rico which she graduated with high honors in 1987.” [9]
In 1991, Santos-Febres published her first two collections of poetry, Anamu y manigua and El orden escapado, to critical acclaim. [10] In 1994, Santos-Febres won the Letras de Oro literary prize for her collection of short stories Pez de Vidrio. [11] "Oso Blanco," a short story from this collection, also won the Juan Rulfo Prize in 1996. [12] [13] Pez de Vidrio (Urban Oracles) contains 15 short stories about the complicated relationships between sexuality, race, gender identity, social status, and political status in modern Caribbean society.
Santos-Febres' first novel was Sirena Selena vestida de pena (Spain: Grijalbo Mondadori, 2000) about a teenaged drag queen who works in the streets and sings boleros. [2] [14] A finalist for the 2001 Rómulo Gallego’s Prize for the Novel, it won the PEN Club of Puerto Rico’s prize for Best Novel. Random House Mondadori published her second novel, Cualquier miércoles soy tuya, in 2002. Cualquier Miercoles Soy Tuya (Any Wednesday I'm yours) was also translated in English and was published by Penguin Books in 2002. Her third novel, Nuestra Señora de las noche (Rayo/HarperCollins, 2008), was a finalist for the Premio Primavera Literary Award and won Puerto Rico’s 2007 Premio Nacional de Literatura. Her other novels include Nuestra Señora de la Noche (Our Lady of the Night), [15] Fe en disfraz (2009) and La amante de Gardel (2015). [16]
Santos-Febres teaches at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, where she specializes in African, Caribbean, and feminist literature. She also is the Executive Director of Festival de la Palabra in Puerto Rico. [7] [8] [17] She also reviews books on Univision television and hosts the Radio Universidad show En su tinta (sources?). Currently she is the Principal Investigator for PRAFRO, the AfroDiasporic and Race Studies Program at the University of Puerto Rico, founded by the Mellon Foundation. She is also a member of SCORES, Kellog Foundation's Solidarity Council for Racial Equity.
Isabel Luberza Oppenheimer, better known as "Isabel la Negra", was a Puerto Rican brothel owner and madam in barrio Maragüez, Ponce, Puerto Rico. Her name and her brothel, Elizabeth's Dancing Club, became part of Puerto Rican folklore both during her life and posthumously.
Alejandro Tapia y Rivera was a Puerto Rican poet, playwright, essayist and writer. Tapia is considered to be the father of Puerto Rican literature and as the person who has contributed the most to the cultural advancement of Puerto Rico's literature. In addition to his writing, he was also an abolitionist and a women's rights advocate.
Lunna is a Puerto Rican singer of popular music and jazz who was the director of the television show Objetivo Fama, the Latin version of American Idol.
Puerto Rican literature is the body of literature produced by writers of Puerto Rican descent. It evolved from the art of oral storytelling. Written works by the indigenous inhabitants of Puerto Rico were originally prohibited and repressed by the Spanish colonial government.
Mayra Montero is a well-known Cuban-Puerto Rican writer.
Magali García Ramis is a Puerto Rican writer.
Carmen Nydia Velázquez is a Puerto Rican comedian, actress and singer. She is best known for her fictional role in the comedic duo Susa y Epifanio which has been featured in popular radio and television programs in Puerto Rico for 30 years.
Encarnita "Kany" García de Jesús is a Puerto Rican singer and songwriter. Born in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, García first appeared on television in 2004 as a contestant on Objetivo Fama. She is widely considered the most successful non-winner in the history of the show.
Cualquier Día is Latin Grammy winning album and debut Spanish album of Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Kany García. It reached the top 10 of the Latin Pop album charts in the United States, top 50 in Mexico and #1 in Puerto Rico. The album was released on September 17, 2008 and produced by Sony BMG. It was released to critical acclaim.
Boleto De Entrada, is the second studio album recorded by Latin Grammy winner, Puerto Rican-American singer-songwriter Kany García. It reached the top 10 of the album charts in both the United States Latin charts and #1 in Puerto Rico. The album witch released by Sony Music Latin on September 22, 2009. The album witch produced by himself and co-produced by Andrés Castro and Rubén Leyva. On Wednesday, September 8, 2010, Boleto De Entrada received a nomination for the 2010 Latin Grammy Awards in the category of "Best Female Pop Vocal Album". This was García's second nomination in this category, she previously won in this category in 2008. Boleto De Entrada was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album in the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards held on Sunday, February 13, 2011.
American literature in Spanish in the United States dates back as 1610 when the Spanish explorer Gaspar Pérez de Villagrá published his epic poem Historia de Nuevo México. He was an early chronicler of the conquest of the Americas and a forerunner of Spanish-language literature in the United States given his focus on the American landscape and the customs of the people. However, it was not until the late 20th century that Spanish language literature written by Americans was regularly published in the United States.
Irene Vilar is a Puerto Rican American editor, literary agent, environmental advocate, and author of several books dealing with national and generational trauma and women's reproductive rights.
Empire of Dreams is a postmodern poetry epic by Puerto Rican author Giannina Braschi, who is considered "one of the most revolutionary voices in Latin American literature today".
Anarchism as a social movement is one of the manifestations of the political left within the working classes of Puerto Rico, having its peak during the late 19th and early 20th century. Anarchism was predominantly present within, but not exclusive to, the working classes that emerged as the sociopolitical environment changed. The municipalities of Caguas and Bayamón were the epicenters of the movement. It was also recorded in other industrial centers, such as Ponce, San Juan, Arecibo, Cayey, Cidra, Juncos, Vega Baja, Utuado, Lares, Yauco and Mayagüez. Despite sharing some core values, Puerto Rican anarchism was heterogeneous in nature. In general, Puerto Rican anarchism was distinctly anti-organized religion, in particular against the Catholic Church that had retained considerable influence since the beginning of Spanish colonialism. Following the Treaty of Paris, it also grew to oppose American sovereignty, as it perceived that the island was being forced into servitude with an Americanization initiative, leading to distinct antiauthoritarian stances against both foreign and local politicians, the wealthy higher classes and American labor unions. However, on principle the anarchists opposed joining the independence movement.
Madison Sara Anderson Berríos is a Puerto Rican-American model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Universe Puerto Rico 2019. She represented Puerto Rico at Miss Universe 2019 competition where she finished as the 1st Runner-Up. In 2023 she was the winner of the season 3 of La Casa de los Famosos.
Ivette Román-Roberto, also known as Ivette Román, is a Puerto Rican performer and experimental vocalist known for her work in extended voice performance and free improvisation. She has been performing nationally and internationally since the 1980s, and has been recognized by the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture. According to the Houston Press, "Ivette is the secret weapon of Houston experimental music."
Rosa Idalia Velázquez, better known as Rosita Velázquez, is a Puerto Rican comedian, actress and singer. She is best known for her participation in television comedy shows such as "Mi Hippie me Encanta", "En Casa de JuanMa y Wiwi" and "Los Kakukómicos". As a singer, Velázquez was a member of the popular Puerto Rican music group, "Moliendo Vidrio".
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
