LITR 5731: Seminar in American Multicultural Literature

Poetry Presentation, fall 2007

Thursday, 8 November:

Poetry: Pat Mora, "Depression Days"

Poetry reader: Martin D. Briones

Pat Mora

Bio: Mora was born in 1942 in El Paso, Texas. She now has three grown children and lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

• Honorary Doctorate in Letters from SUNY Buffalo in 2006
• 2006 National Hispanic Cultural Center Literary Award
• 2003 Civitella Ranieri Fellowship to write in Umbria, Italy
• Visiting Carruthers Chair at the University of New Mexico
• Recipient and Judge of the Poetry Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts
• Recipient and Advisor of the Kellogg National Leadership Fellowships

3c. Mexican American narrative: “The Ambivalent Minority”

("Ambivalent" means having "mixed feelings" or contradictory attitudes. Mexican Americans as a group may feel or exemplify mixed feelings about whether they are a distinct, aggrieved minority group or an immigrant culture that will assimilate. As individuals or families who come to America for economic gain but suffer social dislocation, Mexican Americans resemble the dominant immigrant culture. On the other hand, much of Mexico's historic experience with the USA resembles the experience of the Native Americans: much of the United States, including Texas, was once Mexico. Does a Mexican who moves from Juarez to El Paso truly immigrate? In any case, it’s not just another immigrant story.)