Martín Espada
Encyclopedia
Martín Espada is a Latino poet, and professor at the University of Massachusetts
Amherst
, where he teaches poetry. Puerto Rico
has frequently been featured as a theme in his poems.
in history from the University of Wisconsin–Madison
and a J.D.
from Northeastern University (Boston, Massachusetts). For many years, he worked as a tenant lawyer and a supervisor of a legal services program. In 1982, Espada published his first book of political poems, The Immigrant Iceboy's Bolero, featuring photography by his father. This was followed by Trumpets from the Islands of their Eviction (1987) and Rebellion is the Circle of a Lover's Hands. Espada is the Poet Laureate
of Northampton, Massachusetts
.
In 2009, Espada performed in The People Speak
a documentary feature film that uses dramatic and musical performances of the letters, diaries, and speeches of everyday Americans, based on historian Howard Zinn
's A People's History of the United States
.
Martín Espada lives in Amherst, Massachusetts with his wife Catherine Gilbert Espada and his son Klemente Gilbert-Espada.
University of Massachusetts
This article relates to the statewide university system. For the flagship campus often referred to as "UMass", see University of Massachusetts Amherst...
Amherst
Amherst, Massachusetts
Amherst is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States in the Connecticut River valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 37,819, making it the largest community in Hampshire County . The town is home to Amherst College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts...
, where he teaches poetry. Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
has frequently been featured as a theme in his poems.
Life and career
Espada was born in Brooklyn, New York. He was introduced to political activism at an early age by his father, a leader in the Puerto Rican community and the civil rights movement. Espada received a B.A.Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in history from the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
and a J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from Northeastern University (Boston, Massachusetts). For many years, he worked as a tenant lawyer and a supervisor of a legal services program. In 1982, Espada published his first book of political poems, The Immigrant Iceboy's Bolero, featuring photography by his father. This was followed by Trumpets from the Islands of their Eviction (1987) and Rebellion is the Circle of a Lover's Hands. Espada is the Poet Laureate
Poet Laureate
A poet laureate is a poet officially appointed by a government and is often expected to compose poems for state occasions and other government events...
of Northampton, Massachusetts
Northampton, Massachusetts
The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of Northampton's central neighborhoods, was 28,549...
.
In 2009, Espada performed in The People Speak
The People Speak (film)
The People Speak is a documentary feature film that uses dramatic and musical performances of the letters, diaries, and speeches of everyday Americans. The film gives voice to those who, by insisting on equality and justice, spoke up for social change throughout U.S...
a documentary feature film that uses dramatic and musical performances of the letters, diaries, and speeches of everyday Americans, based on historian Howard Zinn
Howard Zinn
Howard Zinn was an American historian, academic, author, playwright, and social activist. Before and during his tenure as a political science professor at Boston University from 1964-88 he wrote more than 20 books, which included his best-selling and influential A People's History of the United...
's A People's History of the United States
A People's History of the United States
Chapter 7, "As Long As Grass Grows or Water Runs" discusses 19th century conflicts between the U.S. government and Native Americans and Indian removal, especially during the administrations of Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren....
.
Martín Espada lives in Amherst, Massachusetts with his wife Catherine Gilbert Espada and his son Klemente Gilbert-Espada.
Awards and honours
- Paterson Award for Sustained Literary Achievement, for Poetry, and Alabanza: New and Selected Poems
- Robert Creeley Award
- Antonia Pantoja Award
- Independent Publisher Book Award
- Gustavus Myers Outstanding Book Award
- PEN/Revson Fellowship
- NEANational Endowment for the ArtsThe National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
Fellowships. - Massachusetts Artist's Fellowship
- Paterson Poetry Prize
- United States ArtistsUnited States ArtistsUnited States Artists is an independent nonprofit and nongovernmental philanthropic organization based in Los Angeles, California and dedicated to supporting the work of living American artists by the granting of cash awards, called USA Fellowships...
Fellow Award
Works
- Rebellion is the Circle of a Lover’s Hands (1990).
- City of Coughing and Dead Radiators (1993)
- Imagine the Angels of Bread (1996)
- A Mayan Astronomer in Hell’s Kitchen (2000)
- Alabanza: New and Selected Poems (1982–2002) (2003)
- The Republic of Poetry (W. W. Norton & Company, 2006)
- The Trouble Ball: Poems (W. W. Norton & Company, 2011)
See also
- List of Puerto Rican writers
- List of Famous Puerto Ricans
- Puerto Rican literature
External links
- Martín Espada Official site
- Martín Espada Papers, Amherst College Archives and Special Collections
- Martín Espada at Modern American Poetry
- Academy of American Poets
- Martín Espada reads "The Soldiers in the Garden" from The Republic of Poetry. Audio files
- Martín Espada reads "Who Burns for the Perfection of Paper" from Alabanza. Video
Interviews
- "A Branch on the Tree of Whitman: Martín Espada on the 150th Anniversary of Leaves of Grass. " Quay 1.1 (May–June 2007): 1-12. Carvalho, Edward J
- "A Branch on the Tree of Whitman: Martín Espada on the 150th Anniversary of Leaves of Grass. Whitman's Influence Spec. issue of Walt Whitman Quarterly Review 26.1 (Summer 2008): 23-34. Carvalho, Edward J (Reprint from Quay 1.1)
- "A Branch on the Tree of Whitman: Martín Espada on the 150th Anniversary of Leaves of Grass." MartinEspada.net (Reprint from Quay 1.1).
- "'Taking Back the Street Corner' (Interview with Martín Espada at UMass, 5 Mar. 2008)." Academic Freedom and Intellectual Activism in the Post-9/11 University. Carvalho, Edward J., and David B. Downing, eds. Spec. issue of Works and Days 51-54, 26-27.1/4 (2008–09): 539-52.
- "The Greatest Poet of the 20th Century in Any Language"--Celebrating Chilean Poet Pablo Neruda: Interview with Martín Espada. Goodman, Amy. Democracy Now.org. 16 July 2004.
- Interview with Martín Espada. FPIF.org (Foreign Policy in Focus). 4 Apr. 2007. Miller, E. Ethelbert.
- "Martín Espada: Poetry and The Burden of History." Ratiner, Steven. Christian Science Monitor (March 6, 1991).