Norma Elia Cantú
Encyclopedia
Norma Elia Cantú is a Chicana postmodernist writer and a professor
of English
at the University of Texas at San Antonio
. She was born in Nuevo Laredo
, Tamaulipas
, Mexico
to Florentino Cantú Vargas and the former Virginia Ramón Becerra. She was reared in Laredo, Texas
, the seat of Webb County
, and attended public schools there. Prior to her UTSA professorship, Cantu taught in Laredo at Texas A&M International University
.
in 1970. She received her bachelor of science
degree in English and political science
from Texas A&M International University in Laredo, from which she graduated summa cum laude in 1973. She received her master of science
degree in English with a minor in political science from Texas A&I University‑Kingsville in 1976 and her Ph.D.
in English from the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1982.
On June 2, 2011, World Literature Today
announced that Cantú had been named a juror for the prestigious Neustadt International Prize for Literature
for 2012. Cantú has nominated Mexican author Elena Poniatowska
for the award.
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of English
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
at the University of Texas at San Antonio
University of Texas at San Antonio
The University of Texas at San Antonio, commonly referred to as UTSA, is a state university in San Antonio, Texas. With an enrollment of more than 30,000 students, it is the third-largest of nine universities and six health institutions in the University of Texas System and the eighth-largest in...
. She was born in Nuevo Laredo
Nuevo Laredo
Nuevo Laredo is a city located in the Municipality of Nuevo Laredo in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. The city lies on the banks of the Río Grande, across from the United States city of Laredo, Texas. The 2010 census population of the city was 373,725. Nuevo Laredo is part of the Laredo-Nuevo...
, Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas
Tamaulipas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 43 municipalities and its capital city is Ciudad Victoria. The capital city was named after Guadalupe Victoria, the...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
to Florentino Cantú Vargas and the former Virginia Ramón Becerra. She was reared in Laredo, Texas
Laredo, Texas
Laredo is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, located on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 236,091 making it the 3rd largest on the United States-Mexican border,...
, the seat of Webb County
Webb County, Texas
Webb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. The official 2010 population for the county is 250,304. In 2000, its population was 193,117, and in 2006 its population had been estimated to have reached to 231,470. Its county seat is Laredo...
, and attended public schools there. Prior to her UTSA professorship, Cantu taught in Laredo at Texas A&M International University
Texas A&M International University
Texas A&M International University, often referred to as TAMIU, is a public, co-educational, state-supported university located in Laredo, Texas...
.
Education
Cantú received her A.A. degree from Laredo Community CollegeLaredo Community College
The Laredo Community College, or LCC, was established as Laredo Junior College on September 28, 1947, by the Laredo Independent School District in Laredo, the seat of Webb County in south Texas...
in 1970. She received her bachelor of science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in English and political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
from Texas A&M International University in Laredo, from which she graduated summa cum laude in 1973. She received her master of science
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
degree in English with a minor in political science from Texas A&I University‑Kingsville in 1976 and her Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in English from the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1982.
On June 2, 2011, World Literature Today
World Literature Today
World Literature Today is an American magazine, published bimonthly at the University of Oklahoma. It was founded in 1927 by Roy Temple House as Books Abroad. In January 1977, the journal became World Literature Today...
announced that Cantú had been named a juror for the prestigious Neustadt International Prize for Literature
Neustadt International Prize for Literature
The Neustadt International Prize for Literature is a biennial award for literature sponsored by the University of Oklahoma and its international literary publication, World Literature Today. It is widely considered to be the most prestigious international literary prize after the Nobel Prize in...
for 2012. Cantú has nominated Mexican author Elena Poniatowska
Elena Poniatowska
Elena Poniatowska is a Mexican journalist and author. Her generation of writers include Carlos Fuentes, José Emilio Pacheco and Carlos Monsiváis.-Life:Poniatowska was born in Paris to Prince Jean Joseph Evremont Sperry Poniatowski and Paula Amor Yturbe...
for the award.
Books
- Forthcoming. Soldiers of the Cross: Los matachines de la Santa Cruz. Texas A&M University Press
- Forthcoming. Co-editor with Inés Hernández Ávila, Entre Malinche y Guadalupe: Tejanas in Literature and Art. 2002
- Editor. Flor y Ciencia: Chicanas in Mathematics, Science and Engineering. AAAS Adelante Project. 2006
- Co-editor with Olga Najera Ramírez. Changing Chicana Traditions, University of Illinois Press. 2001
- Telling to Live: Latina Feminist Testimonios. Co-editor with the Latina Feminst Group. Individual pieces included: "Getting there cuando no hay camino," "A Working Class Brujas Fears," and two poems: "Migraine" and "Reading the Body." Duke University Press.*Santuarios: Program Essay. The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center Rockefeller Gateways Program Performance. 2000
- "Realidad Fronteriza" in Cariatides. 2000
- "Police Blotter," Colorado Review. 2000
- Canícula: Imágenes de una niñez fronteriza. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1999
- "Diamond," A Quien Corresponda, Revista Literaria, Cd. Victoria, Tamps. 1999
- "Tino" and "Perpetuo Socorro," in Aztlán in Viet Nam, University of California Press. 1998
- "Capirotada" in Stirring Prose, Texas A&M Press. 1998
- "Adios en Madrid," Proyecto Scheherazade, electronic journal. 1998
- "El luto," in Ventana Abierta. 1998
- "Decolonizing the Mind" and "Trojan Horse" in Floricanto Sí: U.S. Latina Poetry. New York: Penguin. 1998
- Canícula: Snapshots of a Girlhood en la frontera. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, paperback edition. 1997
- "Bailando y Cantando," short story, "Las diosas," "Decolonizing the Mind," and "Fiestas de diciembre," poems in Blue Mesa Review, number 9, University of New Mexico. 1997
- "Letters Home/Letters from Home," sporadic column of poetry and prose in the monthly LareDOS. 1996.
- "Tino" and "Papi," in In Short. Judith Kitchen and Mary Paumier Jones, eds. New York: Norton. 1995
- Canícula: Snapshots of a Girlhood en la frontera. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. Winner, 1995 Premio Aztlán Literary PrizePremio Aztlán Literary PrizeThe Premio Aztlán Literary Prize is a national literary award for emerging Chicana/o Chicano authors, founded in 1993 by Rudolfo and Patricia Anaya...
- "Nebraska Family: A Tryptich," Nebraska Humanist.1994
- Chapters 42-44 from Canícula and "Action, Thought, Spirit"(poem) in Prairie Schooner.1992 *"Snapshots of a Girlhood en la frontera," in The Texas Humanist
- "Se me enchina el cuerpo al oir tu cuento" short story New Chicano/a Literature, University of Arizona Press.
- "Unemployed", poem, Huehuetitlan. 1983
- "Untitled", poem, Huehuetitlan. 1983
Book reviews
- 1995 "Fiesta, fe, y cultura," in American Folklore Society Journal.
- 1995 "Carry Me Like Water" in The Washington Post, Book World.
- 1995 "My History Not Yours: The Formation of Mexican American Autobiography," in Western Historical Quarterly.
- 1993 "No Short Journeys: The Interplay of Culture in the History and Literature of the Borderlands," in Western Historical Quarterly.
- 1992 "Footlights Across the Border: A History of Spanish Language Professional Theater on the Texas Stage," Journal of Popular Culture.
- 1991 "Mixed Blessings," in Texas Humanist, Spring.
- 1984 "Woman of Her Word," in La Red/The Net.
- 1984 "Cuentos: Stories by Latinas," in La Red/The Net.
- 1979 "Chicano Voices," in English in Texas.
- 1978 "Selina," in Prairie Schooner.
- 1978 "César Chávez: Autobiography of La Causa," in Prairie Schooner.
Further reading
- Art at Our Doorstep: San Antonio Writers and Artists featuring Norma Elia Cantú. Edited by Nan Cuba and Riley Robinson (Trinity University Press, 2008).