Uncategorized | E. Rowan Mena

Rafael Acevedo (PR Books #6)

February 2, 2011 by E. Rowan

instrumentario by Rafael Acevedo (Isla Negra: 1996). Moneda de sal by Rafael Acevedo (Fragmento imán Editores: 2006). Rafael Acevedo (1960-) is a poet, novelist, playwright and professor of literature at the University of Puerto Rico. He has six books of poetry and three novels. He was the editor of the journal Filo de juego (1983-1987) which was important in defining the poetic movements of the Generación del Ochenta. His poems have been included in several anthologies of Latin American and […]

Categories: Uncategorized • Tags: poetry, Puerto Rico, Rafael Acevedo

Leave a comment

Karen Sevilla (PR Poets #5)

February 2, 2011 by E. Rowan

El mal de los azares by Karen Sevilla (Sótano Editores, 2010). The first woman in this list, and looking through the books, the only female poet I snagged. However, I only bought two works of prose, both by female authors, so I guess that sort of makes up for it? Ok, ok, I’ll do better next time. Gah. So Karen Sevilla (1983-) has her own very active blog here. She’s currently a grad student studying creative writing in Spanish at […]

Categories: Uncategorized • Tags: poetry, Puerto Rico

Leave a comment

Marcos Pérez Ramírez (PR Books #4)

February 2, 2011 by E. Rowan

Alejandría by Marcos Pérez Ramírez (Terranova, 2006). Marcos Pérez Ramírez is a young poet, journalist, and screenwriter. He wrote the script for the 2003 documentary “Vieques en el espejo de Pánama”, which won an Emmy (and can be seen here.) His poems have been published in journals, and he was one of the Puerto Rican poets included in the Antología de la Poesía del Siglo XXI ed. Julio Ortega (on Google books here). This is his first book. And that’s really […]

Categories: Uncategorized • Tags: Marcos Pérez Ramírez, poetry, Puerto Rico

Leave a comment

John Torres (PR Books #3)

February 1, 2011 by E. Rowan

Fiebre de Fresno by John Torres (Terranova Editores, 2009). Available here. John Torres (1977-) is a young, contemporary poet, therapist and professor. His first book, Fracturas del Devenir, was published by Isla Negra in 2006 (reviewed here). This is his second collection. What’s interesting is that with younger poets like John, they’re all over the web. The first poet in this series, though more established, had very limited web presence. Of course, with younger poets, it’s more or less the same stuff […]

Categories: Uncategorized • Tags: John Torres, poetry, Puerto Rico

Leave a comment

Néstor Barreto (PR Books #2)

January 31, 2011 by E. Rowan

Sí by Néstor Barreto (Terranova, 2006). Néstor Barreto (1952—) is described on one of his online bios as a heuristic poet, a word I had to look up. It means experimentally inventive, something to do with trial and error more or less, and that seems to be a great description for this poet. He has five books of poems currently available (this is the latest) and one forthcoming from a series called Colleción Maravilla (book trailer here). He’s the founder of […]

Categories: Uncategorized • Tags: experimental poetry, poetry, prose poetry, Puerto Rico

Leave a comment

José María Lima (PR Books #1)

January 28, 2011 by E. Rowan

Rendijas by José María Lima (Cuadernos La Torre, Editorial de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, 2001). There is a preview available on Google books here. José María Lima (1936-2009) was a poet, mathematician, painter, Marxist, activist and professor. The bulk of his work remained unpublished until the end of his life, when the University of Puerto Rico commissioned the selection and publication in 2001 of this book , Rendijas [roughly Slits or Cracks or Gaps]. His first poems were published […]

Categories: Uncategorized • Tags: Clemente Soto Velez, Francisco Matos Paoli, José María Lima, poetry, Puerto Rico

Travel Report: Books from Puerto Rico

January 27, 2011 by E. Rowan

I just returned from several weeks of travel which took me to three major Latino Caribbean cities: New York, San Juan and Santo Domingo (in order of travel, not importance). Part of the trip was to visit family and introduce my husband to the tradition of the Tres Reyes Fiesta (kind of a big deal for my family in Puerto Rico). Part of the trip was funded by a generous grant from the University of Iowa Study Abroad Office to support my […]

Categories: Uncategorized • Tags: poetry, Puerto Rico, travel

Down the hole Tuesday

January 25, 2011 by E. Rowan

I’ve begun an experiment in structured time. I wasn’t feeling like I was using my time well, and this year is all about making the most of the time before I go back to school, and well…I wasn’t. So since returning home from my research trip to the Dominican Republic, I’ve been imposing structure to my day, which imposes structure to the week. Tuesday, for example, is my reading blogs in the afternoon day. I signed on to my reader […]

Categories: Uncategorized

Leave a comment

Tres Ojos

January 10, 2011 by E. Rowan

Today I did not meet my goal. Today I was not as productive as I intended to be. Today, I went to Los Tres Ojos, an underground cave system in the east part of Santo Domingo. It was amazing. So though no excuse, it did take up the bulk of my day, plus by the time we got back to our neighborhood I was boiling in the heat and humidity. But I did get 1/2 of the way through Praises […]

Categories: Uncategorized • Tags: Aida Cartagena Portalatin, Dominican Republic, Judith Kerman, poetry, review, translation

Leave a comment

Feliz Año Nuevo

January 9, 2011 by E. Rowan

PS – WordPress deleted my tilde first time around. I therefore inadvertantly wished everyone a happy new anus. Though I hope all anuses, whether new or old, are happy, that was not my intent. Hopefully the ñ stayed this time around….Happy New Year! This year started out right for me. Now, don’t get jealous, but I spent last week in Puerto Rico with family. Every year for the past 50 years, my family on my father’s side has gotten together […]

Categories: Uncategorized

E. Rowan Mena

Poet | Book Artist | Translator

Category Archives: Uncategorized

Rafael Acevedo (PR Books #6)

Karen Sevilla (PR Poets #5)

Marcos Pérez Ramírez (PR Books #4)

John Torres (PR Books #3)

Néstor Barreto (PR Books #2)

José María Lima (PR Books #1)

Travel Report: Books from Puerto Rico

Down the hole Tuesday

Tres Ojos

Feliz Año Nuevo