M. Miriam Herrera facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
M Miriam Herrera
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M Miriam Herrera at Russell Sage College, Troy NY, April 2012
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| Born | June 14, 1963 Sutherland, Nebraska |
| Language | English; Spanish |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Illinois, Chicago |
| Genre | Poetry |
| Literary movement | Converso, Chicano |
| Notable works | Kaddish for Columbus |
M. Miriam Herrera (born June 14, 1963) is an American author and poet. She teaches at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. She helps students learn about Mexican culture, how to write well, and how to write creatively. She is part of the Writing Language Studies Department and also works with the Mexican American Studies Program (MASC).
Contents
Early Life and Inspiration
Miriam Herrera was born on June 14, 1963. Her parents were from the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas. She was born in Sutherland, Nebraska, where her parents worked in sugar-beet fields. Later, her family moved to Aurora, Illinois, to find a more stable life away from farm work.
Discovering a Love for Poetry
Miriam started writing poetry when she was in elementary school. This happened after she met Gwendolyn Brooks. Gwendolyn Brooks was a famous poet and was even the Poet Laureate of Illinois. Hearing her read poetry at school inspired Miriam greatly.
Education and Literary Connections
Miriam Herrera went to the University of Illinois at Chicago. In 1981, she earned her Master of Arts degree in Creative Writing. She learned from several important writers and editors there.
Mentors and Fellow Writers
Miriam studied with John Frederic Nims, who was the editor of Poetry Magazine. She also learned from Ralph J. Mills and Paul Carroll. Paul Carroll started the Poetry Center of Chicago. While studying, Miriam was part of a group of Chicano writers. This group included well-known authors like Sandra Cisneros and Ana Castillo.
Teaching and Community Work
Miriam Herrera has taught writing and literature at many colleges. She has taught at the University of Illinois at Chicago, the University of New Mexico–Los Alamos, South Bay College, and Russell Sage College.
Supporting New Writers
She is a member of the Community of Writers at Squaw Valley in California. Miriam also started the Writing Studio and the Medusa Community of Poets & Writers. She created the Audre Lorde Poetry Prize at Russell Sage College. Currently, she helps edit poetry for HaLapid, a journal for the Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies.
Exploring Family History in Poetry
Miriam Herrera's family history includes Crypto-Jews, also known as Conversos. These were people who became Catholic to escape the Spanish Inquisition. Many of them moved to the New World and married Native Americans or other Christians. Her poetry collection, Kaddish for Columbus, explores these different parts of her identity. It looks at how different cultures and ideas come together and change.
Books and Published Poetry
Miriam Herrera has published a book of poetry and many individual poems in different journals and anthologies.
Her Book
- Kaddish for Columbus: Finishing Line Press (2009)
Selected Poems
- "Ahuacatl," "Blessing the Animals," "La Malinche" in Southwestern American Literature (2009)
- "Elegy for an Angelito" in Albatross (2009)
- "Once I Heard My Father Cry" in Earth's Daughters (2008)
- "Kiva at Chaco Canyon" in Rainmakers Prayers Anthology (2008)
- "In the Calyx" in New Millennium Writings (2006–2007)
- "At the Edge of Town" in Squaw Valley Poetry Anthology (2005)
- "Witch Wife" in Artlife: The Original Limited Edition Monthly (Vol. 25, No. 8, Issue No. 273)
- "Father's Love Letter" in New Zoo Poetry Review (Vol. 4)
- "Kaddish for Columbus" in Nimrod International Journal of Prose and Poetry (Vol. 41, No. 2)
- "Kiva at Chaco Canyon" in Blue Mesa Review (No. 3)
- "To Jenny," "First Snow," "Waterfall" in Ecos: A Latino Journal of People's Culture and Literature (Vol. 2, No. 2)
- "Visit Home," "Love Poem for Charles" in Ecos: A Latino Journal of People's Culture and Literature (Vol. 2, No. 1)
- "Driving in Fog," "Dream of Three Girls at Play" in Black Maria (Vol. 4, No. 2)
