Rhina Espaillat facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rhina Espaillat
Born	(1932-01-20) January 20, 1932 (age 93) Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Occupation	Poet
Alma mater	Hunter College Queens College

Rhina Polonia Espaillat, born on January 20, 1932, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, is a talented poet and translator. She writes in both English and Spanish. Rhina is known for her connection to a poetry style called New Formalism. This style uses traditional rules like rhyme and rhythm.

She has published many collections of her own poems. Her work has also appeared in popular books of poetry. These include The Heath Introduction to Poetry and The Muse Strikes Back.

Rhina grew up in Hell's Kitchen in New York City. Her family became refugees from the Dominican Republic. This happened because of the government leader, Rafael Trujillo. She had her first poems published when she was only 15 years old. At 16, she became the youngest member ever of the Poetry Society of America.

Rhina's poems often describe her family and everyday life. She calls these poems "snapshots." She also writes funny and thoughtful poems. These poems sometimes retell stories from the Christian Bible or Classical mythology. Rhina is proud of her Latina heritage. She is also proud to be a loving wife and mother. She feels grateful to the United States for giving her family a safe home.

Rhina Espaillat is also famous for translating poems. She has translated Christian poems from Spanish into English. She also translates famous Spanish and Latin American poems. She has even translated poems by American poets like Robert Frost into Spanish. People praise her for finding the perfect Spanish words for Frost's unique style.

About Rhina Espaillat's Life

Her Family Background

Rhina Espaillat's family has a mix of backgrounds. They are from Afro-Dominican, Spanish, French, and Arawak roots. Her father, Carlos Manuel Homero Espaillat Brache, was a diplomat. Her mother was Dulce María Batista. Rhina's aunt started the first ballet school in La Vega. Her great-uncle, Rafael Brache, was also a diplomat and her godfather.

Her Early Years

Rhina Espaillat was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on January 20, 1932. Her parents soon moved back to their hometown of La Vega. This town was founded by Christopher Columbus a long time ago.

Growing up, Rhina's family lived near an old fort. They were surrounded by many relatives and friends. Everyone loved art, music, and poetry. Rhina often visited her mother's family in Jarabacoa, a beautiful resort area.

Rhina started writing poems in Spanish when she was only four years old. Her grandmother wrote them down for her. She told Rhina that her poems were wonderful.

In 1937, when Rhina was five, her family went to Washington, D.C. Her great-uncle, Rafael Brache, was the head of the Dominican group there. Rhina's father was the secretary.

Rafael Brache had supported the leader Rafael Trujillo. But in 1937, Trujillo ordered a terrible event. About 20,000 Haitians in the Dominican Republic were killed in what is known as the Parsley massacre. Rafael Brache was horrified. He wrote a letter to Trujillo saying he could not support such a terrible act.

Trujillo was very angry. The Dominican Congress declared Brache and other critics "enemies of the fatherland." Brache and Rhina's father knew they would be in danger if they returned home. The United States Federal Government gave them political asylum. This meant they could stay safely in the U.S. They settled in New York City.

During this time, Rhina's mother had a miscarriage. After she recovered, she secretly went back to the Dominican Republic. She left Rhina with her grandmother in La Vega. She said goodbye to her family and returned to the U.S. without being caught.

For two years, Rhina lived with her grandmother and aunts in La Vega. They often recited Spanish poetry aloud. Her grandmother also played Spanish classical guitar. Rhina says these experiences made her a "poet of the ear." In 1939, Rhina joined her parents in New York City.

Life as a Refugee

As a child, Rhina quickly learned English. She got used to life in Manhattan during World War II. But she missed her family in the Dominican Republic.

Rhina remembered that her father explained that many people were like them. They were running from bad leaders. He said, "The world is full of people like us, because the world is full of people just like Rafael Trujillo."

Rhina's parents loved to read Spanish literature and history. From age five, Rhina listened to her father recite poems. He recited poems from Spain's Golden Age and from Latin America. She heard poems by famous writers like Teresa of Ávila and St. John of the Cross.

Her father made her speak only Castilian Spanish at home. He also insisted she speak both English and Spanish correctly. He did not want her to mix the languages. Even though it was hard, Rhina is now thankful. She says it made her "truly bilingual."

When she was in elementary school, Rhina loved visiting the library. She found a book called A Treasury of Great Poems English and American. She wanted it, but her family could not afford it. Her godfather, Rafael Brache, bought it for her as a Christmas gift in 1943.

Rhina called getting this book "another turning point in my life." She said, "I ate it up! It's such a marvellous book, and it became my poetic Bible." She still cherishes the book today. Rhina started writing poems in English when she was eight. Her first poem that still exists, First Snowfall, was written when she was ten.

Early Success as a Poet

When Rhina was 15, her English teacher, Catherine Haydon Jacobs, sent her poems to The Ladies Home Journal. Rhina was surprised when the magazine accepted three of her poems. She thought, "This can't be happening! This only happens to poets!"

After her poems were published in November 1947, they appeared regularly in the magazine. She even had poems in a British magazine. She received many fan letters from all over the world.

Catherine Jacobs also sent Rhina's poems to the Poetry Society of America. They changed their rules to let Rhina join. At 16, she was their youngest member ever.

Taking a Break from Poetry

Rhina graduated from Hunter College in 1953. In 1952, she married Alfred Moskowitz. She then worked as a public school teacher and raised her two sons. During this time, she wrote less poetry. She was encouraged by Alfred Dorn, who later helped start New Formalism.

After Rafael Trujillo was killed in 1961, Rhina's relatives could finally visit her in Flushing, Queens. Her cousins charmed her friends and neighbors. Rhina wrote about this in her poem Translation.

Rhina's great-uncle, Rafael Brache, returned to the Dominican Republic. But Rhina's parents stayed in the U.S. They had made many friends and their lives were centered there.

In 1964, Rhina earned her master's degree from Queens College. She and her husband taught English in New York City public schools for many years.

In 1990, she retired early. She and Alfred moved to Newburyport, Massachusetts, to be near their sons and grandchildren. Rhina missed writing poetry. Her husband told her to retire early and focus on what she loved. In Newburyport, she started writing poetry again. She also led a local poetry group, the Powow River Poets. Under her leadership, it became a New Formalist group.

Return to Poetry

Rhina attended the first West Chester University Poetry Conference in 1995. She was the only Hispanic person there. But she found that everyone was open to different cultures and focused on the craft of poetry.

She taught classes on different poetry forms. She taught French forms and forms with repetition. She also taught Spanish and Hispanic forms like the décima and the ovillejo.

Because of Rhina's teaching, the ovillejo became very popular among younger poets. She happily said that "everybody loves it."

Since returning to poetry, Rhina's work has appeared in many journals. She has won the Howard Nemerov Sonnet Award twice. Her book Where Horizons Go won the T. S. Eliot Prize in 1998. Her 2001 book, Rehearsing Absence, won the Richard Wilbur Award.

Rhina Espaillat's Literary Work

As a Literary Translator

Rhina Espaillat writes poems in both English and Spanish. She has translated poems by Robert Frost and Richard Wilbur into Spanish.

She said that translating Frost's poems was hard. Especially poems with unique New Hampshire slang. But she was happy with her shorter translations. She believes her translations keep Frost's rhymes and rhythms. For her translations of Frost, she won the Tree at My Window Award. Ten of her translations are even placed along the Robert Frost Trail in Lawrence, Massachusetts.

Rhina has also translated many Spanish and Latin American poems into English. She has translated poems by poets from the Dominican Republic, other Latin American countries, and Spain. She has also translated poems from Portuguese, Catalan, Middle French, Middle Welsh, Latin, Czech, and Tagalog.

Rhina believes translation is very important. She said, "I can't imagine a world without translation." She thinks translators should be humble. They should try to understand the original poem as much as possible. Their main job is to move the poem from one language to another with as little change as possible.

As a Latina Writer

Rhina grew up when people expected immigrants to forget their old cultures. But she believes in encouraging bilingualism. She tells young Hispanic people to keep their Spanish strong. She encourages them to translate between languages. She says, "We need you! Both languages need you to bridge the gap."

Rhina also says that Spanish classical guitar music has influenced her poetry. She especially loves the music of Joaquín Rodrigo.

Even though she uses both languages in her poem Bilingual/Bilingüe, she does not like Spanglish. She believes that both Spanish and English are important languages. She thinks they should be spoken and written correctly.

Rhina Espaillat's Personal Life

Rhina Espaillat met her husband, Alfred Moskowitz, at a wedding in 1951. She was a college student. Five weeks later, he proposed, and they married in June 1952. Rhina was 21.

Alfred was the son of Romanian Jewish immigrants. He was a teacher, a union organizer, and a sculptor. He fought in World War II. He brought a sense of realism to their home. He had fought for freedom and justice.

Rhina and Alfred had many talks about their different backgrounds. They came from different cultures. But they found each other and were very happy together. Rhina said, "In life, we never know when the important things are going to happen."

After they married, they moved to Flushing, Queens. They both continued teaching in New York City public schools. They were also active members of the United Federation of Teachers. Rhina said their home was often a "strike headquarters." This made them loyal to the labor movement. They believed in workers' rights for everyone.

Alfred let Rhina keep publishing under her maiden name, Espaillat. But in legal papers, she signed as Mrs. Alfred Moskowitz. They also supported the American Civil Rights Movement and protested the Vietnam War.

They were married for many years until Alfred died in February 2016. They had three sons. Rhina said that after losing her husband, she felt like "Where’s the rest of me?" She believes that true feminism means being important to others and helping them.

Rhina Espaillat Today

Rhina Espaillat does not like political poetry. She believes poetry should not be used to change political systems. Poets can express their feelings, but poetry should not be like political slogans.

She prefers to use irony and clever ideas to talk about social injustice. This is like the old Baroque and Metaphysical poets.

In 2017, Rhina criticized Donald Trump. She also criticized the way identity politics was dividing people. She believes people should fight for everyone's rights. She said, "We need to become a whole tapestry of people who are fighting for all rights."

After the 2020 Presidential Election, many poets asked Joe Biden to choose Rhina to read her poetry at his inauguration. They said she has a kind and understanding view of people.

Rhina said she would have loved to do it. She felt grateful to the U.S. for giving her family a home. She said, "This country saved us from a lot of grief. It has given me everything that I really love in the world." Biden chose Amanda Gorman instead.

In January 2021, Rhina said she was sad about the mistakes Donald Trump made. She believes a democracy needs more than one political party. She said, "We need something to argue over because that is the way that we arrive at the right way to do things."

She hopes that Americans can overcome their political differences. She believes in the Statue of Liberty and its message of welcome for immigrants.

See also

In Spanish: Rhina Espaillat para niños