Yesterday, Lamar University Press released my latest book, Flower, Song, Dance: Aztec and Mayan Poetry. I’d like to express my gratitude to the many people who helped get this project off the ground, especially my editor, Jerry Craven, and the two artists whose work makes the book an even richer…
Here you stand, Our eagle, our jaguar— A jewel for this family, Quetzal-feather, Beloved son. May you never take this union lightly. Already it has become Your world, Your nature— Your life is wholly different now. No longer will your heart Be burdened by vice, For you have abandoned The…
Motoori Norinaga was a Japanese scholar and poet in the 16th century who emphasized mono no aware or “the pathos of things” in his literary philosophy, insisting on the role of empathy in life and in composition. The following waka is one of his most famous poems: it was usurped…
My article entitled “Translating ‘An Otomi Song of Spring’” has been accepted for publication by Translation Review, the journal of the American Literary Translators Association (ALTA), housed at The University of Texas at Dallas. ALTA is the only organization in the United States dedicated wholly to literary translation, and it…
Japanese poet Bashō composed the following haiku in the winter of 1694, just four days before his death. At the time, despite his illness, he had embarked on another trek across the Japanese countryside. Ill on a journey— Through desolate fields my dreams Aimlessly wander. —Translated by David Bowles, July…
I’ll be presenting and reading from Flower, Song, Dance: Aztec and Mayan Poetry this September 5, 2013, at the Langdon Review Weekend. Langdon Review of the Arts in Texas is an annual publication of Tarleton State University providing an overview of the year’s most exciting cultural accomplishments in Texas. The…
My translation of “The Song of Moquihuitzin” from the Aztec codex Songs of Mexico (Cantares Mexicanos) will be published in issue 19 of BorderSenses, a great literary journal.
December 27, 2012: Classical Recommendations for 2013 December 20, 2012: Some Teen Christmas Picks December 13, 2012: Powerful Poems and Purple Days November 29, 2012: The Consequences of Playing God November 22, 2012: Exploration of Indigenous Literature November 8, 2012: Instructional Strategies from a Samurai November 1, 2012: Two Timeless…
Lamar University Press has unveiled the cover for my upcoming volume of Mesoamerican verse, which is titled Flower, Song, Dance: Aztec and Mayan Poetry. Details can be found at http://www.lamaruniversitypress.org/coming-soon.php
On May 8th, 9th and 10th I presented, accompanied by artist Noé Vela, to six different middle schools in the Brownsville Independent School District. Focusing on Mexican Bestiary, our presentations consisted of readings, live art, signings and discussions. Here are images courtesy BISD’s library services department:
