Honoring Multi-Ethnic Literatures in the United States

Posted on April 24, 2012 by writeherewritenow

During the weekend of April 19-22nd , Santa Clara University hosted the 26th Annual Conference of the Society for the Study of the Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States (MELUS). I supported the conference by giving a presentation on the work of Francisco Jiménez, a writer and professor from SCU.  This is a short version of my presentation:

The Circuit

Given the impact of economic and technological developments on the world and the university, Francisco Jiménez’s books challenge us to think differently in the context of new poverty, globalization, and borders. Jimenez’s unfolding series of autobiographies, specifically The Circuit (1997) Breaking Through (2001) and Reaching Out (2008) are among the most poignant narratives published in the last few years dealing with the experience of an undocumented child migrant farm worker in theU.S.  Francisco Jiménez’s books invite readers to understand a set of cultural values that include both sides of the border, and many stories that include the voices of the growing Latino community.

Since Jiménez himself wrote both versions (in English and Spanish) his autobiography of six books in two languages, reminds the reader of the complex picture of the migrant farm worker and the Mexican-American experience of the second half of the twentieth century. The seed to the autobiography was a short story that gives the title to the first installment, Cajas de cartón. This first book was translated as The Circuit, but then, the second book, based on his own experience in high school, was written in English as Breaking Through, which was translated as Senderos fronterizos; the third one was Reaching Out, translated as Mas allá de mí. These six books, based on one single life spent between languages and cultures, and beyond the limitations of a monolingual, mono-cultural life, were written also at the transition of two centuries.  To truly grasp the totality of his experience, his work should be analyzed in the following order: Cajas de cartón (short story, 1977, book 2000) and the first installment, The Circuit (1997), then Breaking Through (2001), Senderos fronterizos (2002), Reaching Out (2008) and Mas allá de mí (2009).  Looking at the dates of publication we can also see that his work covers nearly four decades of production (from the late 1970’s to 2009), as he is trying to communicate the immigrant experience to different communities in the midst of changing perceptions about immigrants.  These books become even more significant given the ideological trends of the late 1980s, the “anti-illegal alien initiative” (Proposition 187) approved byCalifornia voters in 1994, and the most recent SB 1070 inArizona. From the point of view of nation, the bilingual trilogy in part deals with the politics of immigration reform in this country, but in particular, the narratives addresses the economic and legal issues that lie at the heart of the arguments surrounding deportation.

Child Labor--A Reality Around the World

Jiménez’s trilogy shows the reader that assuming that legal discourse is concerned only with the citizens of the nation-state is to ignore the existence and experience of those who are already here, displaced by the economic system that produced the immigrants’ subordination in the first place.  Thus, this bi-trilogy is more than the story of an undocumented immigrant child farm worker. Jiménez’s work reminds the reader of the terms by which goods and culture take place in the constant displacement of people in an increasingly global market. The significant emphasis on the economic inequalities and the effects of child labor, shows “the experiences of many children and young adults who confront numerous obstacles in their efforts to ‘break through’” (Jiménez). By shifting lenses and focusing on the decades long economic exploitation of poor farm workers, on child labor and the struggle to “break through,” the reader is challenged to find his/her own language of moral ‘values’ that should underlie contemporary immigration debates.

By reading Jiménez work there is a recognition on the part of the reader of the economic forces at work and the tensions created by poverty around the world and class differences. There is also an acknowledgment of the trauma imposed on poor communities where childhood turns often enough into the institutionalized violence of child labor. The symbol of “la mariposa” (the butterfly), which appears frequently in Jiménez stories, becomes the main image for the metamorphosis that he wished would take place. The butterfly symbol works through a process of integration and “inside out” growth. The caterpillar is at first constrained into a fixed space (the earth, the soil), but eventually becomes a free being, able to open its wings, and fly across the different spaces of his environment.  The ‘caterpillar,’ turned ‘butterfly,’ the language of symbols, allow the reader to understand the complex realities unfolding in the immigrant’s life.  Jiménez also shows how, from the very moment of their arrival, immigrants carry with them, already fully-formed, a series of “cultural virtues” that grow and positively affect the nation of which they become a part.

Jiménez’s autobiography shows us the hard social and economic conditions faced by undocumented Mexican laborers in California with a new language. Through a poetic style, use of allegory and symbols, and meticulous attention to the emotional and spiritual development of his characters, Jiménez recreates, within the canon of Multi-Ethnic Literatures of the United States, a body of work that strongly questions the ‘illegality’ of their dream. Francisco Jiménez’s bilingual autobiography is an example of the immigrant literary tradition but also, by building a deep sense of empathy for the migrant life in the reader, his books are one of the most original and beautiful testimonials, in the tradition of immigrant literature, of the last fifty years.

Now it’s your turn:

  • Do you still believe in your abilities to achieve your dreams?
  • Do you have a sense of your own “break throughs”?           

Take a few moments to breathe in and breathe out—realize the many moments when you have felt the uniqueness of your own story.  Take a few minutes to write about it.

 

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All the World’s a Stage

Posted on March 30, 2012 by writeherewritenow

Shakespeare wrote that “all the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players” (Greenblatt, 1997). How we relate to the world around us shapes the daily drama of our lives. Are we mere puppets, dancing to someone else’s tune, second rate actors mouthing our lines—or jazz musicians, improvisational artists, actors who make the parts our own, creating a new reality in response to the world around us? Is our vision of reality static or dynamic?

Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck has made a powerful discovery, recognizing the degree to which our sense of self, our abilities, our success in life depend upon our “mindset.” People with what she calls a “set mindset” are stuck in the status quo, believing that their intelligence cannot be changed, while those with a “growth mindset” believe that their intelligence increases as they embrace new challenges in their lives.

Neuroscience research has shown that our brains develop throughout our lives, growing new neural connections in response to stimulation. So if you cannot ride a bicycle, use a new computer program, play a musical instrument, or do any other new task, regular practice will stimulate your brain to develop new connections. After days, perhaps weeks of clumsy attempts and awkward efforts, suddenly one day it all comes together: suddenly you can do it. Stimulated by all that effort, new brain connections have formed.

On a cultural level, the two mindsets of growth or status quo reach back to the earliest Renaissance concepts of vocation. Both Martin Luther and John Calvin believed that we were  blessed with unique gifts and called to use them to serve God and our neighbors. But  Luther saw the world as set, with the social order created by God—so that if your father was a butcher, a baker, or a glove maker, you were destined to follow his trade.  But Calvin looked at the social injustice around him and concluded that God had nothing to do it: the social order was constructed by men. He believed we were called to discover our talents and use them to create new possibilities. With such a growth mindset, one glove maker’s son, William Shakespeare, found his calling on the London stage, writing plays that have inspired the world for centuries.

One view of life was dynamic, the other static; one led to conformity, the other to creativity and social change. These two social mindsets appear on many levels. The 18th century gave rise to two views of patriotism: 1) obedience to the status quo or 2) ideals that led to a new form of government, moving from monarchy to democracy, government of the people and the rule of law.

The world around us continually affirms a growth mindset. Look around

Flower from El Salvador by Juan Velasco

you at the flowers of spring as they blossom and raise their heads to the sky. We can also find growth and set mindsets in our daily lives. Recently, when I questioned a longstanding policy at work, some people said “but we’ve always done it that way.” Yet just because we’ve done something for years doesn’t make it right or rule out better alternatives. If our country had followed a set mindset, there would be no progress, no airplanes, electricity, phones, or computers; women couldn’t vote and there would still be slaves. Progress—in science, art, politics, and life—flows from a growth mindset.

Now it’s your turn:

  • Do you believe your intelligence and abilities are static or dynamic?
  • Do you have a set or a growth mindset?           

Whatever you have believed about yourself in the past, you really can change your intelligence and ability with practice–brain research has shown this is true. And by embracing a growth mindset, you can create greater possibilities within and around you.

Take a moment now to breathe in—realize that you are a living, growing unique individual, able to make a dynamic difference in your world, right here, right now.

References

Dweck, Carol. S. (2006). Mindset. New York, NY: Ballentine Books. Watch a video of Professor Dweck explaining her mindset research at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHW9l_sCEyU

Shakespeare, William. (1997) As You Like It. II. 7. ll. 138-139 in Stephen Greenblatt (Ed.). The Norton Shakespeare.  New York, NY: W. W. Norton. Date of composition c. 1599; originally published 1623.

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Soñadores

Posted on March 26, 2012 by writeherewritenow

¿A dónde te diriges cuando te enfrentas a una situación extremadamente dolorosa en la vida? En mi último libro de poemas, La Masacre de los soñadores, dos niños, inmersos en una situación traumática en su hogar, deciden escapar al mundo de los westerns. El mundo del cine, de los héroes populares y sus aventuras, parece una buena manera de huir al principio, pero pronto sus sueños se convierten en una pesadilla.

La masacre

La Masacre de los Soñadores. En este libro -en realidad una novela en verso-, rindo homenaje a héroes como Toro Sentado, el salvaje Oeste, e incluso a Buffalo Bill, que vienen a nosotros a través de las imágenes horribles creadas por dos niños que intentan sobrevivir a la dolorosa experiencia de su infancia. El carácter de Buffalo Bill siempre fue especialmente fascinante para mí. Para E.E. Cummings, Buffalo Bill simboliza y encarna  la muerte y la destrucción. El crítico David Ray declaró que este personaje simboliza la destrucción de la tierra, la destrucción de la cultura de los indígenas, la infancia del poeta y, en muchos sentidos, Cummings, culpó a Buffalo Bill “por decepcionar tanto sus expectativas de niñez como las de América, por su claudicación ante un mundo sórdido de valores degradados.”

Custodio escribe sus visiones

En mi libro de poemas, uno de los niños, Custodio, asume el papel de testigo de su peripecia y el reto de trasladar al papel esas visiones. Poco a poco, paso a paso, descubre no sólo las pesadillas de los westerns, sino que llega a un pacto con la propia realidad de su infancia. En definitiva, estos poemas son un homenaje a los supervivientes, a la escritura y al poder de la creatividad para transformar el sufrimiento en belleza, el caos en conocimiento. Ron Hansen, en la introducción del libro, escribe: “tanto [Juan y yo] somos fans de las Obras Completas de Billy el Niño, de Michael Ondaatje, que narra cómo el famoso forajido fue abatido por el sheriff Pat Garrett en 1881 en la frontera de Estados Unidos. Pero los poemas de Juan son más aterradores, trágicos y desgarradores por ser, como los sueños mismos, tan aparentemente reales como extraños y también por ser tan profundamente percibidos y sufridos a través de la imaginación desbocada de los niños.”

Si deseas descargar o leer más sobre el libro, echa un vistazo en: http://www.coleccionconjurados.es/MASACRE/index.htm

Ahora es tu turno para meditar sobre tus propios sueños y transformaciones.

– ¿A dónde vas cuando te enfrentas a un dolor intenso en tu vida?
– ¿Cómo usas la escritura para la transformación y la visión de tu vida?

Es mediante el uso de nuestras energías creativas que nosotros podemos redimirnos y transformar nuestras dificultades a través del conocimiento y la acción. Medita sobre estos momentos de dificultad y escribe sobre ellos.

Juan

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Dreamers

Posted on March 13, 2012 by writeherewritenow

Where do you go when facing an extremely painful situation in life? In my last book of poems, Massacre of the Dreamers, two children, facing too much pain at home, decide to escape to the world of Westerns. The world of movies, of popular heroes and their adventures, seems a good way to escape at the beginning but soon their dreams turns into a nightmare.

Massacre of the Dreamers

In this book, really a novel in verse, I pay homage to heroes like Sitting Bull,  the wild West, and even to Buffalo Bill, who  come to us through the frightful images created by two children trying to survive their childhood. The latter character was always specially fascinating to me. For e.e. cummings, Buffalo Bill symbolized and embodied death and destruction. The critic David Ray stated that this character symbolizes the destruction of the land, the destruction of the culture of the natives, the poet’s childhood and, in many ways, cummings blamed Buffalo Bill “for disappointing both his expectations of childhood and of America, for delivering him rather treacherously to a tawdry world of cheapened values.”

Custodio Writes the Dreams

In my book of poems, one of the children, Custodio, takes on the challenge of witnessing and writing those visions.  Little by little, step by step, he uncovers not only the nightmares of Westerns but comes to terms with the reality of his own childhood. Ultimately these poems are a homage to survivors, to writing and to the power of creativity to transform suffering into beauty, chaos into insight.  Ron Hansen, in the introduction to the book, writes “both [Juan and I] are fans of Michael Ondaatje’s The Collected Works of Billy the Kid, the American frontier outlaw shot down by Sheriff Pat Garret in 1881. But Juan’s poems are more frightening, tragic, and heartbreaking for being, like dreams themselves, so seemingly authentic yet strange, and penetratingly experienced by wildly imaginative children.”  If you want to download or read more about the book, check out this link: http://www.coleccionconjurados.es/MASACRE/index.htm

Now it’s your turn to meditate on your own dreams and transformations.

  • Where do you go when facing extreme pain in your life?
  • How do you use writing for transformation and insight in your life?

It is through the use of our creative energies that we can redeem and transform our difficulties through understanding and action. Meditate on those difficult moments and write about them.

Juan

 

 

 


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Creation or Stagnation?

Posted on February 24, 2012 by writeherewritenow

Does your environment foster creation or stagnation? A recent study in Psychological Science has shown that while administrators and corporate CEOs talk a lot about creative innovation, they routinely block it. Threatened by the uncertainty of the creative process, they stifle the creative ideas of their people to maintain a predictable status quo: an absolute formula for stagnation (Mueller, Melwani, & Goncalo, 2012). And when they do promote change, these administrators over control. Instead of listening and learning from the people around them, they impose a new policy top-down, rewarding complicity, not creativity.

What our world needs now is not complicity but deep creativity, the courage to reach beyond the status quo for new solutions, new possibilities. This vision of creative leadership is affirmed in the ancient Chinese classic, the Tao Te Ching, which has inspired artists and innovative leaders for over twenty-five centuries. The Tao reminds us to look beyond divisive policies and limited definitions to learn from the wisdom of nature, the patterns within and around us:

The earth and sky cooperate
And the soft rain falls
Not by man’s laws
But by natural harmony.

When civilizations developed,
Definitions arose.
We know the part and not the whole.
Wisdom is seeing the patterns.
.  .  .
The powerful currents of Tao
Are like a river
Flowing homeward
To the sea.
(Tao Te Ching, chapter 32, from Dreher, 2000, pp. 242, 6, 198)

Change, in the Tao, is part of the natural cycle, and uncertainty the path to higher wisdom:

The way to greater light leads through the darkness.
Going ahead feels like falling back.
The even path seems rugged and hilly,
The highest power, a yielding valley.

The greatest virtue seems unreal,
And strength of character appears like folly.
Great space has no boundaries.
The greatest skill is developed gradually,
The greatest music rarely heard.

The great Tao is without form,
Elusive, undefinable,
Yet the source of all life.”
(Tao Te Ching, chapter 41, from Dreher, 2000, p. 213 and  Dreher, 1996, p. 9)

As you face the challenges in your life, you can draw upon the wisdom of Tao. By pausing to recognize the larger patterns within and around you, you can transcend the status quo, experiencing the power and joy of new possibilities.

Take a moment now to breathe deeply. Know that you are part of the larger process. Embrace the infinite source of your creative power, right here, right now.

References
Dreher, D. (1996). The Tao of Personal Leadership. New York,NY:  HarperCollins.

Dreher, D. (2000). The Tao of Inner Peace. New York,NY: Penguin Putnam.

Mueller, J. S., Melwani, S., & Goncalo, J. A. (2012). The bias against creativity: Why people desire but reject creative ideas. Psychological Science, 23, 13-17.

See  Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching. (2011). Gia-Fu Feng, Jane English, Toinette Lippe. (Trans.). New York, NY: Random House/Vintage for a beautiful translation of the Tao Te Ching with original Chinese calligraphy and evocative nature photography.

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A Testimonio From Occupy Oakland

Posted on February 6, 2012 by writeherewritenow

I arrived at Frank Ogawa Plaza, otherwise known as Oscar Grant Plaza, last Saturday afternoon- just in time for the final march of move in day at Occupy Oakland. My few moments of hesitation quickly passed and I joined the tail end of the occupiers.

Protesting Vacant Buildings

Though we were strong in our numbers, I couldn’t help but notice the riot police that followed directly behind us- a large line of police in black gear holding their infamous shields in front. The march proceeded a few more blocks before any one of us noticed that we were about to be cornered and kettled. I attempted to leave the march, but the police were one step ahead. I was squared in with a few other participants with no way to follow the dispersal order from the police or to avoid the teargas canisters that were about to invade the air and my fellow occupiers.

A few months prior I participated in the Occupy General Strike- on this historical day I was floored by the difference in tactics that were used by a wide range of general strike participants. With 20,000 other people around my side we faced only slight monitoring by the police and were able to successfully shut down the ports ofOakland. But on the other hand there were many other moments that day that could have ended in similar police tactics such as the ones we faced last Saturday.

Oakland Screams "That's Enough"

And I’ll admit- when a group of people started to push over a fence to get us through I was relieved to have a way out. Some of us took advantage of our escape but there were many others that continued in the streets and with their march. These brave occupiers continued down the street with their merciless chant: “Whose streets? Our Streets!” Just a few blocks later my fellow occupiers were kettled again, and hundreds were arrested. Although many reports came out suggesting that the occupiers had tried to invade a YMCA office- it is more truthful to say that many were only trying to escape. Many of the protestors were taken to Santa Rita jail located in Dublin, CA. Behind these walls many protestors faced inhumane treatment. Reporters received anonymous confessions from those involved acknowledging the mistreatment of protests in jail. Many reports that I have read online- from the Huffington Post to The SF Bay Guardian have reported that many inmates were denied medical treatment and access to necessary mediation, some faced physical harm, and many were placed into small holding cells with more than twenty other people. Needless to say, the action take by the police was incredibly illegal.

We continue to move forward in our movement because we have not stopped believing in what this movement stands upon. Although we will continue to face many tactics and obstacles, we will not be stopped. Fear does not have a place with us because we know that we fight for will overcome our temporary discomfort. It is critical that we continue to support occupiers all over the country, and especially inOakland, in order to prevent further violence. We have the societal right to dissent that which we oppose, and we have the right to do so without fear and violent consequence.

Zena Andreani,
Student at Santa Clara University

 

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You CAN Make a Difference

Posted on January 24, 2012 by writeherewritenow

As we create with words, images, and ideas, we participate in a powerful pattern of transformation. When we release our creations to the world, we never know how far they will travel, how many souls they will reach.

In 1848, a young man spent a night in jail for refusing to pay a poll tax, protesting against slavery and the Mexican-American War. The next morning, a friend paid his tax and he was released. A small action, unremarkable, perhaps. Yet this action inspired Henry David Thoreau to write Civil Disobedience, which later inspired Mahatma Gandhi’s campaign of nonviolence, liberating India from colonial rule; Martin Luther King’s campaign of nonviolence that began liberating African Americans from oppression and segregation; and countless other acts of nonviolence, large and small, that continue to liberate the human spirit.

We are all connected in the intricate pattern of life. Never doubt that your call to create is part of a process of transformation in which our individual actions ripple out to change the world.

Lately, I’ve been inspired by people in the Occupy Movement, raising their voices against corporate greed, injustice, and economic inequality. Now Maxina Ventura of Occupy Berkeley, has found a creative way many of us can connect in support and solidarity. She founded the “knit-in for the sit-in,” inviting people to knit at the Berkeley farmers’ market and send hand-knit hats, mittens, and scarves to help Occupy members keep warm this winter. So far, I’ve knitted four hats which have been sent to Occupy Wall Street, Tahrir Square, and Fukushima, Japan. Knitting these hats has become a kind of spiritual exercise, affirming my personal connection with this courageous campaign for change.

Because we are all connected, everything we do makes a difference, continuously creating the world we know. How can you make a difference in your own creative life? Following your heart will show you how. Together, we can create new possibilities for our world—right here and right now.

For More Information about the “knit-in,” see http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2011/11/26/crafters-organize-knit-in-in-solidarity-with-occupy-berkeley/.  If you’d like to knit warm items for the Occupy Movement, you may send them to Occupy Berkeley, c/o Maxina Ventura, 2399 E. 14th St. No 24, San Leandro, CA 94577.

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What is a Bad Situation?

Posted on January 17, 2012 by writeherewritenow

One of the most difficult pieces of teaching I ever heard came from Zen master Seung Sahn. He used to teach to big audiences that “a bad situation is a good situation, and a good situation is a bad situation.” At the time I was still trying to survive the loss of a very important person in my life so this teaching was at first shocking and difficult to understand.

Zen Master Seung Sahn

A few months ago, when I was writing from El Salvador requesting disaster relief after the floods had destroyed 85% of the crops in the country, I thought again about that moment and the deeper meaning of that teaching. At the time I felt the urgency of getting the world to pay attention to the struggles of this small country, and I was requesting help to alleviate the suffering I was witnessing in the communities around us.

As time passed I was witnessing not only scenes of destruction and difficulty, but also many moments of great love, courage and compassion. I was inspired by my Salvadoran friends, but also from colleagues like Diane Dreher who alerted her friends about the situation using social media. The Jesuit community at Santa Clara University made a big donation and Mick McCarthy, S.J. personally brought a suitcase filled with medicine to us when we most needed it. My students also reacted strongly. Laura Snowden got her church involved.  She wrote: “In an effort of solidarity and support, my fellow Casa students and I reached out to communities back home for funds to assist the communities we have grown to love so much. My church back home in Seattle was extremely supportive and responsive to the call for help. After reaching out to the youth ministers, high school and middle students decided to come together and do a coin drive and sell gift items at the church bazaar to raise a total of $167 in support of those suffering in Bajo Lempa. Their efforts and willingness to stand in solidarity with those half way around the world is truly humbling and inspiring.”

Laura Snowden

Thanks to your courage and generosity, Programa Velasco (www.programavelasco.org) received enough donations to be able to make a difference in one of the most affected areas of the country, the Bajo Lempa.

A bad situation can be devastating and, at times, destroy our humanity and even our lives. At other times, however, it can be a catalyst for action that goes beyond our ego-centered mind. What Zen master Seung Sahn was alerting us to was the possibility of recognizing the seeds of compassion and direct action in the midst of a difficult situation.  I saw terrible loss and suffering during the month of October and November, but I also saw what human beings can do when we get together and find common meaning and inspiration. There was a wave of awakening on the part of many people that helped. Little by little, moment by moment, we took care of families, children and businesses. Can you transform a crisis into an opportunity? Can we transform a bad situation, through solidarity and direct action, into a good situation?

A meditation: What is the meaning of a ‘bad situation’? When was the last time you went through a bad situation? Did you transform it through understanding and direct action? Take a few minutes to reflect on that moment. Write a story about a ‘bad situation’ and the struggle to transform that moment of crisis into an opportunity.

Juan

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Follow Your Dream in 2012

Posted on January 8, 2012 by writeherewritenow

Despite our many challenges, the new year always brings a ray of light, a promise of new possibilities. This time last year, Alicia Forbrich left her secure job to follow her dream. In January, 2011, she opened opened the San Jose Learning Center in California’s Silicon Valley, offering

Alicia Forbrich

continuing education to working adults–helping them learn new skills, develop their creativity, and lead more balanced lives.

The child of a German father and Japanese mother, Alicia has always been fascinated by other cultures. After getting a degree in International Business from the University of San Francisco and an M.B.A. from San Jose State, she had a successful career with a company building international shipping containers. But she dreamed of starting a school.

Today, she says “I’m fortunate to be able to go for my dream.” The San Jose Learning Center reflects her vision of a successful, creative life in the 21st century, offering courses in 15 languages including Mandarin, Cantonese, Persian, Korean, Tagalog, Russian, Vietnamese, Arabic, ESL, and American Sign Language as well as Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, and French.

The curriculum helps promote a balanced life: languages to expand students’ international understanding, practical classes in business and computer skills, classes in the arts—writing, drawing, calligraphy—to promote creativity, and health and fitness classes—yoga, body toning, martial arts, and nutrition—to help students lead more balanced lives. “Most busy people don’t take the time to study what they need for their own health,” says Alicia. At Silicon Valley companies people spend all day sitting at their desks, sit in their cars to commute, never giving their bodies the exercise they need. Most students come to the Learning Center to learn a language for their work, with their tuition often paid by their companies. Health and fitness classes are scheduled before and after the language classes, so people can conveniently add them to their schedules. Since“a company can only be as strong as its owner,” Alicia works out every day. Running is her passion—“the only time I get pure silence,” time to organize her thoughts, answer her own questions, and get inspiration for the next step in her journey.

The Center’s classes are reasonably priced, seven weeks long, and small, giving personal attention to students. Classes are offered on weekday evenings and Saturdays, to accommodate schedules of working adults. The Center has ample parking and a break room with healthy snacks and wi-fi where people study and meet friends between classes, building community–another part of a balanced life. The Center also offers some free classes, such as Small Business 101, to help people start up their own small businesses, and Money Management, to help with personal finances.

“I’ve never worked so hard in my life,” says Alicia, “and I’ve never been happier.” While old job brought her money, security, and benefits, following her dream gives her a deep sense of purpose. She sees her school “making a difference every day,” she says, as students gain new knowledge, become more fit and confident, building the skills and courage they need to make a positive difference in the world. That’s Alicia’s dream.

Now it’s your turn. The year is new. What dream has been calling out to you? Take a deep breath and see yourself living your dream.

Now ask yourself, “What is one small step I can take to get started?” Take that step to make 2012 a bright new beginning– right here and right now

For more information about the San Jose Learning Center, visit www.sanjoselearningcenter.com

490 West San Carlos St.
San Jose, CA 95110
(408) 722-1785

 

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Celebrating Poetry and Beauty for the New Year

Posted on December 25, 2011 by writeherewritenow

Ateneo de Madrid

After my arrival in Madrid, Spain, last week, I was invited to a celebration of the life and work of one of the most beloved poets of the last decade. His name is Angel Luis Vigaray and the homage took place at the Ateneo de Madrid, in the ancient building that has become a gathering place for recognized poets. It is a freezing winter, but the homage to Angel Luis Vigaray was anything but cold. A large group of enthusiastic poets gathered to pay homage and to celebrate his life and work.

Angel Luis Vigaray (1951-2009), poet, exquisite designer of literary journals such as Malvís and Versión Celeste, was also the director of the prestigious collection  Signos, published by Huerga y Fierropublisher house.  In a text of auto presentation (1989), he wrote, “I write poems dictated by some obscure muse. My poems, always in the process of being polished but never increasing, were part of my book, Grama. The dream of my life is to know what do I live for.”

A fragment from Grama:                                                  

You escaped. Where to.
Through the fear of your mouth,
With silence in your arms,
Toward the beach
Where I found you.

Cover of Grama

The poet Angel Guinda says that Vigaray´s book of poetry, Grama (1995), is a “homage to love in the midst of pain, taken with stoic rigor, without regrets.” For the director of El Alambique, José Cereijo, this unique book is not about games but a clear search for“authenticity.”   Angel Rodriguez Abad wrote  that Vigaray, “with his beautiful collection of perfect dreams, added real beauty to a prosaic world.”  He ended the homage with a quote from Vigaray. In reference to the many poets Vigaray helped to publish, Angel Rodriguez Abad said that “they are bright suns irradiating beauty and eternal poetry toward the universe.”

A meditation for the last days of 2011: What do you live for?   Do you live your life in an authentic way? What are the themes that come up in your writing and in your life? Is your creative and spiritual work contributing to a better world, a world of beauty and peace? Enjoy a few minutes of meditation and creative peace.

Juan

 

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