A wonderful, challenging, and enlightening journey has come to an end. Like every great project, it was made possible by the people who helped me along the way: My family, my friends, Eli, Eli’s family, the artists I read and the artists I met, my hosts, and, of course, the readers of this blog. Many thanks to you all. It will certainly not be my last literary travel project, so stay tuned for alerts from this site.
Kategorie: English
Voices: Marisol García Walls
Marisol García Walls is a non-fiction writer born and raised in Mexico City. After the earthquake in September 2017, she started the project Cuéntanos dónde estabas together with Roberto Cruz Arzabal to collect and record the experiences of those affected. You can find two of her essays in English translation here and here and one of her essays on material culture in Spanish here. Voices: Marisol García Walls weiterlesen
Voices: Arielle Burgdorf
Arielle Burgdorf is always on the move: Originally from Washington, D.C., she lived in Philadelphia, Edinburgh, San Diego, and San Francisco and recently started pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing in Pittsburgh. Her work has appeared in Maximum Rocknroll, Feministe, The Feminist Review, Horseless Press, Bone and Ink Press, and can be found online here, here, and here. Voices: Arielle Burgdorf weiterlesen
Voices: Michelle Marie Wallace
Michelle Marie Wallace is a San-Francisco-based writer working with themes of the border and healing in both her fiction and non-fiction. I had the chance to meet her twice on my journey: In San Francisco, where she co-hosted The Borderlands Lectura, and in Ciudad de México, where she lived for 13 months in 2016/17. Read one of her short stories here and a piece about her experiences during the earthquake in Ciudad de México in September 2017 here. Voices: Michelle Marie Wallace weiterlesen
Voices: Gabrielle Bates
The second “Voices” interviewee is Gabrielle Bates, whom I met through Hugo House in Seattle. She is involved in poetry as a writer, an editor, and a book seller. Read one of her visual poems at Poetry Magazine and find out more about her on her website. Voices: Gabrielle Bates weiterlesen
Voices: Nicola Hodges
This blog would not be complete without acknowledging the artists who provided me with help and inspiration on my journey. The series “Voices” is meant to put their art and perception of their surroundings center stage. The first interviewee is Nicola Hodges, textile craftsperson and aspiring park ranger in Vancouver. Voices: Nicola Hodges weiterlesen
Searching for Stories in Southern Mexico
I’m lying on my bed in an air-conditioned hostel room in Cancún with a half-read copy of the Popol Vuh next to me. I picked up the book detailing the Maya-Quiché creation myth and cosmology from a box of free stuff at a party in September 2015. At the time the idea of a journey through Canada, the US, and Mexico started forming in my mind. It’s the last day of that journey, I’m tired from traveling and exhausted from reading in Spanish. And I’m frustrated: During my entire time in Chiapas and Quintana Roo, I didn’t manage to find out anything about contemporary literature rooted in Maya culture. Searching for Stories in Southern Mexico weiterlesen
Book Culture in Oaxaca de Juárez
Oaxaca, Mexico’s fifth biggest state, is located in the southeast of the country. It is not only known for its size, but also for its ethnic diversity: More than 50 % of the population identify as indigenous. Fifteen distinct groups, the largest of whom are Zapotec and Mixtec, are recognized by the Mexican government, but many more exist without official acknowledgement. Book Culture in Oaxaca de Juárez weiterlesen
Literary Landmarks in Ciudad de México
Long strolls through Parque Chapultepec and vegan lunch at the cafeteria of a Hare Krishna temple – the memories of my first visit to Ciudad de México in 2014 make the city seem relaxed and peaceful. Upon my return, the impression is different. With 9 million inhabitants in the center and 20.4 million inhabitants in the greater urban area, Ciudad de México is the most populous city in North America. It takes the bus almost three hours to get from the first signs of sprawl to Terminal Central del Norte. But not just the size of the city, the language, too, poses more problems than expected. Without a travel companion fluent in Spanish, even simple, everyday interactions are difficult and exhausting. Nevertheless, the kindness of friends and fellow writers makes my stay worthwhile. Literary Landmarks in Ciudad de México weiterlesen
Valeria Luiselli: The Story of my Teeth
Gustavo Sánchez Sánchez, also known as Highway, is not only the self-proclaimed best auctioneer in the world, but also the proud owner of a large collection of exquisite memorabilia. Each piece has a story that gives it inestimable value. The most important item never leaves his body – instead of his own, his mouth sports the teeth of Marilyn Monroe. Valeria Luiselli: The Story of my Teeth weiterlesen
Trains, Planes, and Books. 