NEWS EDITOR – ASHTON JEFFERS
Throughout September and into October, Hispanic Heritage Month at St. Mary’s University continues to host events that allow faculty, staff, and students to gather together and celebrate the many ways in which individuals take pride in
expressions of their heritage. For others unfamiliar with commemorating Hispanic Heritage Month, it provides a way to explore and understand these expressions of culture and heritage from various disciplines. On Wednesday, Sept. 21, students and faculty gathered in the University Center-C conference room, quickly filling up the seats before the start of the events. Attendees enjoyed refreshments of cookies and coffee as they situated themselves. For the beginning of the first portion of the event, a poetry reading of “Why Am I Like Tequila” by the poet and writer, Lupe Mendez, himself, was read.
Lupe Mendez is a poet, educator, and activist who is originally from Galveston, Texas. He writes about his experience growing up in Texas and his roots in the Mexican state of Jalisco. He is an advocate of Mexican-American studies and literature, holding the title of Texas Poet Laureate, one of the highest accolades in the state for the arts. Dr. Margaret Cantú-Sánchez was one of the faculty members who helped arrange for Mendez to visit the university for Hispanic Heritage Month. It inspired Dr. Cantú-Sánchez to create the Hispanic Heritage Month calendar. She stated that “…according to Dr. Poyo in the History Department, HHM has not been celebrated in this way since the 60s.”
The level of time spent preparing for this event also came in the form of classroom engagement. Dr. Cantú-Sánchez’s Latin American Literature course read “Why I am Like Tequila.” Through discussions in the classroom, Dr. Cantú-Sánchez found that students engaged with the content and the themes that Mendez talks about in his poems. Some of the students had read this poetry collection outside of class and were interested in attending the poetry reading and workshop to get a better understanding of the author and his techniques used in the poetry collection.
Such was the case for Cassie Hawley, an English Language and Literature combined degree program senior, who chose to attend both the poetry reading and workshop. “I
was prompted to attend because I wanted to put a face to the name. Lupe Mendez is a wonderful and very personable speaker. He seemed very comfortable and friendly, which was helped by the setup (which was rather cozy). The workshop that he held after the reading was brilliant, and his teaching, as well as his ability to relate to his listeners, stood out to me throughout the entire night.”
Not only did students appreciate what they learned from Mendez, but they were also provided opportunities to get involved with the planning of the event. Students from Dr. Cantú-Sánchez’s class were encouraged, but not required to attend. Students were also encouraged to ask questions or if extremely interested in this type of event, volunteer in the planning of the actual event. This was how St. Mary’s Latino American Literature student, Marisabel Jimenez was able to formally introduce Lupe Mendez to the audience during the poetry reading portion of the event. With the efforts of both the English Department and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the response to the event was incredible.
“I have to say I was quite surprised by the turnout. At one point it was standing-room only and the audience was absolutely engaged and riveted. He was an inspiring and energetic speaker, and his workshop allowed for an innovative, accessible approach to writing poetry,” commented Dr. Cantú-Sánchez when asking about expecting attendance. Mendez engaged with the audience in a casual manner, adding to the intimate feeling of the room during the poetry reading session. Mendez also took time to contextualize the poems, describing what events or experiences prompted him to write each of the poems he read.
This event for Hispanic Heritage Month proved to be successful, but by no means are the festivities coming to an end on campus. Keep an eye out for more events around campus with the Hispanic Heritage Month event calendar posted around campus or via Gateway.