On Oct 16, 2008 I met the renown Cherríe Moraga @ the University of Urbana-Champaign. It was an honor to be invited personally by the Latina/o Studies Dept. to attend a private writing workshop led by this legend and prophet. All I can say is that her presence and manner of being matches the impact of her words. She is what she writes. Her written works resonate through her voice and out here eyes. She is truly inspiring and motivating.
Lessons Learned from Cherríe Moraga
(a rough translation)
Luis: How do I write past all the introductions and beginnings to stories that seem to endlessly invade my writing. I have many story to tell. But, it seems like every time I start to write all the stories want to be told at the same time.
Cherríe: Don't be afraid to start new stories. Save the beginnings. Trust and know, you will finish them all. You have no other choice. Ask your self at the beginning of each re-write or attempt, "What I really meant to say was..." Nothing shifts in the world until the details are told. Take a risk. Tell the stories que valen la pena. If you're not uneasy or on the edge of something you're not writing well. Keep every story grounded in the body.
Gracias a Aide por los fotos, y a todos mis compañer@s en Champaign-Urbana: Miranda, Profe Rodriguez, Abel, Alicia, Judith, Johanna, todos. Gracias a Cherríe Moraga y a la facultad de Latin@ Estudies.
- Jose Luis Benavides
Lessons Learned from Cherríe Moraga
(a rough translation)
Luis: How do I write past all the introductions and beginnings to stories that seem to endlessly invade my writing. I have many story to tell. But, it seems like every time I start to write all the stories want to be told at the same time.
Cherríe: Don't be afraid to start new stories. Save the beginnings. Trust and know, you will finish them all. You have no other choice. Ask your self at the beginning of each re-write or attempt, "What I really meant to say was..." Nothing shifts in the world until the details are told. Take a risk. Tell the stories que valen la pena. If you're not uneasy or on the edge of something you're not writing well. Keep every story grounded in the body.
Gracias a Aide por los fotos, y a todos mis compañer@s en Champaign-Urbana: Miranda, Profe Rodriguez, Abel, Alicia, Judith, Johanna, todos. Gracias a Cherríe Moraga y a la facultad de Latin@ Estudies.
- Jose Luis Benavides
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