Poetry
is like a song, like a psalm, like a prayer. Poetry is different things to many
people, and April being Poetry Month,
The Latina
Book Club is celebrating by featuring Latino poets all month long.
Welcome Dr. Maria Alma González Pérez,
whose new collection of Spanish poetry evokes feelings of love, community and
survival.
Vivamos la realidad
de nuestra sangre
que nos da nuestra
identidad.
---Dr. Maria Alma González Pérez
Dr. Maria Alma González Pérez has written a
beautiful collection of poems in Spanish entitled CANTOS DEL ALMA Y DEL
CORAZON. It’s an emotional assortment of
50 poems to celebrate love, love of her parents, love of family, and love of
her culture. We especially loved her
poem, Vivamos La Realidad, which
translates roughly into Living the Truth.
In it she proclaims that it is the blood of the people that carries the truth
of their race and the truth of their identity.
Another striking aspect of González Pérez’ book is that each
poem is paired with a stunning photograph that compliments the poem. The words
alone are rich, emotional and memorable, but alongside the photo the reader
gets an immediate visual that strikes at the heart faster. If we could, we
would rip out each page and frame them to display around the house. Bravo, Dr. González Pérez, Bravo.
SUMMARY:
CANTOS DEL ALMA Y DEL CORAZON expresses feelings and
emotions from personal experience. This collection of 50 poems written in
Spanish provides the reader with a sensitive, yet realistic perspective of
love, the family, and culture among other topics. Each poem is complemented by
a photograph that serves as a scenic backdrop to enhance its meaning. Includes
an instructional guide of classroom activities for the teaching and discussion
of poetry in the classroom.
CANTOS DEL ALMA Y DEL
CORAZON expresa
sentimientos y emociones brotadas de la experiencia del diario vivir.
Esta colección de 50 poemas provee al lector con una sensible perspectiva del
amor, la familia, y la cultura entre otros temas. Cada poema es
complementado por una fotografía que sirve como fondo pintoresco para encarecer
su significado. Finalmente, un apéndice de actividades sirve como material
suplementario para la instrucción y discusión de la poesía en el aula bilingüe.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dr. González Pérez is a poet and
writer. She is also a former bilingual
education professor and director for the University of Texas Pan American Starr
County campus. She writes Spanish poetry, children’s bilingual and local South
Texas history books, as well as teacher training materials. She lives in
Zapata, TX, a community along the Rio Grande border area. Learn more about her at www.delalmapublications.com.
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