October 17, 2024
Free, two-part virtual and in-person bilingual program featuring panel discussions, conversation, and dramatic readings, which aims to bring awareness and advance the public’s understanding The Dawn of Latinx Creative Writing in Florida.
Join us on a journey through Florida’s early 20th century literary landscape that serves as a precursor of today’s Latinx writing. Exploring this foundational writing at a time when Hispanic and Latinx identities received less attention in the press and in scholarship is especially relevant today, with Florida’s Hispanic or Latino population at 27.1%. Our focus on poetry and theatre acknowledges the vibrant creative expressions emerging from Florida’s Spanish-speaking communities, particularly in coastal areas heavily influenced by the tobacco industry. Discover the rich creativity that was a product of its time, as poetry and theater reached the public in formats that encouraged audience participation to construct meaning.
Part One • 2–4 p.m.
Lectures
UCF Student Union – Garden Key, Room 221
- Opening remarks — 2:00 p.m.
- Panel Presentations — 2:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
- Q & A — 3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Registration is required for Zoom participants.
Zoom RegistrationInternationally renowned scholars will discuss the literary, historical, and cultural legacy of Florida’s early 20th century writing in Spanish.
Joy Castro
University of Nebraska, Lincoln
Joy Castro, is the Willa Cather Professor of English & Ethnic Studies and the Director of the Institute for Ethnic Studies at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. In her discussion, she will contextualize the life and literary contributions of Feliciano Castro against the backdrop Florida’s early 20th century history, shaped by multicultural influences with close ties to the social politics and economic development.
Rhi Johnson
Indiana University Bloomington
Rhi Johnson specializes in Spanish poetry of the 19th to early 20th centuries, which she also translates. She will discuss early 20th century poetry in Florida with a focus on Feliciano Castro and how his work, and the translation of his work, contribute to our understanding of the intersection of transnational culture and identity.
Kenya Dworkin
Carnegie Mellon University
Kenya Dworkin is an expert on the Tampa theater scene from the turn of the 19th to the mid-20th century while will give a humanities-focused overview of the salient aspects of how playwrights and their works shaped the culture and arts scene of their time.
Part Two • 7–8:30 p.m.
Dramatic Readings
Winter Park Library and Edyth Bush Theatre
Registration is required for all attendees for part two.
Register Online
Descolonizarte Teatro
Descolonizarte Teatro will present a program of dramatic readings of a selection of Feliciano Castro’s poetry as well as a selection of theatrical scenes from presented on Tampa stages in the first half of the 20th century.
Lisa Nalbone
University of Central Florida
Lisa Nalbone, Spanish Master’s Program Coordinator, and member of the Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies Advisory Board, Department of Modern Languages and Literatures.
Kacie Tartt
University of Central Florida
Kacie Tartt, Latin American, Caribbean and Latinx Studies Faculty and Advisory Board member, Department of Modern Languages and Literatures.
Sponsors
Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Sponsored by the UCF Department of Modern Languages and Literatures and its Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies program; with the support of the UCF Department of English; UCF Department of History; Theatre UCF; Puerto Rico Research Hub; Valencia College; and the Center for José Martí Studies Affiliate-University of Tampa
Contact
For more information, contact Lisa.Nalbone@ucf.edu.