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Conversations with the World: American Women Poets and Their Work
Book by Cofer, Judith Ortiz
263 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1998
7 people want to read
About the author
Judith Ortiz Cofer
44 books110 followersJudith Ortiz Cofer (born in 1952) is a Puerto Rican author. Her work spans a range of literary genres including poetry, short stories, autobiography, essays, and young-adult fiction.
Judith Ortiz Cofer was born in Hormigueros, Puerto Rico, on February 24, 1952. She moved to Paterson, New Jersey with her family in 1956. They often made back-and-forth trips between Paterson and Hormigueros. In 1967, her family moved to Augusta, Georgia, where she attended Butler High School. Ortiz Cofer received a B.A. in English from Augusta College, and later an M.A. in English from Florida Atlantic University.
Ortiz Cofer's work can largely be classified as creative nonfiction. Her narrative self is strongly influenced by oral storytelling, which was inspired by her grandmother, an able storyteller in the tradition of teaching through storytelling among Puerto Rican women. Ortiz Cofer's autobiographical work often focuses on her attempts at negotiating her life between two cultures, American and Puerto Rican, and how this process informs her sensibilities as a writer. Her work also explores such subjects as racism and sexism in American culture, machismo and female empowerment in Puerto Rican culture, and the challenges diasporic immigrants face in a new culture. Among Ortiz Cofer's more well known essays are "The Story of My Body" and "The Myth of the Latin Woman," both reprinted in The Latin Deli.
In 1984, Ortiz Cofer joined the faculty of the University of Georgia, where she is currently Franklin Professor of English and Creative Writing. In April 2010, Ortiz Cofer was inducted into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame.
In 1994, she became the first Hispanic to win the O. Henry Prize for her story “The Latin Deli”. In 1996, Ortiz Cofer and illustrator Susan Guevara became the first recipients of the Pura Belpre Award for Hispanic children’s literature.
(from Wikipedia)
Judith Ortiz Cofer was born in Hormigueros, Puerto Rico, on February 24, 1952. She moved to Paterson, New Jersey with her family in 1956. They often made back-and-forth trips between Paterson and Hormigueros. In 1967, her family moved to Augusta, Georgia, where she attended Butler High School. Ortiz Cofer received a B.A. in English from Augusta College, and later an M.A. in English from Florida Atlantic University.
Ortiz Cofer's work can largely be classified as creative nonfiction. Her narrative self is strongly influenced by oral storytelling, which was inspired by her grandmother, an able storyteller in the tradition of teaching through storytelling among Puerto Rican women. Ortiz Cofer's autobiographical work often focuses on her attempts at negotiating her life between two cultures, American and Puerto Rican, and how this process informs her sensibilities as a writer. Her work also explores such subjects as racism and sexism in American culture, machismo and female empowerment in Puerto Rican culture, and the challenges diasporic immigrants face in a new culture. Among Ortiz Cofer's more well known essays are "The Story of My Body" and "The Myth of the Latin Woman," both reprinted in The Latin Deli.
In 1984, Ortiz Cofer joined the faculty of the University of Georgia, where she is currently Franklin Professor of English and Creative Writing. In April 2010, Ortiz Cofer was inducted into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame.
In 1994, she became the first Hispanic to win the O. Henry Prize for her story “The Latin Deli”. In 1996, Ortiz Cofer and illustrator Susan Guevara became the first recipients of the Pura Belpre Award for Hispanic children’s literature.
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 26, 2021
Lord of Secrets by Mary Gillgannon is the second book in the Lord of the Borders series. I did not read the first book, and found it works as a stand alone.
An enigmatic Welsh wise woman. A bold English knight. The first time they are alone, she draws a knife on him. From there, things get interesting. William Fitzhugh is proud to be named lord of Higham Castle on the Welsh border. But defending and managing the castle and the lands surrounding it is a huge responsibility. He needs a wife to aid him, but the only woman who interests him is the local healer, Rhosyn, a mysterious Welshwoman who wants nothing to do with him. Rhosyn fled the traumatic events of her life in Wales to begin a new life at Higham. She hopes to earn the trust of the local people and become accepted in the community, and she fears the new lord of Higham will ruin her plans. The English noblemen she’s known previously were arrogant and cruel. She doesn’t expect this giant of a knight be any different. From the beginning, Lord Fitzhugh confounds her. He seems to genuinely want to do right by the people of Higham and make certain they prosper. Rhosyn is surprised and intrigued by the handsome young lord’s generous and reasonable nature. Other people see it as a weakness and scheme to bring him down. William is entranced by the lovely young healer and admires her knowledge and dedication. But she remains wary and elusive. As the passion between them builds, so does the weight of the secrets keeping them apart. Secrets that have the power to sever the fragile bond between them and destroy all they care about.
Lord of Secrets is a well written romance with complex characters. I liked Rhosyn's character and thought she had a nice balance of strong and vulnerable. The exploration of power and the vulnerability of women, and men of lower classes as well, was handled well and in an honest way. I thought the secondary characters of the town were equally well written, with even the less agreeable characters carrying some complexity to make the reader understand a bit about their reasoning. Fitzhugh was also well developed as a character. His reasonable nature and willingness to learn from those around him made him stand out from other characters, and frankly many other romance heroes.While still very much in charge, he seems very aware of what he does not know, and is willing to lean on others to bridge the gap. I though the story was good. The politics, drama, and danger were all interesting and mostly came together in a satiafying way by the end of the book. However, I did feel like it ran a little long. About two thirds of the way through the book I was ready for the big wrap up, and it took awhile to get there. I am not sure if it was my mood while reading or if something could have been condensed for a smoother finish. I did enjoy the read, both for the story and the characters, but just found myself impatient for the end.
Lord of Secrets is a well written historical romance.
An enigmatic Welsh wise woman. A bold English knight. The first time they are alone, she draws a knife on him. From there, things get interesting. William Fitzhugh is proud to be named lord of Higham Castle on the Welsh border. But defending and managing the castle and the lands surrounding it is a huge responsibility. He needs a wife to aid him, but the only woman who interests him is the local healer, Rhosyn, a mysterious Welshwoman who wants nothing to do with him. Rhosyn fled the traumatic events of her life in Wales to begin a new life at Higham. She hopes to earn the trust of the local people and become accepted in the community, and she fears the new lord of Higham will ruin her plans. The English noblemen she’s known previously were arrogant and cruel. She doesn’t expect this giant of a knight be any different. From the beginning, Lord Fitzhugh confounds her. He seems to genuinely want to do right by the people of Higham and make certain they prosper. Rhosyn is surprised and intrigued by the handsome young lord’s generous and reasonable nature. Other people see it as a weakness and scheme to bring him down. William is entranced by the lovely young healer and admires her knowledge and dedication. But she remains wary and elusive. As the passion between them builds, so does the weight of the secrets keeping them apart. Secrets that have the power to sever the fragile bond between them and destroy all they care about.
Lord of Secrets is a well written romance with complex characters. I liked Rhosyn's character and thought she had a nice balance of strong and vulnerable. The exploration of power and the vulnerability of women, and men of lower classes as well, was handled well and in an honest way. I thought the secondary characters of the town were equally well written, with even the less agreeable characters carrying some complexity to make the reader understand a bit about their reasoning. Fitzhugh was also well developed as a character. His reasonable nature and willingness to learn from those around him made him stand out from other characters, and frankly many other romance heroes.While still very much in charge, he seems very aware of what he does not know, and is willing to lean on others to bridge the gap. I though the story was good. The politics, drama, and danger were all interesting and mostly came together in a satiafying way by the end of the book. However, I did feel like it ran a little long. About two thirds of the way through the book I was ready for the big wrap up, and it took awhile to get there. I am not sure if it was my mood while reading or if something could have been condensed for a smoother finish. I did enjoy the read, both for the story and the characters, but just found myself impatient for the end.
Lord of Secrets is a well written historical romance.
January 11, 2021
Lord Fitzhume is a young Knight whose father is high up on food chain of the English royalty perks. However, William is a strong and capable Knight who earned the right to be named the defender of Higham Castle.
Rhosyn is the new healer to the local village and is skittish of English men. She is Welsh and has secrets that she would not care to divulge.
There are many factions afoot who want to bring this young knight down and some are closer than he would ever believe. The Welsh splinter groups have decided to show there power by sneak attacks.
Author Mary Gillgannon intertwines the storyline between the Welsh and English characters that you feel them come off the pages. The storyline is fresh. because it’s not a dasmal in distress scenario, but it focuses more on William and those who are around him.
I without a doubt would recommend this book!
I received an advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.
Rhosyn is the new healer to the local village and is skittish of English men. She is Welsh and has secrets that she would not care to divulge.
There are many factions afoot who want to bring this young knight down and some are closer than he would ever believe. The Welsh splinter groups have decided to show there power by sneak attacks.
Author Mary Gillgannon intertwines the storyline between the Welsh and English characters that you feel them come off the pages. The storyline is fresh. because it’s not a dasmal in distress scenario, but it focuses more on William and those who are around him.
I without a doubt would recommend this book!
I received an advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.
July 22, 2021
This is book 2 in the Lord of the borders series. You really don’t have to have read book 1 in the series to follow the story. I have to say I did enjoy this more than book 1. The story was well done and I enjoyed the characters. Looking forward to book 3.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews