February's poet is Nancy Morejon of Cuba. Nancy Morejon was born in Havana, Cuba in 1944 to an Afro-Cuban father and a mother of Chinese and European ancestry. Morejon began writing poetry at 13 years old and her first collection, Mutismos, was published when she was 18. She attended the University of Havana, majoring in European, Caribbean and Cuban Literature. She is fluent in English and French.
The Afro-Cuban poet Nicolas Guillen has been a major influence on the writings of Nancy Morejon. Her themes focus on Cuban nationalism, the Cuban Revolution, Afro-Cubans and the role of women in Cuban society.
In 1986, Morejon won the Cuban Premio de la Critica for her work Piedra Pulida. In 2001, she was awarded Cuba's National Prize for Literature, becoming the first Afro-Cuban woman to receive it.
For more details on this interesting Cuban poet, check out Nancy Morejon.
Smith College also has some more information on Nancy Morejon at its Poetry Center. See also the International Artist Database for more on Morejon's life and work.
I must confess that I have not read a great deal of Morejon's writings, so I am hoping to delve into them in the coming weeks and invite you to follow my postings as I bring you more on this interesting and internationally acclaimed Cuban poet.
I would also like to reflect on the artistic freedom of Cuban poets over the coming weeks and invite you to share your reflections with me.
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