Carmen Haydée Rivera Vega
Journeys through Dual Homespaces: Literature of the Puerto Rican Diaspora
Tinta regada
1 de agosto de 2024
Diasporic Puerto Rican writers have entered a new century of artistic production and critical analyses that highlight the myriad ways in which authors of Puerto Rican descent (born on the island or in the United States) have re-envisioned and reconceptualized the literary landscape. Through their works, and the literary techniques adopted in their writing, diasporic Puerto Rican authors continue to explore important issues of interest, among them cultural identity, history, language use, race, and gender, to name a few, from transnational and intersectional perspectives. The writers also incorporate new forms of assessing these issues through different autobiographic and creative lenses. Not only have diasporic Puerto Rican authors reached new heights in the publishing industry, as well as national and international recognition, but they have also delved into diverse artistic venues and modalities that are no longer limited to the printed page. This multifaceted artistic production is at the heart of their burgeoning success and their continued transformation of the printed and spoken word that enhances the legacy of artistic and literary development and production in the United States.
The lived experience of diasporic Puerto Rican writers began with a journey that also involved hundreds of Puerto Rican family migrations from the island to the United Staes. This exodus continues and has particularly increased throughout the last two decades, to the point where there are now more self-proclaimed Puerto Ricans living in the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, than there are on the island. The literary production of many Puerto Rican writers often demonstrates their strong commitment to their communities in the United States. Yet their works also acknowledge a strong allegiance to Puerto Rico, its history, people, and culture. At the same time, the writing reveals the strength and resistance of these tenacious writers in the preservation of their culture, language, and legacy in diaspora. Above all, their works are living testaments of the craft of writing and the achievements they have gained in the process of becoming nationally and internationally renowned authors. In many ways, their life stories resonate with humanistic elements shared by many im/migrant groups but also universally experienced by anyone who values family ties, educational development, social and environmental commitment, self-determination, and progress, the very foundations of the American dream that so many seek to accomplish. While the tenets of this dream may be more attainable to some more than others, what is particularly revealing about the writers and their process is their tenacious spirit in honing their writing craft and sharing a tangible product with the world. Whether it is an autobiographical work highlighting important moments of their life journeys or an artistically creative work of art or performance that showcases their literary endeavors, the artistry of diasporic Puerto Rican writers serves a as source of inspiration and emulation for readerships and audiences from diverse cultural backgrounds and different age groups. They represent a multifaceted and kaleidoscopic humanity on multiple levels of engagement.
Puerto Rican writers often participate in a form of bilingual, bicultural home-building in two geographic yet at once conceptual habitats that nurture their sense of self and identity while at the same time encourage them to use the alternate space of the written/printed page or performance to make sense of their experiences constantly crisscrossing geographic, cultural, and linguistic spaces. In the process, diasporic Puerto Rican writers create a uniquely integrated life story, albeit from different vantage points, that resonates with many viewers and reading audiences who may share their experience, or who may know or be related to someone who does. Interestingly, some of these writers have read one another’s works and feed off each other’s writing. The overriding themes of revolving-door migration and return migration lie at the heart of their literary portrayals which at times converge with one another but at other times diverge into distinct lived experiences. The overriding connector, however, continues to be Puerto Rico.
In my commitment to acknowledge, praise, and capture the valuable voices of diasporic Puerto Rican authors, I recently edited and published a collection titled Diasporic Journeys: Interviews with Puerto Rican Writers in the United States, released in June 2023 by CENTRO Press, part of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College-City University of New York. The purpose of the collection was to present how authors of Puerto Rican descent have appeared on the literary scene with connections to pioneering earlier voices while simultaneously creating a new style of writing pertinent to a new age of Puerto Rican experience. The project’s goal was to bridge the gap between the two groups of writers (earlier and contemporary) with particular interest in the ways in which history, culture, traditions, politics, geographic spaces, national identity, transnational ties, and bilingualism converge and contend with one another in their writing. The collection aligns with Carmen Dolores Hernández’s previous work, Puerto Rican Voices in English: Interviews with Writers (Praeger Press, 1997) but, more importantly, incorporates new depictions of the life and works of current diasporic Puerto Rican authors writing in English and Spanglish in the United States. These writers are no longer primarily situated in New York City as those in the previous collection edited by Hernández, nor are they solely dedicated to writing. Indeed, some are university professors, spoken word artists, community organizers, singers and actors, environmental and political activists, journalists, translators, editors, and publishers. They span geographic regions from the east coast (New York, Pennsylvania, Florida) to the Midwest (Illinois, Michigan), to the west coast and beyond (California, Hawaii). And though some of these writers carry on the legacy of their predecessors, they also bring important innovative writing styles, techniques, and contemporary thematic concerns to the forefront with their multifaceted and inspirational lives and works.
The interviews in this project fill a void in the critical field of Puerto Rican Studies since they provide the latest, most updated conversations with widely read and award-winning Puerto Rican authors and their own innovations in the field while respecting and honoring the literary trajectory and foundational writing of their predecessors. The collection as a whole is meant as an ongoing dialogue that will hopefully bring forth future editions to include more writers, since this work is only a small sample of the many voices that continue to enhance a literary tradition often downplayed under hegemonic studies of American literature. With the prominence and recognition that many of these writers have received, it is no longer possible to underestimate the significance of their works.
Yet, the interviews included in this collection also lend themselves to other art forms that will hopefully enhance their dissemination and allow for further explorations of the authors’ lives and writing. Some of the observations the authors shared and the graphic and, at times, very emotional descriptions they provided were quite stylistic and cinematographic in their proportions. Close interaction with each writer and their generous willingness to share important aspects of their lives lead me to consider other possibilities for displaying their stories. I believe that a documentary film that further showcases and broadens the scope of the writers’ lives and works can be used as a complimentary component to the collection of interviews. More importantly, however, the documentary can also stand on its own as a valuable filmic representation of these authors’ lives, shared perspectives, and valuable contributions to literary history. This will hopefully become the second phase of the project and my continued commitment to the world of diasporic Puerto Rican Literature. I hope to share this journey with joy, dedication, and grace. Always Boricuas, en y más allá de 100X35.
