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Posted: 9/15/16

TAMIU’s ‘Voces’ Hispanic Heritage Month Continues with Chicana Portrait Series

 

Raquel Valle-Senties
Artist and Writer Raquel Valle-Senties comes to TAMIU  

As part of Texas A&M International University’s “Voces Hispanic Heritage Month” observation, a Chicana Portrait Series by Raquel Valle-Senties was celebrated at a reception Tuesday, Sept. 20  in the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library.

Among Chicana writers featured in the Series are Sandra Cisneros, Dr. Norma E. Cantú, Denise Chavez, Carmen Tafolla and Monserrat Fóntes. Valle-Senties  also read from some of her poetry. 

A series of five-minute documentaries by the students in the University’s Service Learning Program exploring contemporary representations of Hispanic or Chicano/a identity were screened and the student filmmakers were present for a discussion that followed.

Born and raised in Laredo, Valle-Senties attended Texas Women's University and majored in Art. Her first collection of poetry, Soy Como Soy y Que, was published in 1996 and won the international José Fuentes Mares Premio de Literatura awarded by the University of Chihuaha, México. Her poetry has been published in numerous literary magazines in the U.S. and México. She has also written two award-winning plays. As an artist, her oil paintings have earned awards. In 2002, her portrait "Old Man" won first place in the International Juried Show in Laredo.

TAMIU’s month-long “Voces, Hispanic Heritage Month, ” offers a broad spectrum of activities. It launches with a traditional  “grito” and includes the playing of Loteria, an exploration of music in Central and South America, a dramatic presentation on the life of Bernardo de Gálvez,  a dinner featuring famed chef Pati Jinich, and a celebration of Cervantes.

An online calendar of all Voces events Sept 15 - Oct. 15 is available on the University’s web site at http://www.tamiu.edu/newsinfo/voces.shtmlSandra Cisneros

For additional information, contact the University’s Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at 956.326.2180, email prmis@tamiu.edu , click on tamiu.edu or visit offices in the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library, Suite 268.

University information is also available on its social media sites on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

Sandra Cisneros, as painted by Raquel Valle-Senties