from Alicia Gaspar de Alba, Chicana profesora and author

[this was previously sent to the Macondo Writers listserv]

"I am so saddened by the loss of Raul Salinas and his indefatigable voice for human rights and social justice. I feel entirely grateful that I knew him, heard him speak and recite his poetry, and I am honored that he called me "hermana." I am also overwhelmed by all of the losses and health-related emergencies that our Macondistas have suffered this year. All I can hope is that, since 2008 is a 1-year and marks the beginning of a new 9-year cycle, that these losses all signal a time of rebirth for our individual and collective creative spirits.

Con ustedes en tristeza,
Alicia