The University of Arizona Press
Date: Thursday, November 9, 2023
Time: 3 – 5 p.m., AZT
Where: Ross-Blakley Hall, Arizona State University, 1102 S McAllister Ave, Tempe, AZ
Chicana trailblazer Margarita Cota-Cárdenas’ work and life will be celebrated at ASU, in collaboration with the Institute for Humanities Research, School of International Letters and Cultures, and Puentes. The event also celebrates the publication of La Plonqui: The Literary Life and Work of Margarita Cota-Cárdenas, co-edited by Vanessa Fonseca-Chávez, an associate professor of English at ASU, and Jesús Rosales, an associate professor of Spanish in the School of International Letters and Cultures. Fonseca-Chávez and Rosales will speak and read from the book, followed by a reception.
About the book:
Celebrating more than forty years of creative writing by Chicana author Margarita Cota-Cárdenas, this volume includes critical essays, reflections, interviews, and previously unpublished writing by the author herself to document the lifelong craft and legacy of a pioneering writer in the field.
Nicknamed “La Plonky” by her family after a made-up childhood song, Cota-Cárdenas grew up in California, taught almost exclusively in Arizona, and produced five major works (two novels and three books of poetry) that offer an expansive literary production spanning from the 1960s to today. Her perspectives on Chicana identity, the Chicanx movement, and the sociopolitical climate of Arizona and the larger U.S.-Mexico border region represent a significant contribution to the larger body of Chicanx literature. Additionally, the volume explores her perspectives on issues of gender, sexuality, and identity related to the Chicanx experience over time.
