Xánath Caraza - Poet and Educator: "It's in the Atmosphere"

Bilingual in America

Xánath Caraza is an internationally acclaimed poet & author, with works translated into seven languages, and a professor at the University of Missouri in Kansas City. Today she speaks with Yarina Sencion about her multilingual life and the role each version of her identity plays in her work. During this powerful conversation, we once again touch on the beauty of Nahuatl, the language of the Mayans still in use today, that when European colonization began could be heard from Mexico to Panama.

Xánath moves us with a reading of one of her poems, talks about her obsession with paper, and how writing for her is a life force. I was moved by the beauty of her recitation of just one paragraph of her poem Sihuatl. I fell silent reflecting on her 2018 book of poems, Lagrima Roja, being translated & released in Greek and English honoring those women who fell victim to femicide in Mexico. I felt heavy when thinking about her newest book of poems, Jackeline's Butterfly, inspired by the death of the first child in US custody as part of the crisis at the border.

The weight of each of these works captures her commitment to sharing her undeniable gift with the world, and why as a writer she must let it all flow and rest. As we come to the end of Women's Herstory Month, we are privileged to highlight Xánath, another strong, intelligent, dynamic, vibrant, and creative soul who speaks her beauty.