Siglo Latinx - ACH- Conference 2024

Among the activities undertaken with our research assistants, we had the opportunity to present at the ACH Hispanic Studies conference in Montreal, held from June 1-3 of this year. A roundtable discussion was held to present the project, its activities, and the experiences gained over the past year. Each student presented on the work of an artist they collaborated with and discussed their experiences participating in the project. This experience proved invaluable for all involved, offering a unique opportunity to engage with a pivotal academic event in Hispanic studies, interact with leading scholars, and showcase our work to a broader audience. This not only facilitated the acquisition and reinforcement of essential academic and professional skills but also fostered a sense of collective growth and accomplishment.

The following excerpts, drawn from the students' own words, offer a glimpse into the personal impact of this experience:

Ashley Bernal

Having the opportunity to attend the ACH conference in Montreal to take part in presenting about the Siglo LatinX project was such a joyful and good learning experience. This was my first time presenting at a more formal research setting such as a conference and getting to know how conferences actually work which relieved me of many questions I had about how they function. At first, I have to admit I was pretty nervous about presenting in this more formal setting. However, being able to have such supportive and caring mentors such as my professors Erin and Glenda. As well as the other research investigators as my colleagues that I found to be so kind made me feel much more comfortable. I found the presentation went smoothly and without troubles thanks to the entire group’s contribution to it. Also, just being at the conference and getting to see other researchers’ work was such a great experience. I found it pretty special to be at an event where so many had the common interest of love for research and Spanish speaking culture. This experience definitely left me motivated to keep pursuing my career in academia and attend other conferences.

Amanda Fuenmayor

For four years I have had the privilege of having worked on the Siglo LatinX project from the beginning, when we still had to find artists who adapted plays from the Golden Age, with a more Latin American touch. These works today, in my opinion, have been a great success since they can be very relevant to society while also making it possible for people who do not understand the original works or had never been interested, to understand and enjoy them through their own culture. During this project, I have experienced how each of the artists, without changing the language of the works, have managed to adapt them to something more personal, deeply connecting with the viewers. One of the works that I will always remember, not only because of how spectacular its presentation was but because of how impactful it was on my life, is the work “Quixote Nuevo”. This work was shocking for me, both to be able to hear the words of Octavio Solís and his experience during his childhood in El Paso, Texas as a Chicano, as well as the story he portrayed in the work. For me, it was a sense of relief and belonging. Since I understood that many other people also feel or have felt conflicted in their native culture and identity when growing up in another. For this reason, I chose to present “Quixote Nuevo” at the ACH conference in Montreal, as it gave me the privilege of sharing this experience with other people. For me, working with Siglo LatínX has been a discovery of works that I now love and at the same time, it has been very enriching to have another perspective of these works and what life was like during the golden century. For this reason, I am very grateful to Dr. Erin Cowling and Dr. Glenda Nieto-Cuebas for giving me the great opportunity to be part of their team.

Georgina Rivero

Hello, my name is Georgina Rivero Alvarado, and I am a recent graduate of Grant MacEwan University. I have contributed to Dr. Cowling's Siglo Latinx project as a Research Assistant since September 2023. The Siglo Latinx project explores how Latinx artists adapt Golden Age theatre for modern audiences. Witnessing these adaptations has been special, as the plays are filled with prejudice, classism, and misogyny, and the artists' task is to problematize these attitudes while maintaining the original works' aesthetic beauty and authenticity. We engage with various smaller projects within Siglo Latinx, such as working with the Van Lier Fellows of 2022-2023 and Ana Paola Izquierdo, an actress in Mexico City. Each project involves reading a Golden Age play, watching its modern adaptation, noting the elements kept or changed, and interviewing the artists. These interviews are unique and enlightening. Dr. Cowling and Dr. Nieto Cuebas have written a book based on our work, to be published next year. We also have articles, reviews, and conference presentations. Our first conference was in June in Montreal, QC, at the Canadian Association of Hispanists. It was an opportunity to present our work, discuss the impact of the artists on our academic work, and network with scholars. The next conference will be in Puebla City, Mexico, where I will present alongside Paola Izquierdo. Being part of this project has positively impacted me academically and personally. It has prepared me for my M.A. program at the University of Toronto this fall. Participating in team meetings and presenting at conferences has made me more confident. Although my involvement will decrease once I start my M.A., the skills, knowledge, and connections gained will continue to benefit me. I am extremely grateful to Dr. Cowling and Dr. Nieto Cuebas for this special project.

Lorena Rojas

Working with the Siglo Latinx project this past year has been crucial for my academic, professional, and personal growth. The project allowed me to meet artists, learn about their work and creative processes, and understand the current state of Latinx theatre in North America. I learned about the impact of Spanish Golden Age plays, revitalized by Latinx artists for new and diverse contexts and generations. Although my research differs from Latinx theatre, this project has improved my critical analysis skills for plays, cinema, and literature. Theatre's artistic languages have encouraged me to think about sound and light in films differently. Working with artists has shown how academic work can reach the social sphere, applying theory actively and helping artists with conceptual tools. The project also includes training and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students, with Dr. Cowling and Dr. Nieto-Cuebas motivating us to cultivate academic and professional skills. The ACH conference in Montreal was special as I met my colleagues in person and shared our experiences with Latinx artists at the round table. I spoke about Ana Zambrana's adaptation of La traición en la amistad by María de Zayas, illustrating how new generations of Latinx artists re-appropriate Spanish Golden Age works. The conference allowed us to learn about other research in Hispanic Studies, enriching us academically and personally.

Natalia Soracipa

Working for the Latinx Project during the last year has split my career in different directions than I ever imagined. Before, my only focus was getting my Ph.D. in Spanish/Literature and working towards a teaching career. Still, in Siglo Latinx, I am experiencing how academia has multiple nuances and directions that could nurture my career goals and intellectual and creative abilities. For instance, working as a social media manager has taught me a different way of communicating and distributing content involving visual and textual creations. This has gotten me close to the arts through my role in documenting theater productions, such as the visit I had last year to Teatro Círculo in New York, in which I interviewed artists and wrote a review of the performance La monja alférez, which Latin American Theater Review published. Siglo Latinx has also awakened my interest in the study of the visual aspects of the spectacles and its impact on the narratives. Thus, last June, I presented “La imagen y la luz: una mirada hacia el trabajo de Israel Franco-Müller” at the annual conference of the Asociación Canadiense de Hispanistas (ACH) and had the opportunity to share how the lights, costumes, and objects create poetic in the space that transmits meaning through images. Being at the ACH and sharing our work along with other team members of the Siglo Latinx gave me a retrospective view of how impactful this project is being for academia, the arts, as well as our individual and professional growth; something could not be possible without the guidance and mentorship of Dr. Erin Cowling and Dr. Glenda Nieto. Now, I look forward to continuing to develop my research thesis on using theater techniques to teach Spanish as a second language, and I am thrilled to have Drs. Cowling and Nieto-Cuebas's guidance will help me reach this investigation's full potential and take the best out of each encounter with theater companies and artists whose perspectives could nurture mine.

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