Mapmakers Alumni Institute: Bilingualism is an Invitation, Not a Wall | Dec. 4, 2024

The Pacific MFA in Writing invites you to register for a free online conversation, "Bilingualism is an Invitation, Not a Wall," December 4, from 5:30-7pm Pacific, hosted by the Mapmakers Alumni Institute with Manuel Iris (in English), Mathangi Subramanian, and Mapmaker Scholar, multi-genre writer and performer Beatriz Brenes Mora ’24 MFA (Nonfiction). In this panel the group will discuss tips on how to best use bilingualism to elevate their prose and invite their readers. The panel will also consider how to handle real life situations with other writers, editors, agents, and publishers to invite them to be allies instead of antagonists.

Manuel Iris is a Mexican-born American poet. Author of five collections of poetry. Writer-in-Residence of the Cincinnati and Hamilton County public library and library foundation (2023), Writer in residence of Thomas More University (2023-2024), Poet Laureate Emeritus of the City of Cincinnati, Ohio (2018-2020), and member of the National System of Art Creators of Mexico (SNCA) (2022-2024).

Winner of the “Merida” National award of poetry (Mexico, 2009) for his book Notebook of dreams, and the Rodulfo Figueroa Regional award of poetry for his book The disguises of fire (Mexico, 2014). This same book was a finalist for the International Award of Poetry Ciudad de la Lira, in Ecuador. His first bilingual anthology of poems, Traducir el silencio/Translating silence, was published in New York in 2018 and won two different awards in the International Latino Book Awards in Los Angeles, California.

Mathangi Subramanian is an award winning writer and educator Her novel A People's History of Heaven was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award and was longlisted for the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, among others. Her middle grade book Dear Mrs. Naidu won the South Asia Book Award and her picture book A Butterfly Smile is in the Nobel Museum. Her shorter work has appeared in The Washington Post, Harper's Bazaar, Ms.com, The San Francisco Chronicle, Kweli Journal, and McSweeny's Internet Tendency, among others. She is a guest artist at Denver School of the Arts and a Fulbright-Nehru Senior scholar, and she holds a doctorate in communication and education from Columbia Teachers College.