The trailblazers in human, academic, scientific and religious freedom have always been in the minority… It will take such a small committed minority to work unrelentingly to win the uncommitted majority. Such a group may transform America’s greatest dilemma into her most glorious opportunity.
Background
Ana Castillo is a celebrated poet, novelist, short story writer, essayist, editor, playwright, translator and independent scholar. Castillo holds a BA from Northeastern Illinois University, an MA from the University of Chicago, and a PhD in American Studies from the University of Bremen in Germany.
Interests
Considered one of the leading voices in the Chicana experience, Castillo’s work is known for its experimental style and socio-political comment based on oral and literary traditions. Her journey to MIT began at a conference in which she spoke on the role of ecology in literature, and a participant encouraged her to consider a longer visit to the Institute. As an MLK Visiting Professor, Castillo taught two writing courses and read from her fifth novel, The Guardians, an exploration of family life along the U.S.-Mexico border. In addition to teaching and touring The Guardians, Castillo used the year to begin working on The Last Goddess Standing, a novel about women during the conquest of Mexico.
Sample Work
Publication
The Guardians
Publication
Psst . . .: I Have Something to Tell You, Mi Amor: Two Plays
Publication
Watercolor Women/Opaque Men: A Novel in Verse
Publication
I Ask the Impossible: Poems