AWP Bookfair: Margaret Sayers Peden, Jen Hofer, Meena & More

Just back from the AWP bookfair in Atlanta-- so much to blog about! One of the books I was most excited to see is the gorgeous and essential new anthology edited by Margaret Sayers Peden, Mexican Writers on Writing. (Trinity University Press). It includes essays by Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, Rosario Castellanos, Angeles Mastretta, Juan Villoro, Pedro Angel Palou, Carlos Fuentes, Octavio Paz, Ilan Stavans, Juan Villoro, and Jorge Volpi, in addition to a dozen others. The cover painting is "Our Dream" by Mexican artist Alfredo Castaneda. (Peden and Castaneda have collaborated on another book: read about that here.) I also got a copy Jen Hofer's hot off the presses translation of Laura Solorzano's poems Lobo de labio as Lip Wolf (Action Books). (Check out the Action Books manifesto: "We're not so interested in tchotschkes from the style-mart".) Monica del la Torre's blurb for Lip Wolf: "Readers beware. You are about to go into the lion's den." Also at the bookfair--- in fact, the table right next to mine (Tameme)--- was Meena, the bilingual Arabic/ English literary journal edited by Andrea Young and Khaled Hegazzi. They've just brought out their fascinating second issue. Meena means "port" in Arabic. More anon.