Elizabeth Acevedo speaks on poetry and life’s challenges during her visit to Notre Dame
Poetry and life’s many obstacles were the focus of poet Elizabeth Acevedo’s performance.
Letras Latinas, the literary initiative at the University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Latino Studies welcomed Acevedo on Monday, October 2nd, as part of the institute’s Hispanic Heritage Month 2017 event series.
She performed from her most recent book, Beastgirl & Other Myths, for over 150 students, staff, and faculty of the Notre Dame and the tri-campus community of Holy Cross and St. Mary’s. Her full house poetry performance was followed by a book signing.
Acevedo, a daughter of Dominican immigrants and native of New York City is known for incorporating her Latina roots into her works. She spoke on her experience as an Afro-Latina and how her Dominican roots had inspired her work.
Andrea Savage, a student of Professor Francisco Aragon, Director of Letras Latinas, shared, “I absolutely loved having Elizabeth Acevedo in class with us on Monday. Hearing her speak about her poems gave them so much more context and meaning, and I also felt I related to her on a very personal level.”
She received her bachelor’s in Performing Arts from the George Washington University and holds a masters in Creative Writing from the University of Maryland.
Originally published by at latinostudies.nd.edu on October 23, 2017.