Calaveras Fronterizas

Calaveras Fronterizas is a chapbook of poetry and art by Rincon Bohemio, the writer's group of El Paso. From the introduction by Rincon Bohemio founder Lucille Zavala:

Miguel "Mike" Juarez really gets it. When Mike, archivist, writer and doctoral student at the University of Texas at El Paso, found out that I had founded Ríncon Bohemio, a bilingual literary group with a focus on studying and writing Spanish literature, he was the first to applaud the effort on Facebook. He noted that there was a need for this group, especially in our border city.

He called me in September and said he had found a 1991 limited edition chapbook Calacas Machetiras written by Gloria E. Alvarez, a Los Angeles poet, and recipient of the City of Los Angeles Artist Award. The chapbook was written and illustrated by well-known poets and artists from L.A. He encouraged us to create our own limited edition chapbook and tie the chapbook release with a first ever Calavera reading at The Percolator, a coffee and gallery shop in El Paso. Ríncon Bohemio ran with the idea, and we wrote Calaveras the month of October, spearheaded by Raquel Mejia and Julia Quintanar.

Ríncon Bohemio went a step further and added a Calavera reading at Mercado Mayapan. Nancy Green asked Ríncon Bohemio to hold its meetings there to support the women of Mercado Mayapan who were struggling through financial difficulties to keep their businesses going. On October 24, we held our first public reading, thanks to the support of Nancy and Mercado Mayapan.

Synchronicity included Maria Miranda Maloney opening up her publishing press, Mouthfeel Press. Maria volunteered to edit and publish this chapbook. We asked for fellow poets and artists to contribute, and the response was immediate, submissions coming from as far as California. This has been a most wonderful experience.