AnaLouise Keating - Bridging: How Gloria Anzaldúas Life and Work Transformed Our Own

Bridging

How Gloria Anzaldas Life and Work Transformed Our Own

EDITED BY ANALOUISE KEATING AND GLORIA GONZLEZ-LPEZ

Copyright 2011 by AnaLouise Keating and Gloria Gonzlez-Lpez
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
First edition, 2011

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bridging : how Gloria Anzaldas life and work transformed our own / edited by AnaLouise Keating and Gloria Gonzlez-Lpez. 1st ed.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-0-292-72555-3 (cloth : alk. paper)

1. Anzalda, GloriaInfluence. 2. Anzalda, GloriaAppreciationUnited States. 3. Mexican Americans in literature. 4. Ethnicity in literature. 5. Social justice in literature. 6. Social change in literature. 7. Mexican AmericansIntellectual life. 8. Womens studies. 9. Cross-cultural studies. 10. Queer theory. I. Keating, AnaLouise, 1961 II. Gonzlez-Lpez, Gloria, 1960

PS3551.N95Z63 2011

818.5409dc22 2010041700

ISBN 978-0-292-73471-5 (E-book)

May we all become bridges
may we all become borderless
with our almas afines
and beyond

This book has been a collective effort spanning more than half a decade, and we have many people and organizations to thank. First and foremost, of course, we thank Gloria Anzalda, who has been such a source of guidance, inspiration, and brilliance to us both. We are deeply grateful to every one of the contributors of this collection. Thank you, fellow writers, for your personal and intellectual vulnerability, for risking the personal so thoroughly! Thank you for your outpouring of hard work and love while staying engaged from beginning to end of this (long!) process. We appreciate your prompt replies and diligent work in response to our requests for revision and your great patience as we brought this book into the world.

Were grateful to all the people who have helped to preserve Gloria Evangelina Anzaldas words and work. We especially thank Hilda Anzalda, Kit Quan, and Irene Reti for their firm commitment to making the Anzalda archives a reality. We express our sincere gratitude to Ann Hartness, former head librarian of the Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection; Margo Gutirrez, interim head librarian at the Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection; Christian Kelleher, archivist at the Benson Collection; and Jos Limn, director of the Center for Mexican American Studies, for their various roles in the acquisition of the archive of Gloria Evangelina Anzalda, now housed at the Benson Latin American Collection at the University of Texas at Austin. We also thank Christian Kelleher for his ongoing support of archival research on Anzalda and for his assistance with our queries as we prepared this book. Thank you, Christian; your support has been priceless. Our special admiration, respect, and gratitude go to Norma E. Cant and Sonia Saldvar-Hull at the University of Texas at San Antonio for being hardworking maestras actively creating vibrant intellectual and spiritual communities and families committed to nurturing the priceless contributions of Gloria Anzalda and creating future generations of Anzaldan scholars.

The University of Texas Press has been the ideal home for this book. Our sincere gratitude goes to Theresa May, assistant director and editor-in-chief, for her encouragement and support of this project. We are also grateful to Sarah Hudgens for her support, kindness, and help in the manuscript preparation process. We thank Lynne Chapman, manuscript editor, for her assistance in moving our manuscript through the publication process, and we thank Tana Silva for her superb copyediting skills. Were extremely grateful to the external reviewers of this manuscript, Edith Morris-Vasquez and Layli Phillips Maparyan, whose excitement for this project re-energized us and whose comments inspired us in useful and valuable ways to re-envision the introduction. We know that reading manuscripts can be a time-consuming job, and we very much appreciate the care you took with Bridging.

We would like to express our gratitude to Dr. Domino Perez, Acting Director, and Natasha Saldaa, Academic Advisor, of the Center for Mexican American Studies for their kindness and support as we worked on the book cover. We are also grateful to Annie Valva for allowing us to use her photograph on the cover.

The idea for this book has its source in the two-day tribute for Gloria E. Anzalda that took place in Austin in October 2004. With special cario, respect, and gratitude we acknowledge all the people (students, professors, community-based activists, and artists, among other professionals) who through their affiliation with the University of Texas at Austin and ALLGO (Austin Latina/Latino Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Organization) actively participated in organizing the event. Thanks to each of you for the inspiration and the original flame giving life to the idea of exploring ways to build and expand on Gloria Anzaldas influential scholarship.

Together, we, AnaLouise Keating and Gloria Gonzlez-Lpez, wish to acknowledge each other for mutual creativity, inspiration, and support in the process of giving birth to this book. Each of us contributed equally to the development of this collection. The order of authorship in this book and the introduction is intended to acknowledge Keatings place in the intellectual genealogy of Anzaldan studies.

Co-editing a book is a big responsibility; in some ways, its even more difficult than simply editing a book on ones own. First thanks go to my co-editor, Gloria Gonzlez-Lpez, for initiating this book, for being so touched by Gloria Evangelina Anzalda and her words. Comadre: When I heard your beautiful, loving, insightful discussion of nepantla/ne pantle ras at the October 2004 Anzalda tribute in Austin, I knew you would be a trustworthy co-editor and a careful interpreter of Anzaldas words; my faith has been entirely well placed and accurate. As you know, the academy can be an inhospitable place; its so great to connect with other passionate, holistic scholars. To borrow Anzaldas words, T eres una nepantlera, una alma afin. Im grateful for my job at Texas Womans University, where Anzalda did her freshman year of college back in the 1960s (Is that a coincidence, or what?!); for Gail Orlando, whose time-saving office assistance is irreplaceable; and for my awesome students, whose excitement and appreciation for Anzalda and transformation consistently energize me. Thanks to Claire L. Sahlin, who is the best department chair Ive ever encountered as well as a terrific colleague and friend. Thanks to Glenda Lehrmann and the FIRST (Faculty Information and Research Support Team) staff at Texas Womans University for assistance with reference material. Thanks to Nadine Barrett, Kavitha Koshy, Doreen Watson, and the other mujeres of BRIDGES for encouraging me to attend the Anzalda tribute in Austin and for offering such helpful, nourishing feedback and support. I dont even have the words to express my profound gratitude to my family, especially Eddy Lynton and Jamitrice Keating-Lynton, for your continued patience, understanding, encouragement, generosity, and presence; you are the best parts of my life. Really. For as long as you have known me, Gloria Anzalda has been present in our lives, and you have had to share mefirst with my friend and writing comadre, the flesh-and-blood person, and now with her work. And finally, I thank the orishas, espritus, and ancestors for guiding me, whispering words of encouragement that nourish my body/heart/mind/spirit and inspire my vision.