2014 Macondo Writers Workshop Reading

From LatinoStories YouTube Channel

The Macondo workshops started in 1995 at the kitchen table of the poet and writer Sandra Cisneros in San Antonio. These yearly workshops aimed to bring together a community of poets, novelists, journalists, performance artists, and creative writers of all genres whose work is socially engaged. Their work and talents are part of a larger task of community-building and non-violent social change. What united them was a commitment to work for under-served communities through their writing. Since 2006 The Macondo Foundation proceeded to organize the workshops, which continued to provide its participants with an oasis to concentrate on their writing and improve their skills in a demanding atmosphere of support and kinship.

The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center has taken over the administration of the Macondo workshops with the blessing of its founder and the board of the Macondo Foundation.

This unique environment is unlike any other literary initiative in the United States. It is premised in Cisneros’ vision to create a homeland for writers who are working in underserved communities. Many times writers work alone and feel isolated. Macondo has fostered a vibrant and growing community of writers who view their writing as way of giving back to the community and changing lives by fostering literacy. This reading featured: Gabriela Lemmons, Joe Jimenez, Jose B. Gonzalez, Miguel M. Morales, Rene Colato Lainez, B.V. Olguin, Carmen Tafolla, and Laurie Ann Guerrero.