The Sandspur

Issue date: 2/26/07 Section: News

There were two good-byes this past Thursday night at Tiedtke Hall. Esmeralda Santiago's reading not only marked the final Winter With the Writers of the season, but also the final one in the term of director Connie May Fowler, who is stepping down after four years.

The evening appropriately began with a tribute to Dr. Fowler. Twila Papay, English department chair, spoke not only of the greatness of Fowler's commitment to literature and to the festival over the past four years, but also of Fowler's character.

"Connie May, after all, illustrates the curiosity and courage of a girl called Bird. Like Murmur Lee, she carries an incredible love for this earth and its manifold beings. And in the spirit of Mattie Blue, she is a blend of tenacity, practicality and astounding tenderness," said Papay.

Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Robert Casey, followed up by noting Fowler's impressive accomplishments during her term as director, which included coverage of the festival by Orange TV and the start of a student internship program with the writers. He concluded by reading one of the many students' acclamations: "thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, Connie May Fowler." This was followed by a standing ovation from the audience.

After a tearful beginning, the night continued with a reading and interview with featured author Esmeralda Santiago. Santiago, famous for her memoirs and children's books, was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, coming to America at thirteen not knowing a word of English. With incredible determination, she taught herself the language and ended up at Harvard University, where she graduated magne cum laude in 1976. She went on to become a celebrated novelist, essayist, memoirist, as well as an actress appearing in such films as Up the Down Staircase. She continues to blur the lines between Puerto Rican and American culture in her work.

Though Santiago is most well known for her memoirs such as When I was Puerto Rican and Almost a Woman, she read a chapter from her latest work of fiction. Set in 1842 Puerto Rico, Santiago talked about the difficulty of writing this piece of fiction, because it was all about "creating a world" and she "never knew it was in [her]." The chapter, entitled L'Esporado (check the Spanish), had the flowing, vivid characterizations that Santiago is famous for. Her keen sense of observation, which she stressed at a workshop given earlier was a sense had by all good writers, was evident in her own reading.

Following the reading, the evening was capped off by an interview with Santiago given by Connie May Fowler. It was a perfect ending to a night in which the audience was treated to an inside look at the earliest memories of Esmeralda Santiago, an innovative folklorist in every sense.

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