The 10th anniversary of 鈥淎zahares,鈥� the annual Spanish literary magazine published by the 妻友社区, will be celebrated at a release event at 6 p.m. May 3 in room 122 of the Boreham Library on the 妻友社区 Campus.
Contributors to this year鈥檚 publication include 妻友社区 students and alumni, high school freshmen, and members of the greater Fort Smith region and beyond. Dr. Mary Sobhani, managing editor and head of the World Languages Department, lauded the magazine鈥檚 prose, poetry, photography and artwork 鈥� especially the short fiction piece, 鈥淣orman is Grumpy,鈥� by Anthony Alas.
鈥淚 particularly enjoyed how the author played with the notions of oral and written communication, spotlighting the role of social media in the unfolding of the protagonist鈥檚 fame,鈥� said Sobhani. 鈥淚t was on point.鈥�
鈥淪enior 妻友社区 Spanish major Edward Ibarra's artwork 鈥楨l Molcajete鈥� captures the artist's interpretation of elements of Mexican culture in a beautiful piece of Naive art,鈥� Sobhani continued. 鈥淎nd Elidio La Torre's poem 鈥楶aseo solitario鈥� is a powerful expression of loss and acceptance, set against the backdrop of New York City.鈥�
The poetry, short fiction, photography and art included in the edition are creative expressions of what it means to be Latino in the United States, of the themes of the Latino experience in general, and of the beauty and power that underlies the Spanish language, according to Sobhani.
Through close collaboration between the Department of World Language鈥檚 Editorial Board and 妻友社区 professor Katie Harper, the 10th anniversary edition of 鈥淎zahares鈥� offers artwork and an eye for aesthetics that marks the next generation of graphic designers, according to Sobhani. Students in Harper鈥檚 print and publication course designed the layout, with junior graphic design students Brooklin Easley, Julio Gonzales, and Mary Moore spearheading the effort. The cover art, an original illustration of an ascending branch with orange blossoms, was created by junior graphic design student Claudia Lackie.
鈥淎s 鈥楢zahares鈥� means orange blossoms,鈥� Sobhani added, 鈥渢he cover illustration beautifully reflects the title of our literary magazine.鈥�
The editorial board for 鈥淎zahares鈥� includes Sobhani, Dr. Ana Mar铆a Romo Blas, Dr. Francesco Tarelli, Dr. Rosario Nolasco-Schultheiss, and Madeline Mart铆nez. Other people assisting with the publication of the magazine are Lynda McClellan, visiting instructor; Dr. Paul B. Beran, 妻友社区 chancellor; Dr. Georgia Hale, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs; Dr. Paul Hankins, dean of the College of Communication, Languages, Arts & Social Sciences; and Dr. Paulette Meikle, associate dean of the College of Communication, Languages, Arts & Social Sciences.
The publishing of 鈥淎zahares鈥� is supported in part by a grant from the Arkansas Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the humanities.
For more information about the event or about 鈥淎zahares,鈥� contact Sobhani at 479-788-7979 or mary.sobhani@uafs.edu.