Skip to content

CALL FOR CHAPTER PROPOSALS

CALL FOR CHAPTER PROPOSALS

Atravesados: Essays on Queer Latinx Young Adult Literature

(Under advanced contract with University Press of Mississippi)

Editors: Trevor Boffone and Cristina Herrera

In addressing the future of queer young adult (YA) literature in their foundational volume, The Heart Has Its Reasons: Young Adult Literature with Gay/Lesbian/Queer Content, 1969-2004, Michael Cart and Christine Jenkins pose the following questions to scholars, students, and readers to evaluate realistic and relatable queer texts for youth: “Does it have not only an authentic but an original voice? Does it offer fresh insights into the lives of GLBTQ people? Does it offer other innovations in terms of narrative strategy, structure, theme? Or is it the same old story, told in the same old way that readers have encountered countless times in the past?” (166). Their provocative questions no doubt call on YA writers to reject the common early storylines in this genre’s emergence that far too often relied on plot tropes of suicide, gay-bashing, homophobia, or eventual straightness that needed to be coaxed out from the “phase” of queerness. Indeed, in the almost two decades after their publication, it is safe to say that the concerns raised by Cart and Jenkins have largely been answered by Latinx YA writers who engage with queer content, themes, and characters. What has not changed so much, unfortunately, is another version of the “same old story,” the overall paucity of literary scholarship on queer Latinx YA literature.

In the spirit of Cart and Jenkins’ collection and others, then, which we will discuss throughout this collection, Atravesados: Essays on Queer Latinx Young Adult Literature shows how Latinx queer YA writers discard the “same old story,” offering critical representations of queerness that broaden the vibrant field of YA writing to insist on the presence of queer teens of color. Our title draws on foundational Chicana queer theorist Gloria Anzaldúa’s notion of “atravesados” to speak to the spectrum of queer youth Latinidades as they materialize in YA literature. Los atravesados, according to Anzaldúa, are “The squint-eyed, the perverse, the queer, the troublesome, the mongrel, the mulato, the half-breed, the half dead; in short, those who cross over, pass over, or through the confines of the ‘normal’” (3). Los atravesados reside in the borderlands space of ni de aquí ni de allá, neither here nor there, present yet liminal, their queerness the very source of both frustration and empowerment, a paradox of joy and tragedy. Although written in 1987, Anzaldúa’s theory speaks to the realities of queer Latinx teens that fill the pages of YA literature well into the twenty-first century. Characters such as Juliet from Gabby Rivera’s Juliet Takes a Breath, Aaron from Adam Silvera’s More Happy Than Not, or the titular Chulito from Charles Rice-Gonzales’s novel encompass the highs, lows, and everything in-betweenness of queer Latinx teen lived experiences. This collection tells their stories.

This proposed text, the first critical volume of essays that examines queer Latinx YA literature, offers scholars and students in the fields of young adult literary studies, Latinx Studies, and youth studies a foundation in which to engage with this rich body of work that powerfully imagines what it means to be a queer Latinx teen in the twenty-first century. While queer YA scholarship has emerged as a major field within Youth Studies, with foundational texts like the aforementioned The Heart Has Its Reasons, or other titles like Over the Rainbow: Queer Children’s and Young Adult Literature and Representing the Rainbow in Young Adult Literature, seldom have these volumes thoroughly engaged with a discussion of the wide range of queer Latinx YA texts. Expanding upon the important work of these benchmark texts, Atravesados: Essays on Queer Latinx Young Adult Literaturecalls for a lively, critical discussion not only on representations of queerness in Latinx YA literature but how queerness should be a central component of how we understand Latinx YA literature as a genre. Despite the achievements of award-winning authors, such as Anna-Marie McLemore, Charles Rice-Gonzales, Gabby Rivera, Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Alex Sanchez, Adam Silvera, and others, scholarship on queer Latinx literature has overwhelmingly ignored texts written for younger audiences

This call for papers seeks submissions that address queerness in Chicanx/Latinx young adult literature. We seek chapters of 4,000-6,000 words that engage with these themes and/or others in queer Latinx young adult (YA) literature. In particular, the editors welcome scholarly chapters that engage with the following themes that may include, but are not limited to:

  • Genealogies of queer Latinx YA literature
  • Critical perspectives of texts by authors, such as Zoraida Cordova, Mark Oshiro, Anna-Marie McLemore, Charles Rice-Gonzales, Gabby Rivera, Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Alex Sanchez, Adam Silvera, Aiden Thomas, and others
  • Pedagogy and teaching YA writing  
  • Trauma studies
  • Comparative analysis of multiple queer Latinx YA texts
  • Disability and queerness in YA writing
  • Trans and nonbinary identities 
  • The politics of YA publishing
  • Spaces for YA literature (libraries, classrooms, digital spaces, etc.)
  • Queer futurity and temporality
  • Queer speculative fiction
  • Queering YA literature

Interested contributors should send a 300-word abstract with title, brief biography, and contact information to the editors by October 1, 2021. If accepted, we will request completed chapters of 4,000-6,000 words in MLA format by April 1, 2022.

Editors

Trevor Boffone, Lecturer of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; University of Houston, Trevor.Boffone@gmail.com

Cristina Herrera, Professor and Director of Chicano and Latino Studies, Portland State University, cris34@pdx.edu

Houston Arts Partners Conference

Houston Arts Partners Conference
IGNITION: Sparking Creativity in Every Classroom

Dr. Boffone will give a keynote on Saturday, September 14 – 9:00 am

“How I Became the Dancing Teacher: Culturally-Responsive Teaching, Dubsmash, and Building Community in the Classroom”

My students saved me. At my lowest point, my dad died on the first day of school. I didn’t want to be there, but I had nothing to lose. So I began dancing with my students on Dubsmash, an app that lets users record 10-second dance videos. It started small—I began documenting this on Instagram as a way to reach out to my students. And overnight, this small project went viral. Momentum took off and before I knew it, I was finding joy in my teaching again. While most teachers end the school year exhausted, I ended on a high note, performing live with my students on Good Morning America.

In this talk, I will discuss culturally-responsive teaching, using dance to collaborate with students, and finding joy in my teaching again. At the end, I will make a Dubsmash video with those in attendance.

Nuestra Palabra Radio Interview

Listen to Dr. Boffone talk about his latest book (Encuentro: Latinx Performance for the New American Theater), Dubsmash, and teaching on Nuestra Palabra Radio. His interview starts at 18:00.

Sin Muros: A Latina/o Theatre Festival 2018 Press

In February 2018, Stages Repertory Theatre celebrated the range of Latina/o voices and stories reflecting the diversity of local Texas communities. Sin Muros included the World Premiere of Houstonian Josh Inocéncio’s solo show Purple Eyes and developmental workshop readings of new plays by Texas natives Mando Alvarado, Bernardo Cubría, and Tanya Saracho. The festival weekend was filled with public events for audiences and local theatre-makers, including workshops and networking opportunities.

Please see the following links to press about the inaugural Sin Muros Festival. The task force is already working on the 2019 festival. We hope you’ll join us in Houston next year!

Dream Fest: Stages Repertory Theater Launches Sin Muros: A Latina/o Theatre Festival” – Tarra Gaines (Arts + Culture TX)

El teatro busca diversidad” – Wei-Huan Chen (La VozHouston Chronicle)

Festival looks to grow diversity in stage arts” – Wei-Huan Chen (Houston Chronicle)

Reclaiming Roots: Sin Muros Theatre Festival Puts Queer Latinx Talent Center Stage” – Barrett White (Spectrum South)

New Theatre Festival Focuses On Stories And Voices From Latino Community” – Catherine Lu (Houston Public Media)

A Preview of the Upcoming Sin Muros Festival” – Houston Life TV

Sin Muros: Creating a Space for Latinx Theatre in Houston” – Trevor Boffone (The Theatre Times)

Sin Muros: Interview with Neighbors Playwright Bernardo Cubria” – Trevor Boffone (The Theatre Times)

Sin Muros: Interview with Purple Eyes Playwright Josh Inocencio” – Trevor Boffone (The Theatre Times)

Sin Muros: Interview with Living Sculpture Playwright Mando Alvarado” – Trevor Boffone (The Theatre Times)

Plays I Love: Part I

I read a lot of plays. Between my work with the 50 Playwrights Project (50PP) and reading for pleasure, I normally read 2-3 plays per week. And, while I recommend some of these plays to arts leaders that I’ve built relationships with through my work with 50PP, the Latinx Theatre Commons, and the Houston theatre community, I often don’t have a public-facing venue to help spread the word about some of these plays that I love.

These are plays that I want to see as an audience member. Plays that excite me. Plays that make me think. Plays that I want to pay money to see. Some of them have been produced. Some of them have not. All of them deserve our attention.

So, without further ado, I give you the first in an occasional series: “Plays I Love.”

Black Super Hero Magic Mama by Inda Craig-Galván

Sabrina Jackson cannot cope with the death of her son by a White cop. Rather than herald the Black Lives Matter movement, Sabrina retreats inward, living out a comic book superhero fantasy. Will Sabrina stay in this dream world or return to reality and mourn her loss?

For more information on Craig-Galván’s other plays please visit the New Play Exchange and her personal website.

The Diplomats by Nelson Díaz-Marcano

A few days before election night 2016, close friends Annie and Carlos are reunited in her small Astoria apartment during his first visit to New York since he moved to be with his husband in Florida. At first, it seems their relationship hasn’t changed. That is until Carlos brings an unexpected guest; Annie’s old best and estranged friend Gary. Throughout the course of the night they learn that while they may not have changed much as people, society has. Now they have to confront each other in a whole new reality and their relationships may never be the same.

For more information on Díaz-Marcano’s other plays please visit the New Play Exchange.

Locusts Have No King by J. Julian Christopher

Two gay couples (Lucus/Matthew and Jonathan/Marcus) get together for a dinner party. They work together. They live in the same building. They are closeted. But when one ponders his resignation the others fear exposure of their hidden relationships. They cannot allow this to happen. They won’t allow this to happen. All hell breaks loose… literally.

For more information on Christopher’s other plays please visit the New Play Exchange and his personal website.

MMF by David L. Kimple

When Dean, Jane, and Michael’s polyamorous relationship comes to an end, the triad is forced to deal with the consequences of love in a non-traditional relationship.

For scripts and licensing please visit Samuel French. For more information on Kimple’s other plays please visit the New Play Exchange and his personal website.

Orange by Aditi Kapil

An adventure through Orange County told from the perspective of a girl on the autism spectrum. A play with illustrations.

For more information on Kapil’s other plays please visit the New Play Exchange and her personal website.

Sweep by Georgina Escobar

Sweep is a femme spec-evo story that follows two sisters and hit women of the splintered worlds whose initial snafu with Adam & Eve catches up with them lifetimes later. Fighting for a last chance to reset humanity’s imperfect patterns, the women of Sweep hunt their targets from biblical times to modern-day in order to accelerate humanity’s evolution.

For more information on Escobar’s other plays please visit the New Play Exchange and her personal website.

Artist Profile: Kevin Ray Johnson

Name: Kevin Ray Johnson

Hometown: Brooklyn Park, Minnesota

Residence: Brooklyn, New York

On Writing…

What is your earliest memory of writing?

Okay I have to admit something from the start. I was never that great of a student but I always did well on papers and in English class. So I would say my earliest memories go as far back as the 4th or 5th grade. I loved when we would get creative type writing assignments.

How did you become a writer?

I became a writer when I was 19 and I wanted to write something that chronicled my life while living with diabetes and I started writing it while in school. That play was called Life Inside an Open Kaije (Kaije is pronounced like Cage) and something about that made me realize that this wasn’t a one shot deal this is something I want to do forever.

Tell us about your writing process.

I generally want to develop the arc of the story. The beginning, middle and end and when that is done it’s all about fleshing out the characters as much as possible. Making them real and relatable and someone you want to invest in. Revisions and being objective are essential for a writer you should never ever feel your job is done and you should never be above taking criticism.

Tell us about The Unpredictable Times and Reginald: From Baltimore to Billionaire.

The Unpredictable Times is a piece I have been working on for well over ten years. It originally started off as a 10 minute that I wrote called “The Next Day” my last year in college. I grew up in Minnesota and it’s a coming of age drama based on five friends from Champlin, Minnesota. They come back home to Champlin for the summer after graduating college to be met by unresolved issues from the past that will challenge their childhood friendships now as adults. To me, I wrote it because I wanted a coming of age piece that anyone no matter what generation (millennial, gen x etc) can relate to when it comes to letting go, forgiving and growing up. I wanted the situation to be relatable while at the same time being something I know so well which is Minnesota. When you grow up in MN it’s like no other place and you truly no matter where you go bring a little bit of the Midwest with you.

Reginald: from Baltimore to Billionaire is a piece based on the first African American Billionaire Reginald F. Lewis. I want to start by saying that I wake up every day feeling like the luckiest man alive that I am allowed to write this story. I was working with a wonderful NYC actress named Lora Nicolas. We were at her place one day working on lines and she brought up through a conversation that her uncle is Reginald F. Lewis. My jaw dropped. She responded with “Oh wow you know who he is?” ha yea I did. She knew that I was a writer and that’s when the original idea came to write a play about Reginald.

It follows the life of Reginald Lewis from the time he is 13 up until the time he signs the Beatrice Deal which made him become the first black billionaire. You see him go through college and get accepted into Harvard, meet his wonderful lovely wife Loida Nicolas (who I had the pleasure of having dinner with not too long ago and is truly such an amazing and beautiful human being) to his law firm, creating TLC (The Lewis Company) and the Beatrice Deal.

When I spoke to Loida I remember saying to her that this isn’t a piece that I want to be told this is a piece that NEEDS to be told. We live in a time where “reality stars” are claiming to want to Make America Great Again. I feel there is truly something inspiring about seeing a man that looks like Reginald live in a time like the 50s and 60s and him having the mindset that this isn’t gonna stop me. I’m gonna keep going no matter what. I have lost many nights of sleep because of this play (not a bad thing at all) because I just sit up and read it and think that this is something that could inspire a lot of people while educating them on who the first really was.

The first reading took place August of 2016 and it featured Isaiah Johnson (Who played mister in the revival of The Color Purple and who will be starring in the upcoming tour of Hamilton) as Reginald F. Lewis with Lora Nicolas playing her Aunt Loida Nicolas-Lewis. There was such an amazing visual that I tell Lora about all the time. She was sitting there in the reading and her Aunt was sitting right in front of her with her eyes closed just listening to the play. It was just such an amazing visual that I will remember for the rest of my writing career.

What else are you working on now?

I have several projects. One is a play cycle called “Before it Got Unpredictable: Short Plays by Kevin Ray Johnson” which features three short plays I wrote. It was performed last June and was headlined by Remy Zaken (Original Thea in Spring Awakening on Broadway) and featured an amazing cast.

I also am in the beginning process of working on a One-Act play called Obsolete Classified which is one of the heavier pieces I have worked on ever. I am someone who is very passionate about the discussion of mental health and that no one should be afraid to admit that they are not okay. Obsolete Classified follows someone who is wrongfully put in suicide watch at a hospital for 4 days and how those 4 days didn’t help them but only made it worse.

Also what I talked about earlier, The Next Day, will be performed at The New York Theater Festival and will featured an amazing cast of two up and coming actors in Michael Coale Grey and Megan Albracht. Show dates are March 7th, 11th and 12th at the Hudson Guild Theatre.

What books/plays have had the biggest impact on your trajectory?

The Marriage of Bette and Boo and This is our Youth as well as Othello and I know its cliché but I learned so much as a writer from Romeo and Juliet.

kevin-ray-johnson

On Acting…

Tell us about your process of preparing for a new role.

I read the script and then I ask myself how I want to take on this role from talking, expressions, mannerisms, to even the way I stand, are they likeable or unlikeable, how do I relate, can I relate and so on. I am not someone who tries to completely go against the grain from what the writer was wanting to get across but I still want to make it my own. When it comes to musicals and if it’s a well known show I try not to listen to the soundtrack. I feel as actors the one thing we should always do is put 100 percent trust in our directors so if we are able to do that then the performance will show.

What is your dream role? What do you feel you would bring to it?

Oh wow. This is a tough one. Musicals I am gonna say Jake in Sideshow. Plays would definitely be Chad Deity in the Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity and for Shakespeare I would say Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet and Othello in Othello.

For all four roles, I feel I would bring being able to relate and understand them. All four characters (even Tybalt) you can feel sympathy for and even if you don’t agree with how they go about things there truly is a reason why they are and in their own mind they believe what they are doing is right. I find that fascinating as an artist.

kevin-ray-johnson-2

On a life in the theatre…

What have been the defining moments in your career as a theatre artist?

Making my Off Broadway debut in The Love Note in 2014, having the honor of playing the role of Dr. Madden/ Dr. Fine in Next to Normal on 4 different occasions, becoming a board member at Rise Above Performing Arts in Florida led by Jacob Ruscoe because being around kids who love theatre is always a gift in itself and most recently performing in Guys and Dolls at The Asolo Repertory Theatre because the entire time I truly didn’t feel worthy. Josh Rhodes is truly one of the greatest directors I truly feel in the entire world and working with him truly was a defining moment in my career.

Who has had the biggest impact on your journey so far? Do you have any mentors or heroes in the theatre?

My mother for her support and for believing in me.

Molly Donnelly, my voice teacher in college who truly was the only one I felt believed in me when even I didn’t believe in me.

Isaiah Johnson and Jessica Frances Dukes for being the epitome of what a black artist should be and two people I truly look up to on and off the stage.

A wonderful artist named Michael Kevin Callahan who was my dance captain for Guys and Dolls at Asolo Repertory Theatre. He truly deserves all the amazing things coming his way. One of the most talented dancers I have ever seen in my entire life and with all that I can truly say one of the kindest beautiful spirits I have ever encountered.

My fiancé Rachael for truly being my rock and making me see things from a different point of view. I truly don’t know what I would do without her.

What advice do you have for aspiring theatre artists?

Believe in yourself. If you don’t have confidence in yourself you are twice defeated in the race of life. With confidence you have won even before you started. We all get that little negative voice in our head. The sooner you have the strength to block it out the sooner you will become the best performer you can be. Stay in your lane and if things come faster to people around you than it does to you it doesn’t mean that you aren’t talented so don’t give up. Everyone I feel has the ability and capability to make it in this amazing business. The reason why people don’t is because they are not able to stick it out through the tough times especially when it comes to “not being cast” or “being overlooked.” Stick it out. You can do it.

Is there anything else we should know about you?

I am the biggest wrestling fan and probably Nirvana’s number one fan but lol that’s a story for another day.

***For more on Kevin Ray Johnson, see:

 

Artist Profile: Edward Vidaurre

Name: Edward Vidaurre

Hometown: East Los Angeles, CA

Residence: McAllen, TX

What is your earliest memory of writing?

High School. I would write love letters to girls and never give it to them. I loved words, I would write full pages from the dictionary and lyrics to favorite songs.

How did you become a writer?

I became a reader before I became a writer. I don’t remember reading a single book in school until my senior year. My English teacher was teaching Macbeth and I said something like, “No one in my hood talks like that, why should we even learn this?” The following day she gave me the book, Manchild in the Promised Land by Claude Brown. The book changed my life not only as a writer but it gave me that hope that there was life outside of the hood.

Tell us about your writing process.

It’s unpredictable. I write when I am alone mostly. Early in the morning or late at night when my wife and daughter are sleeping. I surround myself with books, so when I get sidetracked from writing I start to read.

What are you working on now?

I am editing my 5th manuscript and a chapbook. The manuscript I’ve titled Jazz Violence and the chapbook is tentatively Ramona and Rumi: a love story during oligarchy… It’s about a poet I named Rumi and his muse Ramona.

Have you ever suffered from writer’s block?

I never attended college or any type of university, I don’t hold back in my writing in fear that it may not be good enough. I write from the heart, inspired by what I read, see and feel. But when I have short moments of it I read or write haiku poems.

Which writers and teachers have most influenced you as a writer?

Richard Wright, Luis J. Rodriguez, Cohen, Lorca to name a few. I love the poetry of Robert Bly, Anne Sexton, but the one who I really give credit the most to is The BUK, Charles Bukowski, a bad motherfucker who gave no shits and just wrote. Let’s not forget the beat generation either, especially Ginsberg.

What books have had the biggest impact on your trajectory?

Love is a Dog from Hell by Bukowski, Lorca in New York, Book of Longing by Leonard Cohen. I’ve been inspired by some C.S. Lewis, Brian Allen Carr, and recently, Juan Felipe Herrera and Francisco X. Alarcon

What’s your advice to aspiring writers?chicano-blood-tranfusion

Read other authors. Go back to books you started and never finished and finish them, keep a journal, workshop with peers, submit your writings and celebrate the rejections. Be your toughest critic. Edit, Edit, Edit!

***For more on Edward Vidaurre, see:

Artist Profile: Denice Frohman

Name: Denice Frohman

Hometown: New York City

What is your earliest memory of writing?

In high school I had a special notebook where I wrote raps and jokes. Those were the two artistic forms of expression where I thought I could really be myself. At that time, I thought poetry sounded a particular way and nothing like me, so I steered clear of that until college.

How did you become a writer?

That’s a tough question because I think “becoming” a writer is something I’m constantly doing in a sense. Paying attention to my voice and how it evolves and develops feels like a supernatural thing to me. But to answer your question in a more straightforward way, I really stumbled into it. I didn’t know a world of writing and performance existed for me until college, but once I was introduced to writers that were speaking in a language that was familiar to me everything was a flood. I wrote frantically, filling up notepads, and finding a new thirst for understanding myself and the world around me.

Tell us about your writing process.

I feel like this is something I’m constantly developing a new understanding of: the “what works for me” question. And truthful it changes. I do know I’ve always liked writing very late at night. and I think it has to do with my subconscious taking over. In terms of writing the poem itself, often times the first line of a poem ends up somewhere in the middle of whatever I end up with, so that I’m really filling out what’s missing in the beginning and end. However, if I have a strong first line that captures some kind of unnamable feeling I have, then that’s always a good sign that the writing will flow a lot easier. I hate the feeling that I’m forcing something. It also means that I write way more poems than I end up finishing and I’m okay with that, because I think these freewrites (which I always save) lead me to the poems I really need to be writing.

What are you working on now?

My first manuscript of poetry.

Have you ever suffered from writer’s block?

I have and it’s quiet frustrating, but it’s always less about the writing itself and more about what I have going on elsewhere in my brain.

Which writers and teachers have most influenced you as a writer?

Nikki Giovanni, Gloria Anzaldúa, Sandra Cisneros, Audre Lorde, and my students.

What books have had the biggest impact on your trajectory?

  • The Selected Poems of Nikki Giovanni
  • Their Eyes Were Watching God
  • Sister Outsider
  • La Frontera/Borderlands

What’s your advice to aspiring writers?

Tell your version of the truth. Write authentically. There are so many reasons to be silent, often times I look into those rooms for what I need to say. Worry less about “how good it is” and more about whether you’re writing honestly. Chances are the more you write about the things you care about, the more the audience will respond to that.

denice-2

***For more on Denice Frohman, see:

Learning How to Leverage Leadership at #LTCNewYorkCity

On the second day of the Latina/o Theatre Commons New York City Regional Convening (#LTCNewYorkCity), attendees chose between three tracks: aesthetics, identity, and leadership. While I recognized the value in each track, I chose leadership. I wanted to learn more about how to become a stronger leader and hear more about other arts leaders’ experiences in their respective communities. In recent years, I’ve come into more leadership roles, but, as expected, I’m not always sure how to best position myself and negotiate my privileges in different spaces. So what did I learn on the leadership track at #LTCNewYorkCity?

The leadership track took place in Teatro SEA’s intimate theatre space at The Clemente in the Lower East Side. The panel consisted of Jacob Padrón (Artistic Director of The Sol Project), Stephanie Ybarra (Director of Special Artistic Projects at The Public Theater), Nikko Kimzin (NYC-based actor and arts entrepreneur), and Sharifa Johka (FAIR Experience Manager at Oregon Shakespeare Festival).

After everyone in the theatre introduced themselves, Padrón led us in a popcorn brainstorming session centered on the word “leadership.”

Inspirational, visionary, authenticity, risk taker, driven, political, listener, innovator, strategist, accountable, colleague, conviction, impact, empathy, shared, ingenuity, learner, fearless, courageous, inclusive, not crazy, wholesome/whole, communicator, flexible, all-embracing, curiosity, charismatic, aware, reflective, honest, respectful, passionate.

While our group popcorn session certainly tested Padrón and Kimzin’s quick spelling (and we learned that Noe Montez placed 19th in the National Spelling Bee), it was generative to hear what other theatre artists associate with leadership.

Next, Padrón asked panelists Ybarra and Johka what being an agent of change means to them. How do they use leadership to tell the types of stories they want to tell? How do they leverage leadership to affect change?

Ybarra encouraged us to ask ourselves the following questions:

  • What kind of leader do you want to be?
  • What kind of producer do you want to be?
  • Which decision most aligns with my values?

Essentially, each leader needs their own personal mission, vision, and values that drive forward their work. In addition, Ybarra prioritizes hiring people who share her values and can take care of the people in the room.

Johka doesn’t think about the word “leadership.” In the beginning, she thought that everyone wanted to be a leader and then realized that it is a politic. As a person of color in a primarily White institution, her leadership style is to hold the door open and help situate people in the organization who can become allies later on.

Both Ybarra and Johka stressed the importance of cultivating relationships with allies, finding peer groups, and identifying collaborators within and outside of your institution.

The next portion of the leadership track was spent in small groups discussing what leadership means to us. Each group was tasked with creating a mission statement, finishing the following prompt: “An agent of change in the American theatre is _____________.”

  • Group 1: An agent of change in the American theatre understands their power and privilege and uses that purpose to build resources, opportunity, and equity to dismantle white supremacy, isolation, and ignorance by actively organizing and building alliances that come together around core values.
  • Group 2: As agents of change, our mission is to identify the strengths and areas of growth needed in myself in order to actively inspire and challenge the American Theatre to grow and take active responsibility in changing the landscape. Let’s make sure there’s room at the table for those need to be heard and bandwidth to support it.
  • Group 3: An agent of change in the Theatre of the Americas mindfully creates a home with the community where everyone is welcome and able to define their own agency and to make art that reflects, challenges, and helps shape the values and narratives of their community.
  • Group 4: Being an agent of change in the American theatre means localizing, sharing leadership (past, present and future), and being the resource.

The conversation then shifted to mentorship. While it was beneficial to hear others comment on their relationships as mentees and mentors, perhaps the most productive portion of the session was the one-on-one mentorship speed-dating. In pairs, we discussed our specific mentorship style. Since my partner was also a professor, we discussed the balance between teaching and mentoring and how those lines can become blurred based on the types of courses we teach.

While the leadership track certainly offered its fair share of constructive takeaways, I find that LTC events are best understood by looking at the whole. Leadership was on display throughout the weekend. In addition to Jacob Padrón, Rebecca Martínez and David Mendizábal flexed their leadership muscles time and time again, leading by example and showing attendees what dynamic leadership looks like in real time. The artistic collective of The Sol Project was launching their ambitious initiative the same weekend (congrats to Hilary Bettis and the creative team of Alligator!). LTC Producer Abigail Vega continues to amaze and inspire me to become a better leader.

To conclude, there is no conclusion. Becoming a stronger leader is a never-ending process. I still have much to learn and am thankful for events such as #LTCNewYorkCity that give me a crash-course into different ways to become a more effective arts leader.

leadership-2

1 2 6