Posted by: ivetteromero | May 23, 2011Sargasso is 25 Years Old!
Sargasso—the Caribbean Studies journal associated with the PhD Program in English in the School of Humanities at the University of Puerto Rico-Río Piedras—will hold a belated 25th anniversary celebration on Friday May 27, 2011. The celebration begins at 4:00pm and will take place in Sala A of the Humanities Building. The event will include the presentation of its 3 most recent volumes, an overview of the journal’s history, and performances by 3 poets: Diego Romero Martínez, Xavier Valcarcél, and Raúl Vázquez. This event is open to the public.
The 3 recently published issues will be presented by their main editors: Lowell Fiet, the journal’s founding editor, will present Urban and Community Art in Puerto Rico and Beyond (2007-2008, II), a volume he co-edited with Katherine Miranda; Maria Cristina Rodríguez will present Quisqueya: La República Extended (2008-2009, II), an issue focusing on the literature of the Dominican Republic; and Sally Everson will present Anti/Slavery and Colonial Aesthetics (2009-2010, I), co-edited with Josh Brewer.
Since its beginning in 1984, Sargasso has been dedicated to three main areas of research and reflection: literature, language and linguistics, and culture. It has published a total of 33 issues, including a 4-volume series called Caribe 2000. Today the journal is a peer-reviewed publication that produces 2 issues a year and an occasional special issue. The journal, which maintains approximately 350 subscriptions, is indexed by HAPI, LATINDEX, MLA, and the Periodicals Content Index. Sargasso accepts academic essays, poetry, short fiction, interviews, as well as book and film reviews. Submissions can be made in English, Spanish, French, and Papiamentu.
In the last two years, Don Walicek, the current editor, has expanded the journal’s online presence. Its webpage (see link below) now features several resources, including previously published interviews and an author index. In addition, the editors of the journal recently signed an agreement with d-LOC, Digital Library of the Caribbean at the University of Florida. The agreement makes possible open access to past issues.
Recognizing that this anniversary is one of extended commemoration, a separate launch will be held for the 25th anniversary issue, Celebrating Caribbean Voices: 25 interviews, in the first part of the 2011-2012 academic year. The issue, edited by Don Walicek and currently in press, includes interviews from more than 10 different Caribbean countries. Among the writers it features are Patricia Adams, Maryse Condé, Earl Lovelace, Elizabeth Nunez, Velma Pollard, and Luz Maria Umpierre.
[Many thanks to Don Walicek for providing this detailed description of Sargasso and its trajectory.]
For the Sargasso webpage, go to http://humanidades.uprrp.edu/ingles/pubs/sargasso.htm
For online access via d-LOC visit: http://dloc.com/UF00096005/00011/allvolumes2?td=sargasso
