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Chilean-American author Marjorie Agosin

Series: New Letters on the Air
From: New Letters on the Air
Length: 00:29:00

Chilean-American author Marjorie Agosin discusses the feeling of displacement with her family's move from America to Chile and then back again. She talks about how family stories influence her collage approach to creating poetry and prose, and why she writes in her native Spanish, despite living in America since she was 16. Read the full description.

Agosin-marjorie_small Marjorie Agosin has always felt like an outsider. Born to Chilean parents in Bethesda, Maryland, she immediately went with her family back to Chile where they resided for 16 years until political instability forced the family to move to the United States. As a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Jewish girl with a thick Spanish accent, Marjorie Agosin encountered difficulties transitioning to life in Athens, Georgia.  She discusses why she continues to write in Spanish,  the art of translation and her regard for the traditions of the Latino writers.  Agosin also reads from her books OF EARTH AND SEA: A CHILEAN MEMOIR and from her 2010 book-length poem, THE LIGHT OF DESIRE. 

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Piece Description

Marjorie Agosin has always felt like an outsider. Born to Chilean parents in Bethesda, Maryland, she immediately went with her family back to Chile where they resided for 16 years until political instability forced the family to move to the United States. As a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Jewish girl with a thick Spanish accent, Marjorie Agosin encountered difficulties transitioning to life in Athens, Georgia.  She discusses why she continues to write in Spanish,  the art of translation and her regard for the traditions of the Latino writers.  Agosin also reads from her books OF EARTH AND SEA: A CHILEAN MEMOIR and from her 2010 book-length poem, THE LIGHT OF DESIRE. 

Broadcast History

This program originally uplinked to PRSS' Content Depot on March 4, 2011 for delivery to member stations.

Timing and Cues

PROMO: Next time on NEW LETTERS ON THE AIR, American-born poet, essayist, and fiction writer, Marjorie Agosin (ag-o-seen) talks about her childhood ties to Chile, why she continues to write in Spanish, and some of the important aspects of the Latino writing tradition. The author of many books, she reads from two recent ones: OF EARTH AND SEA: A CHILEAN MEMOIR and from her 2010 book-length poem, THE LIGHT OF DESIRE. Listen to Marjorie Agosin on the next NEW LETTERS ON THE AIR...

UPLINK DATE: 03/04/2011
PROGRAM LENGTH: 29:00 minutes
INCUE: (music) "American-born poet, essayist, and fiction writer, Marjorie Agosin..."
OUTCUE: "...Thanks for listening to NEW LETTERS ON THE AIR."
MUSIC: "Auburn Skies"from Studio Cutz Classical Guitar album.

Musical Works

Title Artist Album Label Year Length
Auburn Skies Studio Cutz Production Library Classical Guitar. Studio Cutz 00:00

Additional Credits

New Letters on the Air is a production of the quarterly literary magazine, New Letters, and the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Partial financial support comes from the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.

Related Website

http://www.newletters.org/radio