Month: August 2024

Del silencio al estruendo  Sara Sefchovich

Throughout the history of humanity, women and the fact of being women have been overlooked—until very recently. It’s important to make this distinction because those who haven’t thought about it should: education—both at home and in school—is almost entirely conceived from the male perspective. Women have had to understand the world through the lens of men. This perspective isn’t necessarily wrong, but it is biased. The world, as seen by women, is different and shouldn’t be expected to be the same because the experience of being a man and being a woman is different.

The way of understanding the world, history, and culture has been through men. It wasn’t until the late 1800s that emphasis began to be placed on the fact that women existed beyond their domestic roles, that they could think like anyone else and had rights, including the right to express their thoughts. Before this, it was known that women wrote, but entering that field and being taken seriously was not easy. Many women had to sign their works with pseudonyms or initials to get them published. Virginia Woolf, in “A Room of One’s Own,” acknowledges the class privilege she had that allowed her to write, coming from a wealthy family. She analyzes the paths Jane Austen and Emily Brontë had to tread and yet, throughout the book, she experiences moments of being ignored and underestimated for being a woman in a man’s world.

It is from this foundation that Sara Sefchovich draws to write “Del silencio al estruendo.” The author seeks, with this essay, to discover what women write about, from where they write, and to understand if there is a difference between female and male literature, and if so, where that difference lies. She undertakes the task of first establishing that there was a time when women could access the education that allowed them to read and write, and that there was a second period of peace in society when culture and the arts could flourish, and it was then that they wrote. Sefchovich seeks to understand the fabric of women writers and their works, observing the panorama throughout history, different cultures, and how it has changed over time, hoping to find a pattern or trend that explains what, how, and why women write.

One cannot write about the unknown. When women began to write, they did so about what surrounded them, and for many of them, the axis of their lives was their family and marriage, so they started there. This worked against them, of course, leading to the notion that women could only write romantic novels. Time had to pass for women’s writing to enter the realms of realism, naturalism, modernism, and genres like poetry, theater, and essays. The style and theme of each writer are individual and determined by their environment, ideology, values, social circumstances, and countless factors that give them a unique character. While this rule also applies to men, their social conditions remain different because the education provided to women and men continues to be distinct.

This book seeks to answer the major questions and inquiries that have been made about literature written by women, considering the context, history, and circumstances in which it has been created. This essay is a watershed between the past and the future, as it analyzes the parameters with which literature has been measured in general and sets the guidelines for how women’s literary work might be read and considered in the future.

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Rediscovering Zapata: legends and truths for children

When we hear the history of our country—whatever it may be—we often think of it as something that happened to other people, in another life, something distant not just in time but in space. At times, it seems like it never happened at all. It’s normal to find it difficult to imagine how the world was before we knew it as it is today; even connecting our own present with our own past can be challenging, as much—if not everything—has changed since childhood. Hence the importance—and the human need—to leave a mark of our existence behind, to tell stories, to seek to endure. It’s a natural inclination. In many towns in Mexico, the custom of passing down history, customs, and traditions through oral storytelling persists.

In a poorly told story, we can all be “the villain,” just as when we tell our version, we’ll always be “the hero.” However, regardless of being “good” or “bad”—which is highly subjective—the truth is that history, as written in books, is portrayed from the perspective of the victors. Understanding other perspectives of an event becomes challenging when we can only ask the deceased. Asking Emiliano Zapata about the revolution would be impossible (though wonderful to hear), which is why today he has become nothing less than a symbol. The ideological legacy he left behind is so powerful that after more than 110 years, his slogan “Land and Liberty” continues to be the rallying cry for those who still rebel against a system that oppresses them.

For those who have had an interest in delving deeper into history, in digging beyond what public school books offer, they have discovered that the southern leader was more than just a man interested in power. It’s said that when he sat in the presidential chair—without seeking any kind of title—he said to Francisco Villa, seated beside him, “And this is what they fight over?” But that could well be just an urban legend. What this title offers is something much more genuine and real: it’s the story of someone who was there, a man who in his youth was a Zapatista.

“And Zapata Keeps Riding” is a short story aimed especially at children, written by Victor Hugo Sánchez Reséndiz and published by La Cartonera. The narrative is simple yet captivating from the first page due to its authenticity, themes, and passion. Sánchez Reséndiz recounts the story of his grandfather, who used to tell children who approached him how it was to fight alongside Zapata, the reasons they did it, what life was like before, and how it was after the Mexican Revolution. He also tells them about the true fate of the leader and how he didn’t die as history says but went to Arabia, because he’s coming back to fight for freedom. This is what brings beauty to the story: the intimate aspects, the moments exaggerated for the sake of the narrative, the pride with which it’s told.

Although increasingly distant, the past is something that shapes our existence. It’s necessary to be able to reconcile with the past we have as a nation, to honor our origins, and to make peace with the dark episodes that have fallen—as they do for everyone—in our country. When we can do that, we can leave the past where it belongs and look towards tomorrow. And it’s important to clarify that leaving the past behind is not about forgetting it; on the contrary, it’s about acknowledging it. In recognizing it lies the rescue of stories like this one, valuable because they are part of the everyday; because the world has not been built only by the names that appear in books but by all the people who accompanied them, like Sánchez Reséndiz‘s grandfather. This title is filled with nostalgia, tender descriptions of Morelos and its people, but especially with tradition.

Inkitt: BbyKevs

Wattpad: @SugoiKevs

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Arts Bazar 2024: A Celebration of Creativity at CASUL

On Saturday, June 29th, La Casa Universitaria del Libro (CASUL) opened its doors once again for another edition of Arts Bazar. The event showcased an impressive array of creations, including comics, illustrated fanfics, copics, fanzines, graphic novels, and printed illustrations in serigraphy, risography, and posters with various finishes: matte, glossy, and holographic. The bazaar also featured an assortment of items like mugs, pens, pins, collectible cards, and many other products. A unique aspect of this event was that, in most cases, the artists and creators of the displayed works were also the exhibitors, providing an opportunity to ask them directly about their pieces and projects.

CASUL is located in Roma Norte, on Orizaba Street. This venue organizes events, courses, workshops, and other activities open to the public. The contrast between the colonial house with its wooden floors, high ceilings, and large windows and the modernity of Arts Bazar created a harmonious atmosphere where the old met the new. The event was spread across three rooms, two of them circular, resulting in a round exhibition where attendees had to see all the tables to enter and exit. A podium was also available for presentations of graphic novels, such as “Regueiras” by Eterno Femenino Editorial, discussions like “Perspectives and Challenges of Self-Publishing Comics in Mexico” by Virus Visal, and “Creative Process of the Project The Importance of Being Mexican” by Ric Velasco, as well as workshops and presentations of new editorial projects.

Decomixado Comic & Toy Store , one of the most important comic stores due to its extensive catalog of new titles and collectible, rare, and discontinued items, was present with a wide range of comics, some even in protective acrylic cases for collectors. Sharkius brought comics and graphic novels for all ages with diverse themes such as superhero stories like the independent Mexican comic “Códices infinitos,” comic strips, LGBT+ love stories, and even the story of siblings who disappear after entering a cave from which a witch was said to have emerged 100 years earlier to terrorize the town, a tale found in “Sábado negro” by Tiras sin Sentido.

Asfalto presented a series of graphic novels and fanzines with darker themes, offering a perspective of a possible post-apocalyptic world filled with humanoid figures. In a similar post-apocalyptic vein, Joshua Hernández’s “Ecatepunk” draws inspiration from the movie “Mad Max” and punk culture to tell a story of what might happen after the near-extinction of humanity, suggesting that certain social conditions, inequalities, and violences would persist as they are inherent to humanity. Arturo Piña explores twisted human issues in several of his fanzines such as “Mente D’Mente” and “La taxidermista,” where death lurks despite seemingly harmless situations. In contrast, Gnomariana showcased the two volumes of her comic strip series “Red Flags,” depicting small moments of modern romantic relationships, while Dacachi exhibited three of his graphic novels, each featuring beautiful illustrations that you could purchase individually as a set of collectible cards.

Arts Bazar successfully gathered a diverse array of artists, demonstrating that creativity knows no bounds and manifests differently in each of us. Presenting at CASUL added an extra appeal, making it a great excuse to visit the Roma Norte neighborhood on a weekend. Undoubtedly, attending this event requires setting aside a good part of the day, as it is definitely worth exploring all the tables.

Inkitt: BbyKevs

Wattpad: @SugoiKevs

TikTok: @bbykevs