On the night of May the 4th, while others were out celebrating Star Wars Day, student authors of prose and poetry were gathering to celebrate the official release of Sábanas, a literary project promoted and funded by students, for students. The magazine was the product of a painstaking process that occurred over the last year. This included an initial call for papers, a blind review process, and, finally, the publication of the magazine.
Pedro Moreu performing one of his pieces.
Photo credit: Dr. José Irizarry
The night of the launch started off with the latin jazz tunes of Bohemia Roots, a Puerto Rican duo that filled La Tertulia with the tones of reggae and “el son cubano,” mixed with their very own smooth vocals, improvised guitar riffs, and loop-created percussion. With Javo Grant’s acoustic guitar and Henry Llavina on vocals and keyboard, their music brought a lounge-like atmosphere to the place where students were anxious to read their very own works. Soon after the performance, the open mic began.
Bohemia Roots Duo
Photo credit: Lilian Delgado
Lilian Delgado, a student from the English Department, started the open mic with readings of her poems, “Hacerme Pedazos” and “Hombre Libre,” published in the magazine. She described it as “an amazing experience,” and considered it a privilege to have been part of the event. She emphasized what a great opportunity the magazine was for students and wanted to commend the efforts of the team who brought this whole thing together, students Carlos Carrero, Paola Rivera, Carolina Santiago, and their advisor Dr. José Irizarry.
The team behind the magazine. From left to right: Paola Rivera, Carlos Carrero, and Carolina Santiago.
Photo credit: Lilian Delgado
The students were inspired to create this magazine when Carlos Carrero noticed a distinct lack of outlets where students could take pride into submitting and showing others their work. While online literary magazines do exist, they are not as inclusive as Carlos wanted, and so he sought out help from Dr. José Irizarry, who was one of the supervisors for Pastiche, a magazine discontinued in 2007. By opening the magazine to bilingual works from UPRM, over 50 works by more than 40 authors were received and screened to be published. Carlos was surprised but excited by the positive reception garnered by the magazine, and expressed: “We hope that Sábanas continues to grow in order to keep providing a safe space where students can continue to share their inspirations and feelings.” Many feelings were definitely heard on Wednesday, and after Lillian’s performance, more followed.
Amanda Ciani performing one of her pieces.
Photo credit: Amanda Ciani
Some contributors to the magazine, like Pedro Moreu and Ana Portnoy, as well as others who simply wanted to read their own literary works, like Amanda Ciani, brought their creativity to the stage. The list of performers was long, and included Fernando E.E. Correa, Andrea Gelabert-Mora, Edgar Abdiel, Fernando Rodríguez, Raúl Abner, and Roberto Christian, among others. Their works brought many to tears, and the audience vivaciously applauded the efforts of these students who were brave enough to showcase their talent. The magazine coordinators were elated with the outcome of the activity and sold quite a few copies of what is sure to be the first in many volumes of Sábanas.
Professor José Irizarry, center bottom, surrounded by students and guests.
Photo credit: Lilian Delgado