Top authors in the Spanish-speaking world will convene at Texas Southmost College for the 21st Binational Literary conference in the SET B Lecture Hall from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, February 10th.
The event is open to students, employees and the general public.
TSC Spanish instructor and published author Juan Antonio Gonzalez is the principal organizer of the event. His decades of work writing, curating and elevating Spanish Literature has allowed him to bring big names to Brownsville for the annual conference.
This year’s keynote speaker is Eduardo Langagne, General Director of the Foundation of Mexican Literature. Langagne has published over 20 books of poetry and prose. He will be joined by 15 other speakers who will participate in panel discussions.
“We’re bringing in local authors from the Valley and people from across the border in Matamoros and beyond,” said TSC English Instructor and Chair of Communication and Language, Amanda Utzman. “What we’re doing by bringing authors in here is giving students exposure to the actual act of creative writing and being in the environment where they can learn from a professional author.”
Gonzalez talked about how important the conference is to him to bring attention and excitement to literature on both sides of the border.
“It’s very important to recognize the culture because this is where we come from,” said Gonzalez. “It’s an opportunity for people who are interested in the field [of Spanish literature] to have someone who can point them in the right direction, like someone did for me.”
Gonzalez feels an obligation to share his passion and love for the region’s literature and to promote some of the best writers on a stage like the conference.
“This is my calling to promote our culture through our literature…so it can be understood, and it can travel and be noted,” he said. “As a writer and a professor frm this area, I see it as an obligation.”
TSC’s Department of Communication and Language can be reached at 956.295.3382.
For more information regarding the 21st Binational Literary Conference you e-mail [email protected]
Eduardo Langagne
General Director of the Foundation of Mexican Literature
