Tino Villanueva – 2021 Trinity University Lecture

by: Chuy Ramirez

Posted: June 15, 2021

Tino Villanueva, Tejano & Poeta

Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas hosted the fourth annual Arturo Madrid Symposium in Latin@ Art, on April 6, 2021, featuring Texas Chicano poet Tino Villanueva, Ph.D., which was streamed live via ZOOM.

The symposium’s program noted that Villanueva “discovered the power of language through the poetry of Ruben Darío and José Martí during his military service at the Panama Canal. He subsequently expanded his knowledge and appreciation of both English and Spanish language poetry while a student at Texas State University and at The State University of New York at Buffalo”.

Villanueva writes in both Spanish and English, and, he writes his poetry in a “hybrid” language which incorporates both languages. Villanueva’s first published collection of poetry, Hay Otra Voz, draws on both poetic traditions.

According to the symposium’s program, Villanueva “established himself as one of the outstanding poets to emerge out of the Chicano Movement of the 1960s and 70s” “Scene from the Movie GIANT,” which is republished in this June 2021 edition of IberoAztlan, was awarded the 1994 American Book Award for Poetry, and established Villanueva in the first ranks of American poets.

He is also the editor and author of a pioneering anthology and study: Chicanos: Antología Histórica y Literaria. He is the founder of Imagine Publishers and the founding editor of Imagine: International Chicano Poetry Journal. Texas State University has honored him with both a Distinguished Alumnus Award (1995) and a Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award (2015). Finally, Dr. Villanueva is also an artists, whose art is also featured in this June 2021 edition of IberoAztlan.

Video: Madrid Lecture in Latin@ Arts

Interview Date: June 6, 2021

Started in 2017, the Madrid Lecture in Latin@ Arts, named after Professor Emeritus Arturo Madrid, has previously highlighted Chicana artists, Latina Poetry Across the Americas, and Chicana Teatristas.

The Madrid Lecture on Latin@ Arts is a vibrant example of the way Trinity University connects San Antonio and the world through deep conversations and cultural experiences.The lecture is sponsored by the Belo Corporation’s Board of Trustees in honor of Arturo Madrid, the Norine R. and T. Frank Murchison Distinguished Professor of the Humanities (1993-2017), who served on the Board of Trustees; the fund has since been augmented via contributions from Antonia I. Castañeda and Arturo Madrid; and by Trinity’s Department of Modern Languages and Literatures and the Mexico, the Americas, and Spain Program.