Woman in Front of the Sun

In this collection of essays woven with poems & folklore, Judith Ortiz Cofer tells the story of how she became a poet & writer & explores her love of words, her discovery of the magic of language, & her struggle to carve out time to practice her art. A native of Puerto Rico, Cofer came to the mainland as a child. Torn between two cultures & two languages, she learned early the power of words & how to wield them. She discovered her love for the subtleties, sounds, & rhythms of the written word when a Roman Catholic nun & teacher bent on changing traditions for the better gave her books of high literature to read, some of which were forbidden by the church. Later, as an adult, demands from her family & her profession made it difficult for Cofer to find time to devote to her art, but her need & determination to express herself led to solutions that can help all artists challenged with the limits of time. Cofer recalls the family cuentos, or stories, that inspire her & shows how they speak to all artists, all women, all people. She encourages her readers to insist on the right to be themselves & to pursue their passions. A book that entertains, instructs, & enthralls, Woman in Front of the Sun will be invaluable to students of poetry & creative nonfiction & will be a staple in every creative writing classroom as well as an inspiration to all those who write.Ortiz Cofer, Judith is the author of 'Woman in Front of the Sun' with ISBN 9780820322612 and ISBN 082032261X.