In Tucson, like all places where Latino culture is prominent, la comadre holds a special place.

Through the ritual of baptism, the godmother of a child and its mother are comadres.

The godmother comadre, or madrina, is an extension of the family that she has entered. She is the co-mother, nurturing multiple families simultaneously or over generations, providing strength, offering wisdom and giving support.

Comadres create bonds between each other that help them survive and laugh away life's daily stresses. Comadres share secrets and chismes, bits of innocent and entertaining gossip.

Comadres are indispensable.

And in the group Las Comadres de Tucson, the concept of comadrazgo has fostered a women writers' collective. That same spirit has cultivated a flowering of prose, poetry and art by a group of 18 women whose work can be read in "Sowing the Seeds, una cosecha de recuerdos."

The bilingual anthology, published last year, was edited by Rosi Andrade, a researcher with the University of Arizona's Southwest Institute for Research on Women, and Elena Díaz Björkquist, a former educator who has authored four books of short stories and poetry.

The collaborative effort began about three years ago when Andrade and booksellers Angie Valenzuela and Anita Ramirez, co-owners of R&V Books and Graphics, were talking about the state of writing and publishing for Latinas.
They lamented the lack of writing and publishing opportunities for Latinas. They knew some of the roadblocks that blocked Latinas - and knew of some ways around the obstacles.

"The women had stories to tell but nowhere to tell them," said Andrade, who grew up in South Tucson and Midtown Tucson.

So they organized the group with the help of $6,000 from the Arizona Humanities Council and Stocker Foundation of Ohio to fund the workshops' expenses and pay for speakers.

Over several workshops, the group invited established authors - Patricia Preciado Martin, Pat Mora, Raquel Rubio-Goldsmith and Díaz Björkquist - to talk to the group about their experiences and to give writing tips.

It didn't take a lot of publicity to get the word out and attract women to the group, said Díaz Björkquist, a native of Morenci.

A diverse group of women in ages, backgrounds and ethnicity joined the writers' group. Some had published before, others did not consider themselves writers. Some are teachers, a few are migrants from other states and one comadre worked with migrant laborers.

The writings validated the comadres' lives. They saw in each other a bit of themselves or a revelation of something new and wonderful, said Andrade.

The group's goal was to help its members develop their writing skills and to create links to other literary activities, Díaz Björkquist said.

The group didn't have plans to publish the members' writings. But that changed when the gauntlet was thrown down.

At a group workshop, someone declared that the group's work could never be published.

Obviously, the skeptic did not consider herself a comadre.

"I come from the school of thought 'sí se puede,' " Díaz Björkquist said.
Yes, it can be done. The group submitted its manuscript to Universe, a do-it-yourself, Nebraska on-line publisher.

Las comadres have sold about 400 copies, held public readings and are contemplating another book.

"These women are not just writers but they are storytellers," Andrade said.
Go comadre.

* Contact Ernesto Portillo Jr. at 573-4242 or e-mail netopjr@azstarnet.com.
Back to Story
------------------------------------------------------------------------
All content copyright © 1999, 2000, 2001 AzStarNet, Arizona Daily Star and its wire services and suppliers and may not be republished without permission. All rights reserved. Any copying, redistribution, or retransmission of any of the contents of this service without the expressed written consent of Arizona Daily Star or AzStarNet is prohibited.