Priscilla Baca y Candelaria
Priscilla Baca y Candelaria, MA is a 29-year veteran public school teacher in New Mexico, still teaching in the Los Lunas area. Mentored by internationally acclaimed New Mexico author Rudolfo Anaya, Baca y Candelaria earned her Bachelors and Masters degrees from UNM. She was a volunteer guest coach of the Rio Rancho HS Slam Team and Write Club who has worked tirelessly there and elsewhere to encourage Chicanas, Native Americans, and other young women to speak their minds in positive, creative ways. The intercultural multilingual intergenerational poetry-performance show La Resolana, which she voluntarily organized for Rio Rancho High School in Spring 2003 was abruptly cancelled by the school administration under the RRHS policy of not permitting any "controversial words" to be spoken at the school. A Spanish language and Chicana cultural activist, published and performing poet and recording artist (Duende, her spoken word CD featuring the music of Christian Orellana), she is also a nationally published journalist and photographer (www.zmag.org, www.abqarts.com, www.hyperactivemusicmag.com and in TM and bello magazines, among others). As a farmer and mother living on the ancient Atrisco/Atlixo land of New Mexico, within Albuquerque, Baca y Candelaria cherishes the heritage of land, love, family and faith which has sustained her people in the desert Southwest since ancient times. She teaches via art, dance, story telling and poetry. Besides her work in elementary schools, she created and taught in the innovative and highly successful Writing Works program, with Jimmy Santiago Baca and Bill Nevins, for the University of New Mexico in 1999-2000. Priscilla Baca y Candelaria has carried the fire of multilingual free speech across North America in the ongoing Poetic Justice rallies and performances of 2003-2007, performing in NYC, at the World Fellowship Center in New Hampshire, on Radio Free Brattleboro in Vermont, on the coast of Maine, and in San Franciso, Berkeley, Santa Fe, New Orleans and many other communities. Priscilla Baca y Candelaria is a lifelong, dedicated advocate of peace. Her poetry has been published in Maple Leaf Rag, Central Avenue and other collections. She is available for readings, lectures and workshops at sisoy2003@yahoo.com.