Every year, from September 15 to October 15, Americans celebrate the histories and cultures of individuals whose ancestry branches back to Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. National Hispanic Heritage Month, which began as Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968 before being expanded to a thirty-day observation twenty years later, includes the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, as well as Mexico and Chile.
As we commemorate Hispanic heritage over the next few weeks, we take this time to celebrate the achievements of those poets who have contributed to and influenced the cannon of American literature, as well as the contemporary Hispanic poets who are influencing the world of poetry today.
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we’ve put together a selection of poems, essays, and multimedia features to highlight these writers, including a video of the first Latino poet laureate of the United States, Juan Felipe Herrera, who also serves on our Board of Chancellors.