Jack Agüeros

Jack Agüeros was born on September 2, 1934, in East Harlem. A community activist who has written extensively on issues of immigration, Agüeros served as the director of the Museo del Barrio in East Harlem for eight years. A writer for the stage and television as well as a poet, his work deals with the complexities, challenges, and struggles of the Puerto Rican experience in America.

Agüeros’ books of poems include Lord, Is This a Psalm? (Hanging Loose Press, 2002); Sonnets from the Puerto Rican (Hanging Loose Press, 1996); and Correspondence Between Stonehaulers (Hanging Loose Press, 1991). He is also the translator of Song of the Simple Truth: The Complete Poems of Julia de Burgos (Curbstone Books, 1996), the author of the stories collection Dominoes & Other Stories from the Puerto Rican (Curbstone Books, 1995), and the editor of Immigrant Experience: The Anguish of Becoming American (Dial, 1992). He has received numerous awards for his work, most recently the Asan World Prize for Poetry in 2012.

Agüeros died in New York City on May 4, 2014.