Tribute and Literary Recognition

By Ezequiel Soto Martínez. (Irapuato, Guanajuato) Article published on Saturday, December 14, 2024, in El Sol de Irapuato and El Sol de Salamanca.

Pictured: Julia Martínez Martínez & Lucina Kathmann

The Celaya Art and Culture Institute, through the House of Culture, joined the Guanajuato José Luis Calderón Vela State Network of Literary Gatherings to invite panelists, friends and colleagues to the tribute and presentation of recognitions for artistic career to the writers: Galia Guillermina Razo Almanza, Julia Martínez Martínez, Lucina Kathmann and Verónica Salazar García, on Saturday, December 14, in the "Isaías Barrón" room located at Democracia 103 downtown, Celaya.

Galia Guillermina Razo Almanza: She studied Spanish Literature at the University of Guanajuato. She is a journalist and teacher. She directs the collective "Mitote por el arte." She has just returned from the Guadalajara International Book Fair, where she greeted teacher Lizeth Galván Cortés, Secretary of Culture of Guanajuato, where the Guanajuato pavilion was inaugurated. Excerpt from the poem "To you": "To you / Yes, to you, / I want to say / that I like your existence, that you walk on this land / and walk these streets every day. / It is a joy to see you / because it brightens my day / and I hope to hear your greeting / which sounds like music to me."

Julia Martínez Martínez: with 100% Guanajuato roots. She has loved writing all her life. She has a lot of unpublished material, but it was only recently that she was given the opportunity to participate in the House of Culture of Abasolo and Tupátaro, in the municipality of Cuéramaro. Excerpt from the poem "And to think that we could": "and to think that we could / live life together, hand in hand, / our hearts beating next to yours / feeling deep inside the sweetness / diagonal of knowing we are two in one; / in silence, or screaming in helplessness / look out into the sea of ​​unconsciousness of being just two souls in the world. / live every moment singing to love / when the day begins or until the last instant of dreams."

Lucina Kathmann: born in the United States, has written books in Spanish and English; these include "Public Spaces, Private Places," "Péxps and the Bear" (children's stories), "A Forest of Mathematics" (a single-genre book, mathematics in short stories). She has been vice president emeritus of the global writers' organization PEN International since 2003. Excerpt from Lucina's text: "Double Jeopardy: Journalist and Woman." Mexico is the second most dangerous country to practice journalism, preceded only by Syria, which is at war. Year after year, this is the case. Why? One reason that everyone admits is impunity. According to government statistics, only 4% of reported crimes ever reach court.

Verónica Salazar García: Member of the literary workshop "Diezmo de palabras" (Diction of Words). She has participated in several anthologies in Spain, Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina, and Mexico. She has published in the Sol del Bajío newspaper and hosts the program "Poemas bajo la luna" (Poems Under the Moon). She is an active coordinator of the José Luis Calderón Vela State Network of Tertulias Guanajuato in Celaya. Poem excerpt:

"Under the cover of the night / the years slip by, / love is perpetual freshness. / Time has furrows / and skin is now withered. / There are tears that weep for thirst and are rinsed in memory."

Through this prestigious daily newspaper of the suns, I send my warmest congratulations and literary hugs to all of you.

Ezequiel Soto Martínez, Writer and teacher.