Mónica Velásquez
Mónica Velásquez | |
|---|---|
At the 12th Congress of the Association of Bolivian Studies in 2025 | |
| Born | Mónica Velásquez Guzmán 9 October 1972 La Paz, Bolivia |
| Education | |
| Occupations | Poet, academic, literary critic |
| Awards |
|
Mónica Velásquez Guzmán (born 9 October 1972) is a Bolivian poet, researcher, university professor and literary critic. She is known primarily for her work in criticism, essay writing, editing, teaching, fighting discrimination, and supporting youth.[1]
Outlets such as Opinión have placed her among the most important voices in 21st-century Bolivian literature,[2] and biographer Elías Blanco Mamani named her "leader of a new generation of Bolivian literary critics."[3]
Biography
Mónica Velásquez was born in La Paz on 9 October 1972.[4][5] She earned a licentiate in literature at the Higher University of San Andrés.[6] During this period, she met the poet Blanca Wiethüchter.[7] She later specialized, obtaining master's and doctoral degrees in Latin American literature from El Colegio de México.[8]
Regarding her work, the researcher and poet Virginia Ayllón wrote:
There is a strength in Mónica's verse that I want to highlight for you, one that possibly comes from the anguish she experiences when she lets herself flow in the tortuous river that the poetic journey often is. There is a candid, naive, and yet committed loyalty in Mónica's writing.[3]
Velásquez has taught at the Higher University of San Andrés and the Universidad Católica de San Pablo.[2][1] She initiated the Street Poetry Festival, held in the city of La Paz between 2005 and 2009. In 2010, she began the project "La crítica y el poeta" (Criticism and the Poet), an initiative dedicated to the research and study of Bolivian poetry, which aimed to publish monographs on the subject.[9][10]
Awards and recognition
- International Writing Program fellowship in Iowa, 1997[11]
- Yolanda Bedregal National Poetry Award, 2007[12]
- Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, 2017[1]
Works
La crítica y el poeta
- La crítica y el poeta: Jaime Saenz. Carrera de Literatura-UMSA, 2011.
- La crítica y el poeta: Oscar Cerruto. Carrera de Literatura-UMSA. 2011.
- La crítica y el poeta: Edmundo Camargo. Carrera de Literatura-UMSA, 2011.
- La crítica y el poeta: Blanca Wiethüchter. Carrera de Literatura-UMSA, 2011.
- La crítica y el poeta: Ricardo Jaime Freyre
- La crítica y el poeta: Franz Tamayo
- La crítica y el poeta: Adela Zamudio
- La crítica y el poeta: Raul Otero Reiche
- La crítica y el poeta: Eduardo Mitre
- La crítica y el poeta: Pedro Shimose
- La crítica y el poeta: Octavio Campero Echazú
Poetry
- Tres nombres para un lugar, 1995[2]
- Fronteras de doble filo, 1998[2]
- El viento de los náufragos, 2005[2]
- Hija de Medea, 2008 (Yolanda Bedregal National Poetry Award)[2]
- La sed donde bebes, 2011[2]
- Abdicar de lucidez, 2016
Literary criticism
- Múltiples voces en la poesía de Francisco Hernández, Blanca Wiethüchter y Raúl Zurita, 2009
- Demoníaco afán. Lecturas de poesía latinoamericana, 2010
- La crítica y el poeta: siglo XIX, 2019
- Tres citas impuntuales. Tiempo, poesía y falta, 2021
- Un presente abierto 24 horas, 2023
Editing
References
- ^ a b c "Condecoración del gobierno francés para Mónica Velásquez" [Decoration from the French Government for Mónica Velásquez]. El Diario (in Spanish). La Paz. 27 November 2017. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Mónica Velásquez Guzmán: 'Quien mira, ordena según sus ojos'" [Mónica Velásquez Guzmán: "He who looks, orders according to his eyes"]. Opinión (in Spanish). Cochabamba, Bolivia. 16 November 2013. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
- ^ a b Blanco Mamani, Elías (21 May 2012). "Velásquez Guzmán, Mónica". Bolivian Cultural Dictionary (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 February 2026.
- ^ "Mónica Velásquez Guzmán". Hablemos, escritoras (in English and Spanish). Retrieved 26 February 2026.
- ^ "Poesía boliviana actual No. 9: Mónica Velásquez Guzmán" [Contemporary Bolivian Poetry No. 9: Mónica Velásquez Guzmán]. Círculo de Poesía (in Spanish). 3 February 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
- ^ "Mónica Velásquez Guzmán (Bolivia)" (in Spanish). International Poetry Festival of Medellín. 2 November 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
- ^ Villalba Cazorla, María Catalina (2018). Una voz, varias y ninguna: La poesía de Mónica Velásquez Guzmán [One Voice, Several, and None: The Poetry of Mónica Velásquez Guzmán] (PDF) (Thesis) (in Spanish). La Paz: Higher University of San Andrés. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 February 2025. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
- ^ "Conferencia: La literatura boliviana contemporánea: una incógnita" [Conference: Contemporary Bolivian Literature: An Enigma] (in Spanish). El Colegio de México. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
- ^ a b de la Zerda, Naira (9 October 2019). "Mónica Velásquez: 'La poesía del siglo XIX deja de ser leyenda'" [Mónica Velásquez: "19th-century poetry is no longer just a legend"]. La Razón (in Spanish). La Paz. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
- ^ Cabrera, Ulises (18 July 2019). "Mónica Velásquez: 'La poesía no tiene metas, sólo ocurre'" [Mónica Velásquez: "Poetry Has No Goals; it Just Happens"]. Los Tiempos Doble Click (in Spanish). Cochabamba, Bolivia. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
- ^ "Mónica Velásquez dicta taller de introducción a la teoría literaria" [Mónica Velásquez Leads an Introductory Workshop on Literary Theory]. El Diario (in Spanish). La Paz. 15 March 2017. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
- ^ Written at La Paz. "Mónica Velásquez gana Premio Nacional de poesía Yolanda Bedregal" [Mónica Velásquez Wins Yolanda Bedregal National Poetry Award]. Los Tiempos (in Spanish). Cochabamba, Bolivia. Agencias. 24 February 2008. Archived from the original on 22 April 2017. Retrieved 26 February 2026 – via GuiaCultural.com.