Who are we, you ask...?
The concept of ENTRE VOCES was born from a desire to listen to what can be heard ‘between’, ‘among’, and ‘within’ the voices in dialogue, to seek to find richer levels of meanings than one voice could on its own. At every level this York University student literary magazine, housed at the Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics in the Spanish and Portuguese Studies Programs, aspired to this from its conception.
The creation of the name surfaced in a moment of inspiration after a student, who later became one of the founding members of the magazine, had attended several literary readings held at other community and university events with a group of students and I. The dialogues between Leslie Usín- Rojas and Maríangelez Pérez, with Mandeep Kohli and Sabrina Teelucksingh, students who come from backgrounds so diverse, found resonance in their exploration of various aspects of the Ibero-American world. This organic rising of cross-cultural dialogue comes when we learn to speak other languages and we see how great their impact can be on enriching our ways of thinking and being, and experiencing their maximum expressions in the arts.
The incorporation of students and professors of Portuguese Studies into ENTRE VOCZES in 2009, and the change of the intermediate consonant reflected in the updated title, respects the spirit of that initial vision. Our new colleagues on this journey expanded the dialogue to the ways the heterogeneous cultures and literatures of Spanish-speaking and Portuguese-speaking countries (representing the third and fifth most widely spoken languages in the world respectively) speak to us and to the world in which we live.
The first edition (2007-2008) published original works by students and faculty from different Faculties, Programs and cultural backgrounds, including poetry, short stories, essays, photography, installation art, sculpture, painting and music; a hundred attended and shared in that initial launch. The second edition built on this and incorporated translations of the texts into English by students from Glendon College. The third launch quickly expanded the reach of the magazine across campus, incorporating not only the Portuguese and Brazilian cultures, languages, and viewpoints, but also dance and more live performances of music; over 200 attended to share in that moment at Founders College! At each step community media (newspapers, radio, television) and consular interest in these initiatives revealed how what we do at York is vital in many ways, and this is encouraged at each step by the visionary and practical support ENTRE VOCZES receives from the Office of the Dean of the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies.
ENTRE VOCZES has grown and will continue to grow by harmonizing and bridging diverse, and sometimes divergent, views into a vibrant space of interconnection that respects each voice. It has become a large forum reaching across disciplines, departments, community groups and cultures, and overall represents Canada in the very best sense. Congratulations to the new editorial panel and its many new developments and achievements; while staying true to the initial vision of respect for each voice and for the greater things that can be achieved when these voices come together, you have also brought new insights, new enthusiasm and new directions in which it can thrive.
¡Gracias! Obrigada!
Maria Figueredo
Founding Faculty Advisor of Entre Voces
Coordinator, Spanish and Portuguese Studies Section
DLLL, LA&PS
York University
Entre Voces
by Leslie Usín Rojas
Existe un universo que me define,
maldecido por las estrellas que me enloquecen
susurrando al cometa que me contiene
dentro de este cuerpo mortal en el que sufro.
Por las tierras que devoran mis entrañas,
en las bajas tinieblas que me dejas;
lentamente me inmoviliza el latido
de la gota que más limpia da mi lluvia.
Tras el rostro de tu espejo que me mira,
sobre este refugio en el cual me escondo;
surge en mí una locura de entre voces,
de entre voces de mi yo
que no respondo,
de entre voces de mi yo
que no comprende.
The poem behind our name
