Renaming Ecstasy: Latino Writings on the Sacred [Paperback]

Orlando Ricardo Menes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 15, 2003

Renaming Ecstasy brings together poets who have explored experiences of the sacred in ways that are unique to Latin American culture and highlights the richness and complexity of Latino spiritual life. Because of Latin America’s mestizaje of cultures, traditional Catholicism exists alongside other practices of African or indigenous origin. In their invocation of the divine, poets of Caribbean origin draw inspiration from the myths and practices of Santería. Others write devotionally about topics that engage Latino Catholics: the matter of religious vocation and those devotional practices that connect individuals to the community and give shape to their daily lives. The collection features poetry by Benjamín Alire Sáenz,Víctor Hernández Cruz, Demetria Martínez, Orlando Ricardo Menes, and Virgil Suárez, among others.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"From the hilarious and irreverent to the philosophical and meditative, from the skepticism of the lapsed Catholic to the ecstatic drumbeat of the shaman, Renaming Ecstasy illustrates that poetry is a secular religion for our times, and poets its acolytes and priests." —Richard García, author of Rancho Notorious

"The origins of poetry as sacred chant are brought to the fore in this outstanding collection of poems by many of the best and best-known Latino voices of today. A fine example of the necessary convergence of inspiration and spirituality." —Gustavo Pérez Firmat, author of Tongue Ties and Life on the Hyphen

About the Author

Editor Orlando Ricardo Menes holds a Ph.D. in creative writing from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He currently teaches English and creative writing at the University of Notre Dame. Menes has published two books of poetry and is a translator of Latin American poetry.

Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: Bilingual Pr (Bilrp); First Edition edition (November 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931010153
• ISBN-13: 978-1931010153
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,380,181 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Orlando Ricardo Menes was born in Lima, Perú, to Cuban parents but has lived most of his life in the U.S. Since 2000 he has taught in the Creative Writing Program at the University of Notre Dame, where he is currently Associate Professor in English. He is married with two young children. His third poetry collection, FURIA, was published in 2005 by Milkweed Editions. Menes is also the author of RUMBA ATOP THE STONES, published in 2001 by Peepal Tree Press (Leeds, England), in addition to being editor of RENAMING ECSTASY: LATINO WRITINGS ON THE SACRED (Bilingual Press/Editorial Bilingüe, 2004) and the forthcoming THE OPEN LIGHT: POETS FROM NOTRE DAME, 1991-2007 (University of Notre Dame Press, 2010). Besides his own poems, Menes has published numerous translations of poetry in Spanish, including MY HEART FLOODED WITH WATER: SELECTED POEMS BY ALFONSINA STORNI (Latin American Literary Review Press, 2009). That same year he received a Literature Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.