An eclectic mix of Spanish prose, poetry and photography is featured in this year’s
Azahares, the annual literary magazine published by the University of Arkansas – Fort
Smith that is now available to pick up both on campus and in the community.
Included in this year’s magazine are works by UAFS students, local high school students, and authors from across the United States. Dr. Mary Sobhani, assistant professor and program coordinator in the World Languages Department, said the photography by UAFS student Jesus Sedeno-Gutierrez was a highlight in this year’s publication.
“The deeply saturated colors of ‘Balcones de Puebla, México’ makes it almost jump off the page,” Sobhani said. “We see a vibrantly scarlet wall with three wrought-iron balconies framed in a deep blue. A blooming pot of red geraniums on the foremost balcony is a delightful touch of home.”
Sobhani also enjoyed Rocio Bravo’s poem “Tus manos,” an homage to the poet’s father, who is a Mexican field-worker in California.
“Through the metonymic focus on ‘tus manos’ – ‘your hands’ – the poem offers an expression of love an gratitude from daughter to father, as well as a promise for better days to come,” Sobhani said.
The literary magazine also featured poems by Muldrow High School Spanish students, “whose art contributions also grace the pages of our magazine,” according to Sobhani.
“Since the magazine strives to be an arena of creative expression for UAFS and beyond, we're pleased that these students contributed to the edition, and we hope that they will become our future UAFS freshmen,” Sobhani said.
Included in this year’s magazine are works by:
Austin, Texas: Anya Qureshi.
Brooklyn, N.Y.: Rocio Bravo.
DeKalb, Ill.: Emily Stuebing.
Fort Smith: Lydia Bush and Jesus Sedeno-Gutierrez.
Harrison: Elaine Bieber.
Monterrey, Mexico: Edith Gabel.
Muldrow, Okla.: Hannah Blackwood, Molly Cherry and Cassidy Pettigrew.
Pocahontas: Cristiana Nash.
Roanoke, Va.: Kohava Blount.
The “Azahares” 2017 editorial board consists of Dr. Francesco Tarelli, assistant professor of world languages; Dr. Rosario Nolasco-Schultheiss, assistant professor of world languages; Madeline Martinez, instructor of world languages; Dr. Ana María Romo Blas, assistant professor of world languages, Lynda McClellan, adjunct professor of world languages, Gray Langston, adjunct professor of world language, and Dr. Mary Sobhani, assistant professor of world languages. The publication of the magazine is made possible through the support of Dr. Paul B. Beran, UAFS chancellor; Dr. Georgia Hale, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs; Dr. Paul Hankins, dean of the College of Communication, Languages, Arts and Social Sciences, and Dr. Paulette Meikle, associate dean of the College of Communication, Languages, Arts and Social Sciences. Cover art and magazine layout were designed by Danielle Kling of the UAFS Marketing and Communications Office.
Free copies of “Azahares” are available at the Boreham Library on UAFS campus, as well as at the Fort Smith Public Library main branch. For more information, contact Sobhani at mary.sobhani@uafs.edu or 479-788-7979.
About the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith
The University of Arkansas – Fort Smith is the premiere regional institution of Western Arkansas, connecting education with careers and serving as a driver of economic development and quality of place in the greater Fort Smith region. Through a small campus, dedicated professors, and the university’s unique bond with its community, students at UAFS are able to do more in the areas they are passionate about, both on- and off-campus, in a way that prepares them for post-graduate success. To find out how you can do more at UAFS, visit www.uafs.edu.