Monday, October 2, 2000
Prof tells how she became poet, writer
Woman in the Front of the Sun is a collection of essays woven with poems and folklore by Franklin Professor of English and Creative Writing Judith Ortiz Cofer. In addition to telling the story of how she became a poet and writer, Cofer also explores her love of words, her discovery of the magic of language and her struggle to carve out time to practice her art. An excerpt:
“Sister Rosetta came into my life in 1966, at exactly the right moment. I was fourteen, beginning to stretch my bones after the long sleep of childhood. . . .I was signed up for classes leading to my confirmation in the Catholic Church, spiritual preparation for the bishop’s symbolic slap in the face: turn the other cheek, girl, you are now one of us humble followers of Christ. But my teacher in the ways of Christian humility, Sister Rosetta, was anything but the docile bride of Jesus I had expected. . . .
“What I remember about the year I spent under this remarkable woman’s tutelage is her teaching me to see with my whole self, not just with my eyes. . . . I learned to re-experience [sensory detail] all at will in my mind and later on the page. Those months were the beginning of my long affair with the word, or should I say my lifetime commitment to it? The seductive power of language was introduced into my life when I needed it the most by the most unlikely and remarkable of my mentors, my radical sister, my Rosetta.”
UGA Today ] News Bureau ] Master Calendar ] Columns ] Georgia Magazine ]
UGA Home ] Admissions ] Directories ] Sports ] Alumni ] Weather ]
Search this site ] Search UGA sites ]

Developed by University Communications News Bureau at the University of Georgia.
Beth Roberts: Columns editor, Juliett Dinkins: Columns managing editor,
Janet Beckley: Columns art director.
This site works best with the latest version of
Netscape Navigator 4.0 and Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0.