ABOUT ME
Myrna Nieves is an award-winning writer, cultural activist and educator, born in 1949 in Arecibo, Puerto Rico and raised in Camuy, Puerto Rico. She lives in New York since 1972.
Published books are: Libreta de sueños (narraciones) (EDUPR, 1997, PEN Club Fiction Award 1998), Viaje a la lluvia, poemas (Mairena, 2003), Breaking Ground: Anthology of Puerto Rican Women Writers in New York 1980-2012/ Abriendo caminos: antología de escritoras puertorriqueñas en Nueva York 1980-2012 (Campana, 2012), El Caribe: paraíso y paradoja. Visiones del intelectual en Alejo Carpentier y Emilio Díaz Valcárcel (Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, 2012) and Another Version of Hansel and Gretel/ Otra versión de Hansel y Gretel (Taller Asiray and And Then, 2014).
Nieves is also co-author/co-editor of the collection of poetry and prose Tripartita: Earth, Dreams, Powers (Moria, 1990) and the literary publications Lugar sin límite (1978), Guaíza (1986) and Moradalsur (2000). She also coauthored and compiled the section of Puerto Rican fiction writers for the anthology Mujeres como islas (Unión y Ferilibro, 2002) and Mujeres como islas II. Poesía (Unión, 2011). Nieves produced and performed in Directory of Dreams, a dramatization of her narrative for the Nuyorican Poets Café (1999). She was also a monthly columnist for New York’s newspaper-magazine Nosotros los latinos (1995-1998).
Her literary work has been included in many anthologies, including Me No Habla With Acento: Contemporary Latino Poetry (USA), Cuando narradoras latinoamericanas narran en Estados Unidos (Argentina), Voces sin fronteras II: Cuentos y poemas (Canada), Campo de los Patos: Revista Asturiana de Cultura Poesía (Spain), Stars in the Fire (Estrellas en el fuego): Alternative New Year’s Day Spoken Word Performance Stravaganza 2014 (New York) and Shadow of the Geode/ Sombra del Geode: Alternative New Year’s Day Spoken Word Performance Stravaganza 2015 (New York). Her work has been included in many literary journals and internet magazines, such as The Poetry Project, And Then, Brújula-Compass, Red y Acción, The Gathering of the Tribes, Letras salvajes: Poesía de la diáspora puertorriqueña en español, the Center for Puerto Rican Studies’ Letras, phati’tude, and eco-poetry.org. Nieves was also selected as a guest poet for The Latina Poets Festival of the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater (2007), the Speak Up! Speak Out! Poetry Series at El Museo del Barrio (2010-2011), the Poesía Caribe literary events in Puerto Rico (2011), The International Book Fair of La Havana (2012) and many other literary festivals/performances.
A founding member and professor at Boricua College, Myrna Nieves was director for twenty years of the Boricua College Winter Poetry Series. These events were funded and supported by Boricua College, Poets and Writers, Inc. and the New York State Council on the Arts. Since 1988, the Winter Poetry Series featured 243 writers/performers in 86 events, which were attended by 8,600 persons.
Awards and recognitions include Literary Award of the PEN Club of Puerto Rico (1998), guest writer at the Library of Congress for The National Conference of Puerto Rican Women (1997) and a recognition by its New York Chapter in 2007, “Outstanding Latina of the United States” by El Diario La Prensa (1998), Award for Extraordinary Contribution to Literature from the National Federation of Puerto Rican Pioneers (2001), Professional Achievement Award in Literature from Boricua College (2008), and Education and Poetry Award from the Instituto de Puerto Rico in New York (2013).
Nieves earned a BA in World Literature at the University of Puerto Rico (Magna Cum Laude), a MA in Spanish at Teachers College, Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in Latin American and Caribbean Literature at New York University. She has a daughter, Zaadia Colón and a granddaughter, Sofía.