Irasema Gonzalez is a writer and merchant. She is the owner of Tianguis.biz, the current incarnation of her former book and tea shop in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood. She is passionate about books that tell the stories of the Latino community, and is honored to be the exclusive distributor for Momotombo Press. She is a founding member of the Proyecto Latina reading series and most recently has become the co-producer for the Proyecto Latina Radio Show at Radio Arte. Her poems appeared in her writing group's chapbook, Afternoon Wine: Vicios, Sueños y Confesiones and in Between the Heart and the Land: An Anthology of Midwestern Latina Poets by March Abrazo Press. She is a graduate of Columbia College Chicago where she earned a B.A. in journalism and creative writing. She resides in Little Village with her husband and two cats.
Diana Pando is a multi-genre writer from Chicago. Diana likes to flex her writing and advocacy skills to support Latinos in the arts and nonprofits impacting Latina women and girls in underserved communities. She is a founder of the Proyecto Latina Reading Series. "When I first got the idea I knew it would be a collaborative effort with other dynamic women like Coya and Irasema". Together we bring Latinas in the arts together once a month to tell their stories and support their creative efforts by providing a platform where they can share and express their creativity while building community. She is the Co-Producer of Proyecto Latina Radio Show on 90.5 F.M. WRTE highlighting Latinas making an impact in their communities. Diana’s kryptonite includes: Writing Cupcakes, military history, coffee, and cumbias.
Coya Paz is a poet, director, and lip gloss connoisseur who was raised in Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Brazil before moving permanently to the United States in 1987. She is a cofounder of Proyecto Latina and Teatro Luna, and teaches in The Theater School at DePaul University. She is finishing a PhD in Performance Studies at Northwestern University, and believes in the power of performance and poetry to build community towards social change. For a full manifeto, visit her on the web at www.coyapaz.com
Yolanda Cardenas lives in a city known as a mecca of arctic cold, bizarre weather and medicine, a modern day Dr. Zhivago emerges. Currently, Dr. Cardenas is serving as the music director of Proyecto Latina Radio on 90.5FM WRTE Radio Arte but her radio debut was on NPR's "848" which aired a poem in a segment about the Proyecto Latina Open Mic series. In 2007, Yolanda participated in "Niki Nights: Literature and Music in the Garden" at the Garfield Park Conservatory as well as in the National Museum of Mexican Art's "Sor Juana Festival." In 2006 she was a semi-finalist in the 13th Annual Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Award and her work appeared in "Afternoon Wine: Vicios, Sueños y Confesiones" a compilation of poems in a chapbook featuring her writing group. In 2004, Yolanda Cardenas completed her family medicine training, while fine tuning the art of medicine, this Chicago native also honed her writing. Although there's no Russian revolution in her future, she's primed for social change and a medical revolution.
Ericka Sanchez is a transplant from Mexico, raised in one of the cultural meccas for Mexicanos, Little Village. Her current incarnation as a school teacher by day allows her to run rampant for her love of photography, writing and crafting, music and movie obsessions as well as supporting fellow Latinas and their creative imaginings! Erick is currently a Proyecto Latina Correspondent.
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