Caridad Moro-McCormick Media Kit 2009

8/14/2019 Caridad Moro-McCormick Media Kit 2009

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Press Contact:

Caridad Moro-McCormick7901 SW 15th Street

Miami, FL [email protected]

www.southernartistry.org/Caridad_McCormick


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7901 S.W. 15th Street Miami, FL 33144 (305)753-8676 [email protected] 1 | P a g e

Table of Contents

Biography Page 2

Curriculum Vitae Page 3-5

Press Release Page 6

Reviews Page 7-13

Blurbs Page 14

Interviews Page 15


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Caridad Moro-McCormick is a first-generation Cuban-American who wasborn in Los Angeles, California and grew up in Miami, Florida. She holds aB.A. in English, as well as an M.A. in English from Florida InternationalUniversity. Caridad Moro-McCormicks chapbook, Visionware, waspublished by Finishing Line Press in January of 2009 as part of theircelebrated New Womens Voices Series. She is the recipient of a FloridaArtist Fellowship in poetry from the State of Florida. She has been a finalistfor the Rita Dove Poetry Award in 2009, 2008 and 2006. Moro-McCormickis a Professor of English at Miami Dade College, as well as an EnglishInstructor for Dade County Public Schools, in Miami. For more details, visither website at www.southernartistry.org/Caridad_McCormick.


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Caridad Moro-McCormickCurriculum Vitae

EducationFlorida International University: Master of Arts in English, April 1997Florida International University: Bachelor of Arts in English, April 1992Grants, Honors and AwardsFinalist, Rita Dove Poetry Award, Salem College Center for Women Writers National Literary Competition

2009, Ink.

Awarded Honorable Mention, New Womens Voices Contest, Finishing Line Press, 2008.Finalist, Rita Dove Poetry Award, Salem College Center for Women Writers National Literary Competition,2008, Inheritance.

Inducted into the Southern Artistry Regional Artist Registry, 2007.Recipient of a Florida Individual Artist Fellowship 2007.Finalist, Rita Dove Poetry Award, Salem College Center for Women Writers National Literary Competition,

2006, "Susan B. Anthony: On Getting Kicked Off The Silver Dollar.""Cuban Girls Don't Wear Tampons." First Place Winner in Florida Center For the Literary Arts

Short Story Contest, May 2004.

PublicationsPoetryChapbook, Visionware. Finishing Line Press , 2009.Ink, forthcoming in The Comstock Review, Vol. 23. No. 1, 2009.Language, Slipstream Journal, #29, 2009.Maternity,Her Mark 2009, Woman Made Gallery, Fall 2008.Things I Didnt Know I Loved, Appleseeds, Or How We Got Here: An Anthology of

Americana Poetry, Lulu.com, 2008.Inheritance, Crab Orchard Review, Fall 2008.

Coming Out To Mami, Fifth Wednesday Journal, Spring 2008"Erosion,"MiPoesias: The American-Cuban Issue, March 2008."Puta,"MiPoesias: The American-Cuban Issue, March2008."Quincenera, MiPoesias: The American-Cuban Issue, March2008."What You Called To Say At Lunch." The Pedestal Magazine, December 2007.Raisins In the Stuffing. Spillway Journal No.13, Winter 2007.


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"Analfabeta." CALYX, A Journal of Art and Literature by Women, V. 24:1, Summer 2007.Susan B. Anthony: On Getting Kicked Off The Silver Dollar. Susan B. And Me, Big Kids

Publishing, 2007."That Night At The Rack 'Em Room." The Seattle Review, Fall 2006."The Perfect Dress." Slipstream Journal #26 , 2006.

"Analfabeta." Green Hills Literary Lantern - On-Line Journal, Spring 2006."Tulips In Miami?" Tigertail: A South Florida Poetry Annual, Volume IV, April 2006."Soando Con Mami." Generation Magazine, September 1999."Walking." Generation Magazine, August 1997.FictionFools Gold, forthcoming in Woman's Work: The Short Stories. Girlchild Press, 2009."Conversation WithAbuela. Just Like A Girl: A Manifesta. Girlchild Press, 2008."Deception," The Sun Magazine, March 2004."Pennies From Heaven." Tropic Magazine, August 17, 1997.Non-Fiction/JournalismDrunk as Drunk On Translation, Oranges and Sardines, Volume 1, Issue 1, Summer 2008.Canta Y No Llores, Motif: Writing By Ear. Motes Books, 2008.Holding Out For A (S)hero: Fall Line-up Falls Short of Go-To-Women.Now Playing Magazine , Vol. 3, No. 7, Fall

2006

"The Reggaeton Revolution." Now Playing Magazine, Vol. 2, No. 6, Spring 2006.

"The Times They Are A Changing: The evolution of entertainment post 9/11."Now Play Magazine, Vol. 2, No. 5,

Spring 2006.

"Cocina Caribea: un poquito de aqu, un poquito de all." Two Mundos Magazine, Issue 005, 2006.."Whos Asking the Hard Questions? When fiction speaks for fact Over There." Now Playing Magazine, Vol. 1, No 4,

Winter 2005.

"The Mainstream Alternative: Can't we all just get along?"Now Playing Magazine,

Vol. 1, No. 3, Fall 2005.

"Growing Desperation: Beneath the furor of a phenomenon."Now Playing Magazine, Vol. 1, No. 2, Summer 2005

"Bridging the Gap: A Tale of Comic Book Conversion."Now Playing Magazine, Vol. 1, No.1, Spring 2005

"Pedacito De Patria: Mi Noche En Tapas Y Tintos," Two Mundos Magazine, Issue 004, 2005.

Appearances - Readings, Lectures, PanelsMiami Book Fair International. November 15th, 2009.Palm Beach County Library, Hagen Ranch Road Branch, October 9th, 2009.Miami Dade College Annual Arts and Letters Day, April 1st, 2009.Kevro Art Bar, Delray Beach, FL, August 10, 2008. Broward County Library, Galt Ocean Reading Room, April 2008.Books and Books, Reading fromMiPoesias: The American-Cuban Issue March 2008.


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Art and Poetry Gala Night, Bohemio, February 29, 2008Miami Dade College Annual Arts and Letters Day, April 2nd, 2008Broward County Library, Galt Ocean Reading Room, April 2007.Amate Tea House, July 13, 2007.Write Out Loud: Miami Book Fair International. November 14th, 2006.

FSU Poetry Def Jam, October 20th, 2006.SAVE DADE Phantasmagoria, May 12, 2006.Books and Books, Tigertail: A South Florida Poetry Annual, Volume 4, April 20th, 2006.Miami Dade College Annual Arts and Letters Day, April 5th, 2006.Miami Book Fair International. November 19th, 2005.Miami Dade College Annual Arts and Letters Day, April 1999.Women's History Month Conference, Florida International University, "Cultural Expectations and The Notion ofDiaspora," April 5th, 1998.Writing Across the Disciplines Conference, Florida International University, February 14, 1997.SUNY at Stonybrook Interdisciplinary Conference, November 2, 1996.

Teaching ExperienceMiami Dade Community College, Miami, FL

Adjunct English Professor, September 1998 through Present

Florida Memorial College, Miami, FLAdjunct English Professor, September 1996 through September 1998

Miami Dade County Public Schools, Miami, FLEnglish Instructor, August 1992 through Present.


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PRESS RELEASE

Finishing Line Press

Po Box 1626,

Georgetown, KY 40324

(859-514-8966)

Finishing Line Press is pleased to announce the publication of

Visionware, Caridad Moro-McCormicks collection of poems, tells a good story while examining

how identity is shaped by cultural and social expectations.

Poet Richard Blanco calls Visionware, a survival kit for any woman navigating through the

expectations of being a daughter, mistress, wife, or motherrendered with the keenest ofimages and told with a most courageous honesty.

Caridad Moro-McCormick, writes poet Denise Duhamel, uses crisp, succinct narrative

poetry as a vehicle to convey multifaceted relationshipswith precision, wit and heartbreak.

The poems in Visionware delve into a diverse, complex world with clear-eyed frankness, wry

humor, and rich, intimate details, notes poet Jim Daniels. There are no fairy-tale endings

here, Daniels states, only the powerful, emotional truth from someone whos been there.

Caridad Moro-McCormicks poetry has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies

including Crab Orchard Review, MiPOesias, The Seattle Review, Slipstream, CALYX, Spillway, The

Pedestal, Just Like A Girl: A Manifesta, Appleseeds: An Anthology of Americana Poetry andSusan B. and Me: An International Collections of Writing, among others.

Additionally, Ms. Moro-McCormick is the recipient of a Florida Individual Artist Fellowship in

poetry and has been a finalist for the Rita Dove Poetry Award in 2009, 2008 and 2006. She is a

professor of English at Miami Dade College in Miami, FL where she resides. Visit her website at

www.southernartistry.org/Caridad_McCormick


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In Grilled, McCormicks diligence in describing the making of a grilled cheese sandwich allows the reader to fullyunderstand and digest the larger stake at hand.

white-bread braving direct heatfor the sake of cheese

dependent on aframework of flourto keep from burningon the unforgiving surfaceof a wounded frying pan.

My favorite piece, Coming out to Miami, reveals her ability to deliver her work with precision and hope. Theremaking of a life is never smooth, even when it feels so necessary.

She taught me to conceal irregularities

to pin them downbeneath the sting of a staple gun,smooth skin over battered innards

What is most impressive about the collection is its ability to deliver on the promise of resilience. Doing the necessarywork of pushing everything to the surface, despite the pain or circumstance, and standing in it to exam and determinewhat is worth keeping.

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where bliss brokeinto minutes

For those who distance themselves from poetry, I am happy to report that McCormicks collection is accessible in away that does not require an MFA to truly appreciate the stellar and truthful work that she has done here. At thecenter of it all Visionware is about love recognizing it and finding a way to keep it.

Caridad Moro McCormick is a recipient of a Florida Individual Artist Fellowship from the state of Florida Divisionof Cultural Affairs. She was a finalist for the Rita Dove Poetry Award in 2006 and 2008. Her writing has appeared oris forthcoming in journals such as The Sun, The Pedestal, Fifth Wednesday Journal, Crab Orchard Review,

MiPOesias, The Seattle Review, CALYX, Slipstream, Spillway, Tigertail, A South Florida Poetry Annual IV, HerMark 2009, Appleseeds, Or, How We Got Here, An Anthology of Americana Poems, Susan B. and Me, Just Like aGirl: A Manifesta and others. McCormick teaches English for Dade County Public Schools and is a Professor ofEnglish at Miami Dade College in Miami. She resides with her partner and son in Miami.

http://girlchildpress.blogspot.com/2009/04/visionware-poetry-as-testimony.html


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From: O & S Volume 2, Issue 3, Summer 2009


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Book Review: Visionware

by Caridad Moro-McCormickFinishing Line Press, 2009

Georgetown, Ky.$12.00 paper, 29 pages

Set roughly in chronological order, the compelling poems in Caridad Moro-McCormicksVisionware map the journey of a speaker who dutifully treks through girlhood, marriage andchildbirth only to land on a weakened foundation of risky and failed love. [S]ifting throughrubble / as if fragments were enough / to hold anything together, the speakers ache (and joy)for her family, her failures, her female lover, is sustained in these taut poems by a dual-languageperspective. Moro-McCormick brings her Cuban ancestry and cultural heritage into the poemsas easily asMami served up lechon, frijoles, yuca, arroz. This dual viewpoint not onlyenriches the language of the poems but also deepens the experiences and stories so creativelyhoused inside Moro-McCormicks poetic structures.

The collections opening poem, Analfabeta, foreshadows the speakers pull inreconciling her familys traditional expectations with her own desires for a non-traditional and

independent lifestyle. At a required public school conference, her uneducated grandmothermeets the girl-speakers bigoted American teacher. The grandmother internalizes hergranddaughters failures:

as if she alone were to blame for the thrust of my chin, the purse of my lips,the crossbones of arms I strapped to my chest as the wordstoo smart for her own good lingered in the air like the bellsthat ruled our days . . .

This theme of rebellion continues in Puta (whore/bitch) as the speaker narrates her first sexualencounter: I wasnt la nina bonita / my parents wanted me to be, / hands tangled / in suds and

Brillo, / the kind who waited. Likewise, in Compulsion: A Chronology, Moro-McCormickcrafts a long prose poem that documents the speakers reconciliation as the other with anobsession for food. Year by year, we read how the speakers family both nourishes and chokesher in a family sandwich and how she contends to fit in with herAmericano friends. Still, herperceived differences are not so unique, by any means. What 15-year-old girl hasnt felt likethis?:

1984, Whoppers with cheese: Once we leave MidwaySkating Rink, there is always Burger King. I eat becausemy father tells me I shouldnt. I eat because fast foodleads to pimples and lard ass. I eat because I feel like theugliest girl alive. I eat because Danny didnt ask me to

slow skate even though Sandra told everyone he would. Ieat because my friend Patty got to make out with Johnnyandhis brother Tico. I eat because my father is waitingoutside. I eat because I cannot cry with a Whopper in mymouth.


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The title poem, Visionware stands as sentinel for a failed marriage, a resonant imagefor anyone who ever tried to cook in those awful glass pots that never did learn / how to burn, /warming too fast / dinner scorched / night after night. (Who remembers the culinary disastersthat befell the cook using the Visionware waffle-bottom fry pan?) We threw them outeventually, and so does the poet in the last half of this collection. She enables the speaker to

renounce her familys traditional value system (Coming Out toMami), to rescue her dualsexuality (Ocean Front Balcony) and to reform her own sense of self and family (Like FingerSandwiches for Sumo Wrestlers).

Caridad Moro-McCormicks dual-language, story-poems will stay with you. Obviously,her publisher felt so, as the collection was chosen as part of Finishing Line Presss celebratedNew Womens Voices Series. Her tales are poignant, mysterious, sexy like cashmere drapedacross your thighs, beautiful on the page and in the mouth.

Marianne Worthington, WWW.Motesbooks.com


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Blurbs for Visionware by Caridad Moro-McCormick

Visionware is a survival kit for any woman navigating through the expectations of being a daughter,

mistress, wife, or mother; for any woman questioning the superimposition of these roles, and trying

to remake herself in the process. Caridad Moro-McCormick is both the expert guide and the

guided on the journey toward her true womanhood. Rendered with the keenest of images and told

with a most courageous honesty, these poems remind us that what we too often misperceive as our

failures, leads us in the end to a truer, triumphant self.

Richard Blanco, Author of City of a Hundred Fires and Directions to the Beach of the Dead

Caridad Moro-McCormicks Visionware explores a diverse, complex world with clear-eyed

frankness, wry humor, and rich, intimate detail. There are no fairy-tale endings here, only the

powerful, emotional truth from someone whos been there, struggling against conformity and

discrimination. She tells her tales with the hard-earned wisdom of survival. No one is going to put

anything over on this fine, talented poet. Jim Daniels, Author of In Line for the Exterminator

Caridad Moro-McCormick knows how to tell a good story. In Visionware , she uses crisp, succinctnarrative poetry as a vehicle to convey multifaceted relationships. She writes with precision, wit, andheartbreak about her Cuban-American heritage, the sounds and smells of Miami, first love, real love,and loss. Caridad Moro-McCormick destabilizes what we know as familiar and reinvigoratesnostalgia into something wholly and wonderfully new. Denise Duhamel, Author of Ka-Ching!


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FromMiPOesias, December 2008

Documents

Caridad Moro-McCormick Media Kit 2009