Somos Esritoras is a Latinx Writing Workshop that explores all forms of storytelling beyond books, including oral storytelling (folk stories), theater, art, and more.
Over the years, Latinx Community Members have joined our space and led mini-workshops based on their expertise.
Below is the list of guest presenters that have led workshops for our escritoras.
Daniel Arbino
Former UT Librarian, LLILAS Benson Latin American Studies and Collections
From 2020 to 2022, Daniel Arbino joined us and gave a mini-lesson on Carmen Lomas Garza’s work. He showed our escritoras original paintings by the artist whose picture books, “In My Family” and “Family Pictures,” showcase her art.
He was head of Collection Development at the Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection at the University of Texas at Austin, where he worked from 2017 to 2023. He holds a Ph.D. in Latin American Literature and Cultures from the University of Minnesota, an MA in Hispanic Literature from the University of New Mexico and an MLIS from the University of Arizona.
Roxanne Schroeder-Arce
Associate Professor, Drama, and Theatre for Youth and Communities, Associate Professor, Center for Mexican American Studies the University of Texas & Former high school theatre teacher
In 2018, during our UT Field Trip, our escritoras stopped at the UT theater department for a theater workshop. Roxanne Scroder-Arce taught the girls about theater in relation to storytelling and led the girls through various improv exercises and games.
Roxanne Schroeder-Arce serves as the associate dean of UTeach Fine Arts, focusing on Fine Arts Education, while also holding the associate professor of Theatre Education position at the Department of Theatre and Dance. Her latest play, “Yana Wana’s Legend of the Bluebonnet,” co-authored with María F. Rocha, received a Distinguished Play Award from the American Alliance for Theatre and Education.
Natalie Martinez
Content Creator & Former Journalist at Fox 7 Austin
In 2019, Natalie Martinez joined us at Bertha Sandler Means. She talked about her journalism work by sharing two news stories on which she worked. She also spoke about her writing process and how she uses writing as a journalist/ reporter. Finally, she discussed her journey to becoming a journalist.
She has over eight years of work experience in communications and journalism and served as a news reporter at Fox 7 Austin and KTXS News. Holding a B.A. in Journalism from Webster University.
Laura Gonzalez
Assistant Professor of Digital Writing and Cultural Rhetorics, University of Florida
In 2018, Laura Gonzales joined us to lead a mini workshop about digital stories. She spoke about the origin and history of digital stories. The girls shared examples of digital stories that they loved and created their own digital stories to share.
Laura has published approximately 30 peer-reviewed articles, webtexts, and book chapters that reflect her commitment to culturally-sustaining and collaborative interdisciplinary research and digital making. She has a Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Writing from Michigan State University. She holds both a Masters and Bachelor’s of Arts in English from the University of Central Florida.
Patricia Abril-Gonzalez
Assistant Professor, University of Texas, Former Art Teacher
In 2019, Patricia Abril-Gonzalez led a mini-workshop using art to get our escritoras thinking about their physical, mental, and spiritual body. The escritoras created art pieces based on her presentation and wrote about the meaning behind their piece.
She was a bilingual elementary school teacher for seven years, including in dual immersion and traditional bilingual education settings. She has a PhD in Social, Multicultural, and Bilingual Foundations at the University of Colorado. Her research focuses on exploring long-term caring relationships between bilingual Latinx teachers, students, and their families using qualitative arts-based methods.
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