Brooklyn, N.Y.—Vanessa Perez Rosario, an assistant professor in the Department of Puerto Rican and Latino Studies, thinks the world of famous Latina poet Julia de Burgos. Perez wrote her dissertation on de Burgos and is currently writing a book that will be a critical study of her life’s work.
So Perez was honored when she was approached by officials at the United States Postal Service to consult on the design of a stamp in de Burgos’ honor.
"De Burgos is pretty well-known in Puerto Rico but not as much in Latin America and other places, so I think a project like this was needed in order to really bring more attention to her and her life’s work," said Perez, who moved to Puerto Rico with her family when she was seven and returned to the States after high school.
The stamp, which will be dedicated and go on sale in September, is the 26th in the Postal Service’s literary arts series. A revolutionary writer, thinker and activist, de Burgos wrote more than 200 poems that probe issues of love, feminism and political and personal freedom.
Perez hopes to finish her book on de Burgos in 2011.