Part 2
(Replay) Radio Palacio: A Continued Conversation with Griselda Suarez
PalacioMagazine.com continues its conversation with Griselda Suarez, the new Executive Director of the Arts Council for Long Beach. We ended the last conversation addressing the Arts Registry at the Council. In this conversation, we speak about opening up our vision to include all of Long Beach and not just a few sections of the city.
Here’s Griselda Suarez bio and resume:
Griselda Suarez is a writer, artist, cook, and a teacher. She was born in unincorporated East Los Angeles and walked Whittier Blvd and Brooklyn Ave in black and white saddle shoes. She grew up in a place where her thoughts did not find voice easily; instead, she found a pen and paper. Her hometown inspires her to investigate memories of a home space that continues to be bodiless. She believes that the arts are essential in empowering others to express their thoughts. As a Lambda Literary Fellow, she continues to work on her poetry collection and a body of essays. Aunt Lute Press, Seal Press, Acentos Literary Review, Finishing Line Press, NCOC Press, The Other Side, and OutSpoken Journal have published her work. She also chronicles her business Peppered Up Foods and has led her to a tantalizing experience with food writing. Most recently, Griselda created a blog, Vista Zine, with students at CSULB and was a founding editor of XQSi Magazine LGBT Latinos. To keep her inspired, Griselda enjoys meditating over warm suds and dirty dishes. She also grows fruits and vegetables at the community garden to feed her creativity. And if timing is right, you can catch her reenacting her Quinceañera and reading books on her to become a Mexican calendar girl.
EDUCATION
2004 Master of Fine Arts, Writing and Consciousness New College of California, San Francisco, CA
Fiction Manuscript: The Mysteries of the Magnificent Rosario Santos
2003 Master of Arts, Writing and Consciousness New College of California, San Francisco, CA
1999 Bachelor of Arts, Spanish and Art Pitzer College, Claremont, CA
Thesis in Spanish: Reina la del norte (short story)
Thesis in Art: Ometeotl (exhibition)
UNIVERSITY TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2006-Present Lecturer, Chicano and Latino Studies Department California State University at Long Beach
2007-2014 Visiting Faculty, College of Liberal Arts DeVry University at Long Beach Metro
Summer 2005 Instructor, Cal Poly Upward Bound Summer Program California Polytechnic State University at Pomona
2004 Instructor, General Education and Multimedia Programs ITT Technical Institute at West Covina 2004-2005
2004 Instructor, Educational Outreach Program California State University at Long Beach
2003-2004 Graduate Teaching Practicum, New College of California
DEPARTMENT AND UNIVERSITY SERVICE
Present Fellow, College of Liberal Arts Composition Fellowship
2014-2015 Committee Member, Helena Maria Viramontes Reading and Workshop Event 2007-2014 Coordinator, Café Cultura: A Night of Literature and Art
2011-2014 Department Advisor
2013 – 2012 Content Committee, Latina Connection Annual Conference 2012 Facilitator, Writing Workshop, CONFEM Conference
2011 Coordinator, CHLS Vista Zine Blog
2010 Panelist, LGBT Faculty Panel, LGBT Diversity Week 2008 Panelist, LGBT Faculty Panel, LGBT Diversity Week
2008 Member, Latino Issue Task Force
2007 Member, CHLS Curriculum Committee
2007 Facilitator, “Our Sexuality”, Chicana Youth Conference
HONORS, AWARDS, AND SCHOLARSHIPS
2013-2015 Lambda Literary Foundation Awards Judge 2008-2011 Lambda Literary Foundation Fellow
2009 California Book Prize, Nomination for “Concrete River Boulevard”
2008 Lambda Emerging Voices Retreat Scholarship
2002 New College of California Graduate Fellowship
ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP IN LONG BEACH/LOS ANGELES
Present Board Member and Steering Committee, Platos Llenos
Present Coordinator, Jardin Tres Hermanas Orizaba Park-City of Long Beach
2014-Present Committee Member and Website Developer, IdeaFest Long Beach
2010-2011 Coordinator, Guayaba Salon/Karari: A Literary Arts Organization
2009-2010 Founding Editor, xQsí Magazine
PUBLICATIONS
2013 Driving on the Five, Meeting on the Page. 25th Anniversary Lambda Literary Foundation Anthology
2009 Concrete River Boulevard. Chapbook Series, Finishing Line Press
2008 “Serpent Street Kiss”. Ed. Juana Ramos. Latina Lesbians, Sinister Wisdom Journal #74
2008 “Abuelita’s Cocina” and “Ode to My Ancestors”. Ed. Rich Villar. Acentos Literary Review
2004 “East Los Angeles Creed” and “Rosario’s Petition” from The Mysteries of Magnificent
Rosario Santos. Controlled Burn. Ed. Jamie Robles. NCOC Press
2003 “Play me like a cello”. Broadside Limited Series, Blue Heron Press October 2003
2002 “Pilgrimage on Mission Street”. Bare Your Soul: The Thinking Girl’s Guide to Enlightenment (Live Girls Series). Ed. Angela Watrous. Seal Press 2002
2000 “Reina la del Norte”. Through the Eye of the Dear: An Anthology of Native American Women Writers. Eds. Carolyn Dunn and Carol Comfort. Aunt Lute Press
1999 “Poems.” The Other Side Magazine. Spring Issue
1999 “Coming Out Again”. OUTLOUD: A Queer Publication. Claremont Queer Resource Center
PRESENTATIONS, LECTURES AND COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS
2016 AWP National Conference Fiction Craft Panelist and Multi-Genre Featured Reader
2015 Guest Writer, SisterSpit Tour, Long Beach, CA
2014 Coordinator, Art as Action: Art is Action, A conversation with artists, labor/community activists, students (CHLS 420) and you, Solitude to Solidarity Exhibit at Angels Gate Cultural Center, San Pedro, CA
2014 Guest Writer, SisterSpit Tour, Long Beach, CA
2013 Guest Writer, SisterSpit Tour, Long Beach, CA
2011 Facilitator, xQSí Magazine Contibutor’s Workshop, Los Angeles, CA
2010 Panelists, From Abuelas to Chingonas: Building on the Latina Feminist Literary Tradition, Latino Book Festival, Los Angeles, CA
2010 Instructor, Creative Non-Fiction Workshop, Prototypes: Women’s Outpatient Shelter, Pomona, CA
2010 Producer, Karari Literary Arts Readings and Workshop Series, Long Beach, CA
2009 Instructor, Poetry Workshop, Prototypes: Women’s Outpatient Shelter, Pomona, CA
2009 Co-Producer, Testimonies, Chisme and Spilling the Tea: A Night of Poetry, National Queer Arts Festival, San Francisco, CA
2006 Presenter, Transformational Leadership in Communities of Color-YouthBuild USA Transformation Institute, U.S. Department of Labor, Redondo Beach, CA
2004 Presenter, Build, Strengthen and Grow: Youth Development as a Movement- Western Association for Educational Opportunity Personnel, U.S. Department of Education, Tucson, AZ
2003 Presenter, Effective Meetings and Facilitation- Western Association for Educational Opportunity Personnel, U.S. Department of Education, Honolulu, HI
2002 Presenter, Working Towards Nurturance: Creating a Safe Space- Western Association for Educational Opportunity Personnel, U.S. Department of Education, Monterey, CA
2002 Panelist, “Polyamory among Queer Women” GLST 15 Lesbian Relationships. City College of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
2001 Lecture, “Tonantzin Seduced: Images of Guadalupe in Chicana Art”. GLST 50 Queer Communities of Color, City College of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
