Writer Norma Cantú, internationally known scholar of Latino and Chicano literature and studies, reads from her book Canicula: Snapshots of a Girlhood en la Frontera, a chronicle of life on the U.S.-Mexico border. She will also read from her poetry book manuscript Meditacion Fronteriza/Borderlands Meditation and from her novel-in-progress, tentatively titled Champú or Hair Matters.

Formerly a professor of English at the University of Texas at San Antonio, Cantú recently joined the UMKC Department of English and the Latina/Latino Studies Program. Her areas of interest and research include border studies, cultural studies, feminist studies, and folklore.

Co-sponsored by the Kansas City Museum and the Latino Writers Collective.