, the literary program of the University of 91�Թ�’s , has announced the winners of its two national literary competitions — the , which supports the publication of a first full-length book by a Hispanic poet residing in the United States; and the new , which will usher into print a second or third book of poetry by a Hispanic writer.

The judge of the fifth edition of the Montoya Prize, California poet Francisco X. Alarcón, has selected as the prize winner. Guerrero’s manuscript, “A Tongue in the Mouth of the Dying,” will be published by the next year. Guerrero, a native of Texas, is the author of the chapbook “Babies Under the Skin” and teaches at Palo Alto College in San Antonio, Texas. She will be joined by Alarcón for a public reading at 91�Թ� upon the publication of her debut volume.

Poets and William Archila, residents of Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, respectively, are the winners of the inaugural edition of the Letras Latinas/Red Hen Poetry Prize. 91�Թ� English Professor has selected Vera’s “The Guide to Imaginary Monuments” and Archila’s “The Gravedigger’s Archeology” for publication by Red Hen Press in 2013 and 2015, respectively. Vera, a South Texas native of Cuban descent, is the author of “The Space Between Our Danger and Delight.” Archila, a native of El Salvador, has one book of poetry in print as well: “The Art of Exile.” Both will be invited to read from their winning books in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and Washington, D.C. Each will also be awarded a two-week writing residency at Ragdale, an artist colony in Lake Forest, Ill.

“With these two book prizes, 91�Թ� has situated itself as a solid national presence in Latino poetry,” said , who directs Letras Latinas and conceived of both initiatives.

“With this newest prize, it was especially meaningful to count on the collaboration of Orlando Menes, director of our and an award-winning poet himself,” Aragón added. Menes will present his work, alongside Vera, at the Chicago reading next year.

In addition, as part of a new agreement between Letras Latinas and the Department of Creative Writing at the University of Texas at El Paso, winners of the Letras Latinas/Red Hen Poetry Prize will be invited to read alongside their counterparts who have won the Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize. Dan Vera and Laurie Ann Guerrero will inaugurate this partnership with a joint appearance in El Paso, Texas, in 2013.

Letras Latinas, the literary program of the Institute for Latino Studies, seeks to enhance the visibility, appreciation and study of Latino literature, both on and off the 91�Թ� campus, with a focus on projects that identify and support emerging voices.

Established in 1949, the University of 91�Թ� Press is a publisher of distinguished, scholarly books in a number of academic disciplines; in poetry and fiction; and in areas of interest to general readers.

is committed to publishing works of literary excellence, supporting diversity and promoting literacy in our local schools. It seeks a community of readers and writers who are actively engaged in literature.

supports writers and artists in a retreat setting and makes the arts more accessible to the public through three core program areas: the artists’ residency program, community programs and preservation of the historic site.

Contact: Francisco Aragón, faragon@nd.edu

Letras Latinas, the literary program of the University of 91�Թ�’s (ILS), is partnering with the Poetry Society of America (PSA) to present “Latino/a Poetry Now,” a national tour that will showcase fifteen poets in a span of two-and-a-half years. The joint initiative will open Nov. 8 (Tuesday) at Harvard University and conclude at 91�Թ� Oct. 29–30, 2013.

“The aim is to provide a sampling of the thematically and aesthetically diverse work being produced by a newer generation of Latino and Latina poets,” says Francisco Aragón, director of Letras Latinas.

This is the latest in a series of collaborations between Letras Latinas and the Poetry Society of America. “We are extremely happy to have a hand in facilitating programs that underscore what a rich mosaic American poetry is,” says Alice Quinn, PSA’s executive director and former long-time poetry editor at The New Yorker.

The Nov. 8 inaugural event at Harvard will feature Rosa Alcalá, whose poems and translations have appeared widely; Eduardo C. Corral, recent winner of the Yale Younger Poets Award; and Aracelis Girmay, recent winner of the Isabella Gardner Poetry Award.

“The Woodberry Poetry Room is honored to partner with Letras Latinas in the launch of Latino/a Poetry Now, a national reading series that celebrates vital innovators in the Latino/a literary community and their pivotal contributions to contemporary poetics in America and worldwide,” says Christina Davis, curator of the Woodberry Poetry Room, co-sponsor of the Harvard reading.

“We’re also interested in deepening the conversation surrounding this poetry—on the web,” Aragón says. The PSA, in addition to partnering with 91�Թ�, will be publishing on its website a succession of roundtable discussions by each group of presenting poets, .

The series will continue at Georgetown University on March 20, 2012, in collaboration with the Lannan Center for Poetics and Social Practice, as well as the Library of Congress’ Hispanic Division and Poetry and Literature Center. The second installment will feature Salvadoran-born poet William Archila and Argentinian-born poet Ruth Irupé Sanabria. Archila’s distinctions include an Emerging Writers Fellowship from The Writer’s Center. Sanabria is the author of “The Strange House Testifies.”

On Oct. 10, 2012, Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minn., will host poets Xochiquetzal Candelaria, a former recipient of a National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) fellowship; Lorena Duarte, a member of the Twin Cities’ Palabrista collective; and former Guggenheim Fellow Rigoberto González, also a recipient of PSA’s 2011 Shelley Memorial Award.

University of Arizona’s Poetry Center will welcome Carmen Gimenez Smith, winner of the Juniper Poetry Prize; J. Michael Martinez, winner of the Walt Whitman Prize; and Roberto Tejada, whose distinctions include a poetry translation fellowship from the NEA. This penultimate installment of “Latino/a Poetry Now” is slated for April 25, 2013.

The initiative will conclude with two days of activities on Oct. 29 and 30, 2013 at 91�Թ�. The four invited poets are Blas Falconer, winner of the Maureen Egen Literary Award from Poets & Writers magazine; Raina J. León, whose second collection of poems is forthcoming from Salmon Poetry in Ireland; Maria Melendez, whose two books were finalists for a PEN Center USA West Award and the Colorado Book Award, respectively; and John Murillo, whose first book was a finalist for the Kate Tufts Discovery Award and the PEN Open Book Award. In addition to visiting classes and reading from their work at a public event, the poets will be taking part in Letras Latinas’ long-standing Oral History Project.

“91�Թ� hosted a dynamic Latino Poets Conference in 2002 that reached a broad audience. We’re especially excited to be hosting a group of younger poets this time around,” says Valerie Sayers, chair of 91�Թ�’s , one of the event’s co-sponsors.

Letras Latinas, the literary program of the Institute for Latino Studies, seeks to enhance the visibility, appreciation and study of Latino literature, both on and off the campus of the University of 91�Թ�, with a focus on projects that identify and support emerging voices.

The nation’s oldest poetry organization, the Poetry Society of America was founded in 1910 for the purpose of creating a public forum for the advancement, enjoyment, and understanding of poetry. Through a diverse array of programs, initiatives, contests and awards, the PSA works to build a larger audience for poetry, to encourage a deeper appreciation of the art, and to place poetry at the crossroads of American life.

Contact: Francisco Aragón, faragon@nd.edu

The Center for Migration and Border Studies in the University of 91�Թ�’s Institute for Latino Studies has received a $125,000 grant from the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) to investigate how social and cultural factors impact Mexican immigrants’ savings for retirement.

Titled “Understanding and Increasing Mexican Immigrants’ Financial and Retirement Security,” the study will examine how Mexican immigrants prepare, or do not prepare, for retirement. The research applies a novel, interdisciplinary approach to the study of retirement, combining anthropological and economic theories and methods.

Mexican immigrant workers are more likely than other groups to be living in poverty in retirement. Mexican immigrant workers, who comprise one-third of the immigrant workforce, are less likely to be participating in formal retirement savings programs. Even those in the $100,000 to $200,000 income bracket hold an average of $61,293 in retirement accounts compared with $160,626 for all households. Therefore, understanding the dynamic nature of Mexican immigrants’ family structure is crucial to figuring out how to devise communication programs and policies that will help increase the immigrants’ financial literacy and retirement security.

Center director Karen Richman will lead the study along with Teresa Ghilarducci, an economist at the New School for Social Research.

91�Թ�’s Center for Migration and Border Studies furthers understanding of the increasingly significant phenomenon of transnational migration between Latin America and the United States by investigating the political, social, economic and cultural forces that are shaping lives in both sending and receiving communities throughout the continent.

Founded in 1999, the Institute for Latino Studies fosters understanding of the U.S. Latino experience by advancing research, expanding knowledge and strengthening community. It supports interdisciplinary initiatives in Latino studies as a key component of 91�Թ�’s academic mission.

Contact: Karen Richman, 574-631-8146, krichman@nd.edu

The University of 91�Թ�’s Institute for Latino Studies (ILS) has published a new study that examines the effects of the U.S. housing crisis on issues that concern Latinos and Latino neighborhoods in Chicago.

“The Housing Crisis and Latino Home Ownership in Chicago,” by ILS Fellow and DePaul University Professor Martha Argelia Martinez, also provides a comparison with the effects on whites and African Americans. The report concentrates on three interrelated dimensions: mortgage credit availability, foreclosure levels and property values.

According to the report, a combination of socioeconomic vulnerability and riskier credits contributes to the fact that Latinos entered this crisis in a severely disadvantaged position.

The study is part of a larger body of work resulting from the institute’s longstanding research on Latinos in the Chicago area. The report was completed with support from the Arthur Foundation and the Chicago Community Trust.

The report is available online .

More information is available on the Web at .

Contact: Juan Carlos Guzmán, director of research, Institute for Latino Studies, jc.guzman@nd.edu, 574-631-8456; or Angela Anderson, interim director, Center for Metropolitan Chicago Initiatives, aander17@nd.edu, 312-432-4791