Work of St. Martin’s Lasana M. Sekou in Latin American journal ESLA, called “pan-Caribbean”

GREAT BAY, St. Martin (September 23, 2024)—Literature scholars Thomás Rothe and Malik Noël-Ferdinand have pulled off what is thought to be one of the largest editions of ESLA, the Chilean-based journal of cultural and literary Criticism.

“It’s exciting to see the work of St. Martin poet Lasana Sekou selected by editors Rothe and Noël-Ferdinand in the current issue of ESLA 2024,” said Jacqueline Sample, president of House of Nehesi Publishers (HNP).

In the introduction note, “Resounding Caribbean Literatures: Voice, Music, and Text,” the editors wrote that “Lasana M. Sekou presents a pan-Caribbean verse composition based on the names of the region’s heroes.

“The names’ musicality resonates with the piece’s appealing title, ‘We Continue,’ or, in the Spanish version, ‘Continuamos.’ This pan-Caribbean perspective is consistent with Sekou’s large body of writing ...”

ESLA’s Issue 27, with nonfiction and poetry in Kréyòl, Spanish, and French with the English translation for each language, includes works by noted author Ana Lydia Vega (Puerto Rico), internationally acclaimed poet Nancy Morejón (Cuba), Kréyòl author/musician TiMalo (Guadeloupe), and musicologist, Cuban reguetón specialist Lalau Yllarramendiz Alfonso.

“Noël-Ferdinand’s essay on Bob Marley’s ‘Buffalo Soldier’ and Derek Walcott’s Omeros, and James Staig’s piece on the performative value of ‘Puerto Rican Obituary’ by the legendary Pedro Pietri, are also inspiring for my part,” said Sekou.

ESLA is the acronym for English Studies in Latin America: A Journal of Cultural and Literary Criticism. The journal is hosted by the Literature Department, Faculty of Letters at the prestigious Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile).

“Prof. Rothe’s continuing research into literatures of various Caribbean language zones, and his attention to books published at HNP help to extend the work of Caribbean canon authors and, importantly, new voices and works of upcoming writers and creatives,” said Sample.

In 2021, Dr. Rothe taught Sekou’s Hurricane Protocol poetry book in his “Afro-Caribbean Literature and Music” class at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, said Sample (https://rb.gy/1p6g4q).

ESLA’s binannual peer review issues “provide a platform for scholarly voices that are speaking about literature written in English. As a journal from Latin America, we seek original work that reflects the diverse worlds that exist in this language.

“We prioritize original contributions from the following critical approaches: comparative and intersectional studies, postcolonial studies, cultural and gender studies, bilingualism and translation studies,” stated ESLA. The journal’s editorial team is headed by literature and cultural studies scholar Dr. Allison Ramay.

See the free download for current ESLA digital edition at https://esla.letras.uc.cl/index.