Writers Series: Helena Maria Virmonte
By: Kayla Gilbert '21
Salem State University has done it again, another author come and gone. Another author to inspire the student body and professors. Helena Maria Virmonte author of The Moths and two novels “Under the Feet of Jesus,” and “Their Dogs Came with Them.” A much-deserved winner of numerous awards and honors, including the John Dos Passos Award for Literature, and a United States Artist Fellowship; her short stories and essays have been widely recognized.
Viramonte born in East Los Angeles on in 1954, is one of nine children. Viramontes has been active in community projects and teaching creative writing. Much of her work draws from her experiences as a child in California dealing with issues of work, racism, and language. Viramontes a professor of English and creative writing at Cornell University; received a warm welcome to Salem State University.
English departments often use Viramonte’s writings for literary analysis, due to her intense depictions of imagery, as well as her strikingly personal and realistic prose. As readers, we witness her astounding imagery when she writes about the lush fields of grapes hand-picked by her characters. In her novel Under the Feet of Jesus, migrant workers avoid deportations by the hands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E)
A powerful speaker, with an act to inspire students to “not fear writing the truth as we see it. As writers we tell the truth and our voice can never be silenced.” She even gave us a sneak peek of her new and upcoming novel. The Cemetery Boys will be an excellent addition to her collection. Let us hope she will return with her new work.