Introduction to AMWP Issue 5
Over the past few months, we have had the immense pleasure of working with Latinx writers and artists for this special issue of the Australian Multilingual Writing Project. In a time of uncertainty and loss, it has been a humbling reminder of how beautiful and connected our community is. Reading all the submissions, selecting them to feature where we had limited spots, getting to know new writers and read other sides of some we already held great affection for, has been nothing short of a privilege.
When AMWP approached us to work on this issue, we were overjoyed with the opportunity and, admittedly, overwhelmed with the responsibility. For many, Spanish, Portuguese, French and all the non-Indigenous languages that exist in Latin America allow us to speak with our families and to make connections with people across the continent and throughout the diaspora. For others these languages represent violence, and for some of us, both of these things are true at once. Just as this strange time has reminded us how close we are and can be, it’s hard to ignore that Indigenous communities continue to suffer most at the hands of those more privileged.
We are proud of this issue and what we have achieved, however we continue to reckon with the shortcomings of our community.
While a small offering, we hope these reflections of selves, love, and language, will be a refuge for some--a window to someplace else.
Con todo nuestro amor,
— Ruby Pivet y Vanessa Giron
Ruby Pivet
Vanessa Giron
Vanessa Giron is a Latinx writer and editor currently based in Naarm/Melbourne. She is the Spanish editor for Australian Multilingual Writing Project and has written for Junkee, The Big Issue, Kill Your Darlings, as well as others. In 2018 she was an inaugural featured author with Djed Press, New Review critic with Witness, and in 2019 she was a Hot Desk Fellow with The Wheeler Centre.
Vanessa is also extremely online: you can find her on Twitter @vanesssagiron and on her website vanessagiron.com
Ruby Pivet is a writer and producer living, working and creating on Wurundjeri land. Ruby is the Artistic Director and co-CEO of the Emerging Writers' Festival and the co-founder of the Latinx Arts Collective Yo Soy. Ruby writes (mostly) creative non-fiction and cultural commentary and has had work featured in anthologies, literary journals and music/entertainment publications.