This semester the Hispanic Studies magazine, Azulejos, released in print for the first time. Previously only a digital release, the Spanish language magazine has been a project facilitated by the Hispanic Studies department for quite some time.
Alondra Quintero, a senior Hispanic Studies major and the chief editorial assistant and art/design director for Azulejos, explained who the magazine hoped to serve.
“Azulejos has become a beacon for Spanish-English/Spanglish-speaking individuals as an outlet for creative expression. We encourage submissions from the community, too, which has been a bridge for people and contributes to the magazine’s aim to include various unique perspectives. Having a very inclusive submission process helps us share experiences in our Latino community, no matter where someone is in their journey with their culture or language, and honors the vulnerability of the authors/artists,” Quintero said.
Mariana Ruiz-González, assistant professor of Hispanic Studies, started the magazine because of her background in journalism and passion for writing. Ruiz-González found the students interest and enthusiasm for the magazine and its relaunch rewarding.
“I used to be a sport journalist, and I like creative writing in Spanish too. I love all the editorial process — every step. I love it, even though I get so tired, and it’s so much work and everything, I still enjoy every every step. [The magazine] is a good way to integrate [that process] with the students,” Ruiz-González said.
For Ruiz-González, watching people from all academic backgrounds engage with the magazine was a crucial way to build community beyond the Hispanic Studies department.
“[At the presentation] there were staff there, there were people that they were studying science, there were native speakers, there were international students [and] there were new speakers. There was everybody. So for me, that engagement beyond just my little Hispanic Studies department world is what was worth it,” Ruiz-González said. “I saw them reading the magazines, and they took more back to their friends. I love the idea of trying to come to create a space where … [people] of any type can be together and be happy together, sharing the language together.”
Jonathan Becker, a junior History and Hispanic Studies major, attended the launch party and is an avid reader of the magazine. Becker explained that he was part of the Hispanic Studies 305 course that helped create an early edition of the magazine called “Los Ojos de Whitman” and how he enjoyed watching the magazine’s growth.
“I really wanted to attend to see how the magazine has changed now that it is in print and renamed Los Azulejos. What I appreciate most about the Hispanic Studies department is the ways in which the department helps get students involved in the greater Walla Walla and Whitman communities … The study of language and culture are foundationally built on the development of strong interpersonal relationships. The various community projects that the Hispanic Studies department supports helps in achieving this goal,” Becker said.
The community outreach Becker mentioned is what made Quintero so proud of the magazine’s work this year.
“I think this magazine is essential in creating a community involved in creative work and getting to see it published. I’ve had the privilege of helping the magazine grow, and the incredible support it receives for its work in community outreach is an essential part of expanding our relationships with the Walla Walla community,” Quintero said.
Nicole Martinez Cespedes, a junior Psychology and Hispanic Studies major who is the magazine’s editor, loves working with the magazine. Martinez Cespedes finds that it fills critical gaps in her Whitman experience, allowing her to write in Spanish.
“For me, the magazine is a space for Hispanics to express themselves using different media such as poetry, poems, photography, etc. It’s important to have such a space at Whitman because it fosters inclusion for Spanish-speaking students. Magazines at Whitman already existed, but they were primarily in English, and Spanish-language writing wasn’t given as much visibility as now,” Martinez Cespedes said.
For Martinez Cespedes, working alongside other students dedicated to the project helped build new connections.
“Spanish is also my first language, and working at the magazine allows me to meet more people who also speak Spanish, with whom I have become very close. I feel that working at the magazine allows me to connect with the Hispanic community at Whitman,” Martinez Cespedes said.
Readers can find the magazine online and in print, with more semesterly publications coming next school year to celebrate the Spanish language and Hispanic identity on campus.
