Rossy Evelin Lima-Padilla (born August 18, 1986,

Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

) is a United States-based

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

writer, scholar, translator and activist. She has published her work in numerous journals, magazines and anthologies in Europe, North America and South America.

Biography

Lima was born in

parents on August 18, 1986. At the age of thirteen her family immigrated into the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

at a river crossing. Her family settled in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

where she struggled with the new education system. Lima has stated, "School was a new system for me, and it made me feel lonely and scared. I struggled to learn a new language to communicate, but my brain and my lips seemed disconnected, I murmured trembling words that my classmates and teachers could not understand." During her struggling teenage years, Lima excelled in school and found her passion for literature and poetry. She graduated from PSJA Memorial High School in 2005. In 2009, Lima graduated with a bachelor's in literature from the

University of Texas-Pan American A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

and earned her masters's in literature the next year from the same university. Lima went on to earn a PhD in linguistics from the

University of Texas Rio Grande Valley The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) is a public research university with multiple campuses throughout the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas and is the southernmost member of the University of Texas System. The University of Texas ...

. In 2012, she entered into the DACA (

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, colloquially referred to as DACA, is a United States immigration policy that allows some individuals with unlawful presence in the United States after being brought to the country as children to receive ...

) program. In 2016, Lima co-founded Jade Publishing; a publishing company dedicated to the publication and promotion of emerging Latin American literary talent in both English and Spanish. Lima is currently the director of the Spanish Heritage Language Program at

Texas Tech University Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...

Writing

Lima was recognized by the 2014

International Latino Book Awards The International Latino Book Awards (ILBA) are annual awards given to authors, translators, and illustrators for books written in English, Spanish, or Portuguese. Founded in 1997, the ILBA is listed as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquart ...

for her work on ''Ecos de barro'' (2013). '' The Monitor'' wrote that her poems in ''Ecos de barro'' were "vibrant" and that "Lima demonstrates with effortless art, words have the power to transform us for good or ill." '' Texas Review'' writes that Lima's personal journey as an immigrant and her own "roots" are central themes in the poetry of ''Aguacamino/Waterpath'' (2015). They write, "Lima's enlistment of her multifaceted identity allows her to actualize her immigrant and writing experiences, forming a visceral and critically needed prism." In 2015, she was recognized in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

for her poem, ''Citlalicue'' with an International poetry award (''Premio Internazionale di Poesia Altino''). She was awarded the ''Orgullo Fronterizo Mexicano'' award given by the

Institute for Mexicans Abroad The Institute for Mexicans Abroad (Instituto de los Mexicanos en el Exterior, IME) is a Mexican government agency that supports Mexican citizens and others of Mexican descent who live and work in other countries. Its primary focus is Mexican im ...

in 2016. In 2017, she was awarded first place in the ''Concorso Internazionale di Poesia La Finestra Eterea'' in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

in 2017.

Poet Laureate of the United States The Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress—commonly referred to as the United States Poet Laureate—serves as the official poet of the United States. During their term, the poet laureate seeks to raise the national cons ...

Juan Felipe Herrera Juan Felipe Herrera (born in December 27, 1948) is an American poet, performer, writer, cartoonist, teacher, and activist. Herrera was the 21st United States Poet Laureate from 2015 to 2017. Herrera's experiences as the child of migrant farmers ...

, wrote that ''Migrare, mutare'' (2017) is "A magnificent set of poems, in a most appropriate time."

Selected bibliography

* * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lima, Rossy Evelin 1986 births Living people Writers from Veracruz Mexican poets Mexican women poets Mestizo writers University of Texas–Pan American people Mexican emigrants to the United States Texas Tech University faculty University of Texas Rio Grande Valley alumni Undocumented immigrants to the United States DACA recipients