Nancy Mercado Ph.D. (Born December 1959) is an American writer, editor, educator and activist; her work focuses on issues of injustice, the environment, and the Puerto Rican and

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

experience in 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 territori ...

. She forms part of the Nuyorican Movement, a literary genre which arose from the Beat Movement.

Life and education

Mercado was born and raised in Atlantic City,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. She received a B.A. from

Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...

in 1982, with a double major in art/art history and Puerto Rican Studies, and her M.A. from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

in Liberal Studies with a concentration in script writing and Cinema Studies (1989). In 1989 she was accepted into the School of Drama at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

but had to leave toward the end of the first semester due to her financial situation. Her doctoral degree was awarded in 2004 in English literature, with a concentration in creative writing, from Binghamton University.

Career

Mercado began her literary career in 1979; as such, some consider her to be part of the second wave of writers who constitute the

Nuyorican Nuyorican is a portmanteau of the terms "New York" and "Puerto Rican" and refers to the members or culture of the Puerto Ricans located in or around New York City, or of their descendants (especially those raised or currently living in the N ...

literary movement. Of her work, Dr. Marilyn Kiss writes, "if the personal is political, then such verses as, "''He was forgotten/before he could be remembered/by the heads of state/he provided sugar for''," written about her grandfather, Don Portolo, "''Director of the Sugar Cane Field Workers''", and "''Milla can speak of/The turn of the century land reforms,/Of the blinded enthusiasm/For a man called Marín...''" about her grandmother, Milla, and "''Juanita, Providing food from soil,/Creating homes from ashes,/Teaching tolerance by living...''" about her aunt in Puerto Rico, offer testimony to the power of this type of poetic vision." Mercado's book of poems; ''It Concerns the Madness'' (Long Shot Productions), was published in 2000. In 2005 she served on the editorial board for a special issue of ''Letras Femeninas;'' a publication of the ''Asociación Internacional De Literatura Femenina Hispánica,'' Department of Languages and Literature, Arizona State University. ''Latino Leaders Magazine's'' 2007 issue profiled her as "one of the most celebrated members of the Puerto Rican literary movement in the Big Apple." In 2011 Mercado was guest editor of ''phati’tude Literary Magazine's'' winter issue ''¿What's in a Nombre? Writing Latin@ Identity in America.'' Mercado's film, video and radio features include the 1990s ''Poetry Spots'' video series directed by

Bob Holman Bob Holman is an American poet and poetry activist, most closely identified with the oral tradition, the spoken word, and poetry slam. As a promoter of poetry in many media, Holman has spent the last four decades working variously as an author ...

, the documentary film, ''Yari, Yari Pamberi Black Women Writers Dissenting Globalization'' directed by

Jayne Cortez Jayne Cortez (May 10, 1934 – December 28, 2012) was an African-American poet, activist, small press publisher and spoken-word performance artist whose voice is celebrated for its political, surrealistic and dynamic innovations in lyricism and ...

, the 2011 ''

PBS NewsHour ''PBS NewsHour'' is an American evening television news program broadcast on over 350 PBS member stations. It airs seven nights a week, and is known for its in-depth coverage of issues and current events. Anchored by Judy Woodruff, the pro ...

'' documentary special; ''America Remembers 9/11.'' and,

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

's, The Talk of the Nation program; ''Subdued Reflection On Sept. 11 Anniversary'' in 2012.NPR Books, Special Series Poetry
"Subdued Reflection On Sept. 11 Anniversary"
''NPR.org'' Sept. 11, 2012, retrieved January 2, 2013.

Bibliography

Books

*''Las Tres Hermanas''... children's coloring book. New York City: Casita Maria, 2017 *''Nuyorican Writers Anthology.'' Editor. New York City: Centro, Hunter College City University of New York, 2015 *''It Concerns the Madness.'' Hoboken: Long Shot Productions, 2000. *''if the world were mine''... the young writer's workshop anthology. Editor. Newark: New Jersey Performing Arts Center Publication and United Way of Essex and West Hudson, 2003.

One-act plays

*''Palm Trees in the Snow'' (1989) *''Chillin'' (1990) *''Forever Earth'' (1991) *''It is I; Stay Alive!'' (1992) *''Planet Earth'' (1993) *''Alicia in Projectland'', coauthored with Pedro Pietri (1994) *''AWAY'' (1996)

Essays

*"Ser o no ser Nuyorican." ''La Ventana.'' Havana, Cuba: Casa de las Americas, 2014. *"About Face: My Brief Journey as a Female Puerto Rican Poet." ''Gare Maritime.'' Nantes, France: Maison de la Poesie, 2000. *"AIDS in My World." ''Not in My Family: AIDS in the African American Community.'' Editor. Gil L. Robertson IV. Los Angeles, California: Agate Publishers, 2006. *"Miguel Piñero." (Biographical entry.) ''The Encyclopedia of Hispanic-American Literature.'' Editor. Luz Elena Ramírez. New York: Facts on File, 2009. *"Youth Performance Workshops Reach Students in Elizabeth." ''Resource.'' Newark, NJ: New Jersey Performing Arts Center Publication, 1996.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mercado, Nancy 1959 births Living people Writers from Atlantic City, New Jersey American people of Puerto Rican descent American women poets Binghamton University alumni New York University alumni Puerto Rican poets Puerto Rican women writers Rutgers University alumni American Book Award winners