Drako

Sabrina and Corina is a collection of eleven short stories taking place around Denver and about Hispanic and Indigenous characters and the different experiences that they have. I thought that this book was a very interesting read, and that all these stories seemed very emotional to read as well. There were many topics that were hit in this book, which included abandonment, drugs & alcohol, abuse, and many more. I thought the most important characteristic of this book though, was that it primarily focused on these issues from the perspective of women. As I was reading, I also began to think about the conditions and issues that Indigenous people struggle with currently as well; issues such as in health care, alcohol & drug abuse, and the problems that women face currently; all of which that were actually talked on in the book. I also began to think about an artist named Cannupa Hanska Luger, whom I saw speak in the VASD program for MSU. Luger is an Indigenous artist that focuses on social issues that Indigenous people face within “American” society. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book, and I think it talks about some issues that people don’t really like to talk about, talk about enough, or even sometimes notice within society.

I wanted to retouch on the collage portion of the semester because I did an analog collage for that project.  I wanted to give digital collage a try. 

Kali Fajardo-Anstine’s Sabrina and Corina brilliantly portrayed the inviolable strength of women in her book of short stories. The author imparts profound and poignant tellings, creating a memorable and visceral response for the reader. The works “Sugar Babies”, “Sisters”, and “Sabrina and Corina” all feature strong women as the protagonist and display a powerful and self reliant individualism in the characters. “Sugar Babies” examines normative gender roles within a familial structure, as two young classmates are tasked with taking care of a bag of sugar as if it were their own child. The story goes on to investigate the structure of parenthood, reflecting on both the school assignment and Sierra’s maternal upbringing. “Sabrina and Corina” propounds two entirely different approaches a patriarchal society by exploring the relationship between two cousins. Sabrina, who was once beautiful and lively, falls victim to alcohol abuse and the violent predation of men, while Corina rejects both influences. Anstine’s “Sisters” is another story of strong feminine energy that follows the story of sisters Tina and Doty.

I created this piece of art with the intention portraying Sierra’s dreamy reverie of her mother. The quote is from Anstine’s story “Sugar Babies” and the photo was taken by me from the top of Twin Sisters Peak. I thought the idea of a distant view of Denver would resonate with the viewer and think about SIerra’s relationship with her mother. I like that the photo incorporates both the city of Denver as well as some sun rays. 

Sabrina and Corina Stories was a really powerful book to read. I loved the way that all these different short stories developed an overall theme of all the struggles of life, especially for indigenous, latinx women. I thought that the imagery, different characters, and different scenarios presented in the stories perfectly painted a picture for people to understand the impact of white privilege, racism, sexism, gentrification, mental illness, poverty, death and loss, and more. The author, Kali Fajardo-Anstine, did a wonderful job of creating emotion through imagery and story telling to express a struggle that many people don’t understand. I feel like after reading this book in full, people are able to understand the true struggle that others go through whether its sexism, racism, poverty, etc. I also felt an underlying theme of sacrifice and fear. I think a lot of the sacrifices that many women choose or are forced to make was presented throughout many different stories. For example, in “Any Further West” when Desiree chooses to build a romantic relationship with the landlord so they don’t have to worry about rent. Or the fear that is shown in “Galapago” when Pearla has to shoot a young, white drug addict to protect herself. I loved all the stories for different reasons and I think they did a spectacular job of representing a wide-variety of peoples struggles that those who have privilege may not realize. 

 To record I couldn’t use my phone, luckily I was able to borrow a camera. The lens was too big so I wasn’t able to get quite the angle I wanted, but I don’t think it looks awful. Something else I hate is appearing on camera. I specifically chose a field where I could be behind the camera for a reason. If I could have done this project without showing my face, I would have.