February 17 of 2014 marked the centennial birthday of one of Latin America’s preeminent female poetic voices, Julia de Burgos. To commemorate Julia’s legacy is to honor her memory through the work of another woman artist of the spoken word, Philadelphia based educator, playwright, poet, and cultural activist, Magda Martínez. A native of New York City’s Lower East Side of Puerto Rican and Ecuadorian heritage, Martínez has written, performed, and produced her original works nationally, both solo and as a member of the artist collective Las Gallas. She received several fellowships including the Independence Foundation, and most recently was one of 12 women to accept the Leeway Foundation’s Transformation Award recognizing her work using writing as a tool for community transformation.  Slide show <a title="Magda Martinez" href="https://www.flickr.com//photos/tpr_visual_arts/sets/72157642488566364/show/with/13218116994/" target="_blank">here</a>.

[caption id="attachment_1833" align="aligncenter" width="640"]<a href="https://www.flickr.com//photos/tpr_visual_arts/sets/72157642488566364/show/with/13218116994/" target="_blank"><img class="wp-image-1833 size-full" src="http://tallerpr.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Photos-of-Magdas-Reading.jpg" alt="https://www.flickr.com//photos/tpr_visual_arts/sets/72157642488566364/show/with/13218116994/" width="640" height="480" /></a> Slide show of Magda Martínez reading at Taller[/caption]