Hispanic Heritage Month: Reading with Jasminne Mendez Oct. 6
UHD's Cultural Enrichment Center and the Department of English host a reading and Q&A with author Jasminne Mendez, 4 – 5 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 6, in the Welcome Center’s TDECU Tour Room.
Mendez is a Dominican-American poet, playwright, translator, and award-winning author of several books for children and adults. The University of Houston alumna is the author of two hybrid memoirs, “Island of Dreams” (Floricanto Press) and “Night-Blooming Jasmin(n)e: Personal Essays and Poetry” (Arte Público Press). Her second memoir, “Islands Apart: Becoming Dominican American” was released this Summer. Mendez’s debut poetry collection, “City Without Altar” (Noemi Press), released in August, was a finalist for the Noemi Press Book Award for Poetry. The dramatized version of her play in verse “City Without Altar” received its world premiere at Milagro Theatre in Portland, Oregon.
She is co-founder and program director of the Houston-based Latinx literary arts organization Tintero Projects and co-host of the poetry and writing and podcast series InkWell—a collaboration between Tintero Projects and Inprint Houston.
Mendez translated American poet Amanda Gorman’s best-selling “Change Sings” into the Spanish edition “La canción del cambio.” She earned an MFA from Pacific Lutheran University and a BA from the University of Houston, and she is a CantoMundo Fellow.
The University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) is the second-largest university in Houston and has served the educational needs of the nation’s fourth-largest city since 1974. As one of four distinct public universities in the University of Houston System, UHD is a comprehensive, four-year university led by President Loren J. Blanchard. Annually, UHD educates approximately 14,000 students, boasts more than 66,000 alumni, and offers 45 bachelor’s degrees, 12 master’s degrees, and 19 online programs within four colleges: Marilyn Davies College of Business, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Public Service, and College of Sciences and Technology. UHD has one of the lowest tuition rates in Texas.
U.S. News and World Report ranked UHD among the nation’s Best Online Bachelor’s Programs for Applied Administration and Best Online Master’s Programs in Criminal Justice, as well as a Top Performer in Social Mobility. The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse ranked UHD one of the best colleges in the U.S. for its 2024 rankings, with notable distinctions: No. 1 for diversity (tied) and No. 3 for student experience. The University is designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, a Minority-Serving Institution, and a Military Friendly School. For more information on the University of Houston-Downtown, visit uhd.edu.
