Category Archives: Cuba

Just a Minute, by Paquito D’Rivera

Just a Minute! When the organizers of the Transient Glory Symposium asked me to write a one-minute long piece for the wonderful Young People’s Chorus of New York, I thought they were pulling my leg. But then I remembered Chopin’s … Continue reading Read More »

On (Cuban) dissidents and other pests

The first thing tyrants (and those who support them) do is to dehumanize their enemies. In doing so, they give their allies and followers carte blanche to deal with the dissidents as if they were vermin. The logic of this … Continue reading Read More »

Twelve years

Today I am celebrating twelve years of living in the United States: twelve years of not having to look over my shoulder when I speak, twelve years of not going to bed hungry, twelve years of not waking up in … Continue reading Read More »

July 26th, a significant day

By Mariano Vidal Today, July 26th is a significant day for me. For instance, Hoyt Wilhelm was born on this day. Not too many people know that the arm of this knuckleballing pitcher was actually deformed from throwing the weird … Continue reading Read More »

Judge this book by its cover

My book of poetry Los culpables [The Guilty] features on the cover artwork by Cuban visual artist José A. Vincench. Vincench lives in the island and, since 2005, has incorporated onto his work iconic images from the Cuban Black Spring … Continue reading Read More »

An unusual photo of a(n) (un)common Havana

My friend Santos Rodríguez visited Cuba recently. He walked the streets of Havana (the real city, not the one that appears in touristic pamphlets) with a good camera, a good eye and a happy-trigger attitude: ready to press the shutter … Continue reading Read More »

The Return

Cuban poet Arsenio Rodríguez dreams of returning to Cuba, although one can never really swim twice in the waters of the same river. The dream he describes is a recurring nightmare of the exile. All of us, without exceptions, are … Continue reading Read More »