What:
The Postal Service will pay tribute to Julia de Burgos, one of Puerto Rico’s most celebrated poets, as part of the Hispanic Heritage Month Celebrations.

An award-winning writer and journalist, Julia de Burgos takes her place among honorees in the Postal Service’s Literary Arts series and with 75 other Hispanic-themed stamps.

Who:
Susan Meathe, Postmaster, Elgin Post Office
JoAnn Armenta, Trustee, Gail Borden Library
Efren Anguiano, Hispanic Program Specialist, US Postal Service
Pablo Rodriquez, Retail Associate, Elgin Post Office

When:
Saturday, October 2, 2010
2:15 p.m.

Where:
Gail Borden Library – News Books Room
200 North Grove
Elgin, IL, 60120

Background:
Julia de Burgos was born on Feb. 17, 1914, in the town of Carolina, Puerto Rico. The eldest of 13 children, de Burgos grew up along the Río Grande de Loíza. She later wrote, “My childhood was all a poem in the river, and a river in the poem of my first dreams.” De Burgos’ first collection, Exact Poems to Myself, consisted of poems she wrote in 1934 and 1935. One of her most famous poems, “Río Grande de Loíza,” was a love song to the river of her childhood. Other poems address political themes such as equality and social justice. From 1946 until her death in New York City in 1953, de Burgos was plagued with health problems. Friends and family ensured her final resting place was her beloved Carolina, Puerto Rico.

The stamp features a portrait of Julia de Burgos created by artist Jody Hewgill.

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