Martin Espada
(b. 1957)

Like a "jack-of-all-trades," Martin Espada has worked as a salesman, a clerk, a telephone solicitor, a gas station attendant, a bookbinder, a hotel desk clerk, and an attorney. Today he is best known for his award-winning book of poetry Imagine the Angels of Bread (1996). He is regarded as one of the leading poets of Puerto Rican heritage and a rising star in the literary world.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Espada began writing poetry at the age of 16. His poetry collections convey the struggle against injustice and misfortune of Hispanic people and the indignities suffered by working class and immigrant Americans. Through his work, Espada promotes a broader awareness of the multicultural fabric of America. In addition to publishing his own poetry, he has edited several collections of poetry by various Latino and Chicano poets.

Espada has won numerous awards for his literary work, including the American Book Award. In addition to awards, he received two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts. His first book of poetry, The Immigrant Iceboy's Bolero (1982), features photographs of his Puerto Rican-born father, Frank Espada. His other works include Trumpets from the Islands of Their Eviction (1987); City of Coughing and Dead Radiators (1993); and his prose collection, Zapata's Disciple: Essays (1998). Espada lives with his wife and son in Massachusetts, where he is an Associate Professor of English at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

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