CTLatinoNews.com columnist Bessy Reyna has been designated a 2012 “Voices and Vision” honoree by the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame. Reyna, a recipient of the Library of Congress’s Connecticut Lifetime Achievement Award for Service to the Literary Community, is an award-winning bilingual poet, opinion columnist and activist. She was one of 12 “Voices and Vision” honorees.
“We are proud to recognize the 2012 Voice and Vision Honorees,” said Katherine Wiltshire, executive director of the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame. “Through various mediums, these women have used their voice and vision to express their passions and perspectives. We celebrate the diverse ways in which each informs and inspires us with the strength and creativity of their work.”
Born in Cuba and raised in Panama, she is a graduate of Mt Holyoke College and earned her Masters and Law degrees from the University of Connecticut. For nine years she was a monthly opinion columnist for The Hartford Courant and was a frequent contributor to Northeast, the newspaper’s Sunday magazine. For several years, she conducted radio interviews with poets appearing at Hill-Stead Museum’s renowned Sunken Garden Poetry Festival in Farmington.
Currently, she writes an arts-and-culture page for the Hispanic newspaper Identidad Latina. A Master Teaching Artist for the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism, she is a frequent lecturer and guest artist at colleges, libraries and museums. She has performed her poetry internationally; taught writing workshops in many venues; and served as a judge for poetry competitions, including the Connecticut Book Award for Poetry.
The Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame is an educational outreach organization whose mission is to honor publicly the achievement of Connecticut women, preserve their stories, educate the public and inspire the continued achievements of women and girls. In 2011, the CWHF launched its new “Virtual Hall,” an expanded and interactive web site – to explore its educational resources, please visit www.cwhf.org.
