An Interview with Maritza Rivera, Co-Editor of Diaspora Cafe: D.C.

by Lauren Woods

The work to better Latinx representation in literature is ongoing, and Afro-Latinx voices in poetry are being heard thanks to publications like Diaspora Cafe: D.C., a new anthology of poetry on the Afro-Latinx experience published by DC-based Day Eight.

I had the chance to sit down and chat with Maritza Rivera, who along with Jeffrey “Big Homey” Banks co-edited Diaspora Café: DC. The anthology includes poetry on the Afro-Latinx experience by local writers E. Ethelbert Miller, Saleem Abdal-Khaaliq, J. Joy “Sistah Joy” Alford, Jane Alberdeston, Kamilah Mercedes Valentín Díaz, Nick Leininger, Stephani E.D. McDow, Manuel Méndez, Hermond Palmer, henry 7. reneau, jr., Allison Whittenberg, and Christine Williams.

Rivera grew up in Puerto Rico, but has lived in Rockville, Maryland since 1994. She grew up in what she calls a “traditional family” in an environment surrounded by family, friends, and a place where she developed a strong sense of culture, customs, and traditions. 

After graduating from Inter-American University in San Juan, she joined the U.S. Army. A commissioned officer,  she specialized in tactical intelligence. She also pursued a Masters in Behavioral Counseling at Johns Hopkins University. When she moved to the DC area in 1994, she became an active member of our  local  literary community. She has published several books and is the publisher of Casa Mariposa Press.

Could you talk about your background and the role poetry has played in your life? When did you first discover poetry, and what was that like? 

MR: I discovered a love of reading and writing poetry in high school and have been writing for over fifty years. Edgar Allen Poe, Robert Frost, Julia de Burgos, and Luis Pales Matos were my early favorites. Poetry is one of my passions in life that has kept me sane. I’ve always enjoyed painting pictures with words and hiding secrets that only I know in my work.

This is a unique anthology, because it’s poetry, it’s by AfroLatinx writers, and it reflects their lived experiences in Washington, DC. Has this kind of anthology been done before? How did you get the idea for it?

MR: Yes, this is definitely a unique anthology and a unique experience too. It highlights the intersection and commonality experienced by Black and AfroLatinx poets. Now that the anthology is out, I’m amazed at the enormous amount of interest it has gotten. Hearing the selected poets read their work has added a new dimension to the work that I am also enjoying.  

[Other anthologies that focus on this community include] The Black and LatinX Poetry Project and The LatinX Poetry Project, edited by Davina A. Ferreira in 2020.

What was it like receiving and editing the submissions for Diaspora Café: DC? What surprised you?

MR: Reading and selecting the poems for the anthology was a thoughtful yet challenging task. I wasn’t sure what to expect and was amazed at the variety of topics and the passion with which the poets expressed themselves. I am so proud of how it turned out and all the attention that the anthology is getting. Hearing the voices of the poets in the anthology has been an unexpected treat for me and has made their work become that much more alive and meaningful.

Your poem, “Chips with Ketchup,” is one of my favorites in this collection. It’s about a tiny moment when kids in a Manhattan Catholic school converge at a lunch counter for fried chips with ketchup, after school. But it also seems to be about nostalgia, and simple moments in the midst of a wider world in 1965, and the civil rights movement, that these girls don’t seem to be aware of. Can you talk about that poem and what it means to you? 

MR: Oh my goodness. I guess now that I’m older, I spend more time reminiscing and thinking about the little yet memorable moments of my life. I lived in a multicultural neighborhood on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. What my friends and I all had in common were the Sisters of Mercy in elementary school, Mass on Sundays, and after school, getting fresh fried chips with ketchup. In a way we lived in a religious cocoon that shielded us from the realities of the civil rights movement. I think of how Emmett Till was so unprepared to deal with the realities of the South and how that not knowing cost him his life. It’s so unfortunate that innocence can be so deadly.

What would you like to say to new writers, especially members of marginalized communities, who might hesitate to put their writing out into the world? 

MR: A lot of my poetry consists of identity poetry. In subtle and overt ways, I write about the culture, traditions, and customs that honor my ancestors. My grandmother, father, and siblings often appear in my work. For example, [my] poem “Poet Soup” in the anthology is about all the ingredients that make us who we are, and how who we are and what we do influences all of our lives. Therefore, once new poets identify who they are and what they’re passionate about, they will gain confidence to write their truth and share it with the world.

Upcoming events

October 25, 7 p.m. Maritza Rivera and Jeffrey Banks will give a reading and discussion of the anthology at Marymount University, Ballston Center, 1000 N Glebe Road in Arlington.

November 5, 2 p.m. The editors Jeffrey Banks and Maritza Rivera will read alongside four contributors: Christine Williams, Sistah Joy, Stephani E. D. McDow, and Nick Leininger at Rhizome DC, 6950 Maple St NW in D.C.

Additional book tour dates across the D.C. region, later this fall and winter, are listed here. 

You can purchase your copy of Diaspora Café D.C.  directly from the publisher, Day Eight.

Read more about this compelling new anthology in The Washington City Paper and The Washington Independent Review of Books.

Maritz Rivera is the creator of a short form of poetry called Blackjack and is the publisher of Casa Mariposa Press. In 2011, she began hosting the annual Mariposa Poetry Retreat, which has continued since. She is the author of About You, A Mother's War, A Baker's Dozen, Twenty-One Blackjack Poems, and the Blackjack Poetry Playing Cards. 

Lauren Woods is a D.C.-based writer. Her work was nominated in 2019 for Best Small Fictions and in 2022 for Best of the Net. Find her on Twitter: @Ladiwoods1.