U R B A N A volume 5

INTRODUCTION

URBANA v5 is a Literary and Arts Magazine.  It is produced by Miami Dade College InterAmerican Campus students.  It is entirely comprised of student creative work in a wide range of genres.  URBANA v5 is proud of its diversity and like the community around it, it is overflowing with talented student artists and writers across a wide span of disciplines including but not limited to Fiction, Poetry, Non-Fiction, Photography, Painting, Graphic Arts, Film and Music.  The Campus in which these artists move is located in Little Havana.

These artists and writers are emblematic of the community to which they belong.  They form a dynamic crossroads of culture, language, social-economic status and age.  They  come from numerous countries and speak a variety of languages, including but not limited to English, Spanish, Creole, Portuguese and French.  Their ages span from 17 to over 60. URBANA v5 is just as likely to showcase work by a recent high school grad or senior citizen.

Many of the artists and authors are newcomers to our country and some were professionals, such as doctors, architects and lawyers, in their countries of origin.  Consequently, this wealth of knowledge and professional experience set these students apart from many of their peers at similar institutions and give them a unique perspective when creating their artistic work.  In addition to pursuing their artistic dreams and passions many of these students are also pursuing a career in Journalism, Nursing, Education and Translation to name only a few.

URBANA v5’s goal this year is to reflect as best as possible that crossroads of diversity, knowledge, experience and talent.  We hope you enjoy this modest representation of our student body’s creative work.

Editorial Staff

Thank You

This magazine could not have been produced without input from our entire editorial and design staff.  However, a special thank you must go to those members that worked late into the night for way too many nights and even through the holidays.  Thank You, Marianela, Neldo, Vivi and Wilfredo.  This magazine could not have happened without you.

A warm thank you must also go to our dedicated faculty advisors, Emily Sendin and Liza Greenberg.

Likewise, much gratitude goes to all the IAC students that submitted the work that appears herein.   Your work, not the magazine, is a testament to the plethora of talent and passion that lives and struggles daily at our campus and in our community.  Nonetheless, I hope that URBANA v5 was able to achieve its goal of reflecting, as best as possible, our student’s  diversity, knowledge, experience and talent.  We hope you enjoyed this modest representation of our student body’s creative work.

Carl Cañizares
Editor-In-Chief
URBANAv5