2Leaf Press is pleased to announce plans to publish Guided by Love: A Tribute to Dylcia Pagán, Former Puerto Rican Political Prisoner, edited by Lisa Sánchez González and Dylcia Pagán, Summer 2013.
Pagán, who is an activist, producer, director, poet and artist, was one of twelve Puerto Rican Nationalists that were arrested in 1980 and charged with seditious conspiracy (the act of attempting to overthrow the Government of the United States in Puerto Rico by force) and related charges. Sentenced to 63 years in 1981 and incarcerated in a U.S. federal prison, numerous national and international organizations criticized Pagán and her fellow Nationalist’s incarceration, categorizing it as political imprisonment. After serving 20 years, Pagán was released from prison on September 10, 1999, after President Bill Clinton extended her clemency.
Guided by Love is a first hand account about Dylcia Pagán from key people in her life, including relevant articles and essays that appear alongside Pagán’s own poetry, stories, artwork, and historical photos. The book provides an introspective look at Pagán’s life as an artist as well as an activist, balancing the more salacious subject matter of her imprisonment and her role as “freedom fighter.” More importantly, Guided by Love asks readers to think deeply about Puerto Rico and its status as an American colony, the U.S. legal systems and its treatment of political prisoners, and the consequences of leading a life as a political and cultural activist.
Check back for updates. Coming soon at 2LP.
