Angélica Santa Olaya
Prof. Angélica Santa Olaya was born in 1962 and hails from Mexico City. She is a poet, writer, historian and a teacher of Spanish & Literary Creation (story, mini-fiction & poetry) at the National Institute of Fine Arts (INBAL) and various public and private institutions. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Collective Communication from UNAM and from ENAH a Master’s in History and Ethnohistory. She also holds a Diploma in Literary Creation from SOGEM.
She is part of the catalogue of Mexican Writers of the National Institute of the Fine Arts (INBA) in Mexico. She has also worked in radio, television and printed press. She was part of a group of independent drama and theatre and studied painting. She won 1st place in the Short Story Contest of the newspaper El Nacional (1981) and in the Children’s Story Contest “Wings and Roots to children” (2004) in Mexico. And 2nd place in the 5th International Poetry Contest “Victoria Forever” (2008), Entre Ríos, Argentina. Angelica has also received Honourable Mention in the First IER/UNAM Mini-fiction Contest “In ink” (2020) and Second Place in the Contest “Chronicles of a virus without crown” UACM (2020). Honourable Mention in the I First International Poetry Contest Sor Juana Inésde la Cruz (2022) Art Poetry for Peace and Association of Writers of Mexico. She has been published in more than one hundred international anthologies (physical and virtual) of essays, minification, short stories, poetry and theatre; as well as in various newspapers and magazines in America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. She is the author of 16 own publications of poetry, short stories, mini-fiction and novels. Moreover, she has been a jury of important national and international poetry, narrative and mini-fiction contests. Part of her work has been translated into Romanian, Portuguese, English, Italian, Chinese, Catalan and Arabic.
She is the author of Dwell Time (Habitar el Tiempo) Tintanueva publishing house, Mexico, 2005; I look The Afternoon (Miro la Tarde) La Rana publishing house, Guanajuato Culture State Institute, 2006; The Sob (El Sollozo) Tintanueva publishing house, Mexico, 2006; Water Fingers (Dedos de Agua) Tintanueva publishing house, Mexico, 2006; The Dark Side Of The Mirror (El lado oscuro del espejo) La Bohemia publishing house, Argentina, 2007; The Learning Of The Air (Del aprendizaje al aire) Fivestar publishing house, Brazil, 2009. She worked as a translator along with Tanussi Cardoso and Leo Lobos for Tree Hope (Arbol de la esperanza) miCielo publishing house, Mexico, 2011, 1st Edition / Catarsis Literaria El Drenaje, Mexico, 2011, 2nd Edition / Antaura publishing house, Spain, 2013, 3rd Edition / ebook. She also authored Waiting Room (Sala de Esperas) Eterno Femenino publishing house, Mexico, 2012; From The Legend (De Leyenda) Rojo Siena publishing house, Mexico, 2013; Rumor Clay in Poetic Textures (Rumor de arcilla en Texturas poéticas) Artepoética Press, New York, 2014; 69 Haikus Alfalfa, Madrid, 2014 (1st edition) [bilingual poetry Spanish–Arabic], first book of Mexican Poetry presented in the UAE; 69 Haikus(La Tinta del Silencio, CDMX, 2019,2nd edition). Bilingual poetry [Spanish-Arabic]; Bajo la sombra del Encino (Editorial JUS, México,2015); La intrépida historia de Calcetín (Eterno Femenino Ediciones, Colección Letras para Volar, México, 2017); Feisbuqueo, luego existo (La Tinta del Silencio, México, 2017); Dos más una ocho(Digital poetic comics, México,2020); Funambulistas (Letra Franca Ediciones, Morelia, 2021, 1st edition).-Funambulistas (Eterno Femenino Ediciones, México, 2022, 2nd edition)
She has served as member of the Jury in the Tintanueva National Poetry Contest 2007, in the National Poetry Contest Floral Games of San Juan del Rio (Juegos Florales de San Juan del Rio) Querétaro 2007, in the National Poetry Contest Floral Games of Del Carmen City (Juegos Florales de Ciudad del Carmen) Campeche 2015, in the Skribalia International Microfiction Contest of Skribalia Global School of Online Writers 2018, in First Ibero-American Poetry Contest Floral Games of Del Carmen City, Campeche (Juegos Florales de Ciudad del Carmen) Campeche 2019, in XX José Díaz Bolio Peninsular Poetry Prize of ProHispen Cultural Center in Mérida, Yucatán 2020 and Sonorense Poetry Book Contest of Sonorense Institute of Culture by the Government of Sonora 2022. She was a professor in the National School of Anthropology and History (ENAH) and in Cloister of Sor Juana University. She was part of the First Spanish-Arabic Poetry Reading in the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, in 2015, representing Mexico and was invited to Poetic Heart Dubai Festival 2015, 2021 and 2023 representing Mexico. She was honored in May 2015 by the Del Carmen Autonomous University in Campeche (Mexico) during that city’s National Book Fair.
“My poetry is born of the reality that surrounds me and dreams about that reality. I worry about people and nature living in harmony. Night and silence are my best friends to write in. I love music, cinema, sea, figs, trees, mountains and snails, because they are small beings that show us the tenacity and patience. I love the red color of blood flowing in the veins of the intense life.”
