Judith Ortiz Cofer
(1952– )
When she was a child, Judith Ortiz Cofer's family alternated between living in Puerto Rico and New Jersey, and she felt that she didn't belong, no matter where she lived. When Cofer's family lived in Puerto Rico, she was part of her mother's extended family, even though she was accused of sounding like a "gringa" when she spoke Spanish. There Cofer listened to her grandmother's stories, free in the tropical surroundings of Puerto Rico and at one with the rich gifts of nature. When Cofer's father moved the family to New Jersey, she was made fun of for her Spanish accent. In the cold, northern city where she lived, she became an avid watcher of television. She also read for hours on end and developed a passion for fairy tales.
In many ways, Cofer may have felt she could not win. However, Cofer did win. She has become a poet and author whose writing forms a bridge between the two worlds of her childhood—warm, tropical Puerto Rico and a cold, northern city. Cofer has won in a way that is particularly important for young people—she has taken her feelings and experiences, such as the feeling of being left out, and written about them. She believes that people of any age can do this and learn to understand themselves and their world.
Cofer is the author of a novel, The Line of the Sun (1989); a collection of essays and poetry, Silent Dancing (1990); and two books of poetry, Terms of Survival (1987) and Reaching for the Mainland (1987). Cofer has won many awards, including a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and a Bread Loaf Fellowship.
