The United States Postal Service extends an invitation to the First-Day-of-Issue ceremony for the new Julia de Burgos commemorative stamp. Julia de Burgos (1914-1953) was one of the foremost Puerto Rican poets in the twentieth century. The celebration will take place on September 14, 2010, at 11:00am at the Tapia Theater (located on Fortaleza Street at the Plaza de Colón) in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Description (from the National Institute of Latino Policy): “With this 26th stamp in the Literary Arts series, the U.S Postal Service honors Julia de Burgos, one of Puerto Rico’s most celebrated poets. The stamp goes on sale in September. A revolutionary writer, thinker, and activist, de Burgos wrote more than 200 poems that probe issues of love, feminism, and political and personal freedom. Her groundbreaking works combine the intimate with the universal. They speak powerfully to women, minorities, the poor, and the dispossessed, urging them to defy constricting social conventions and find their own true selves. The stamp features a portrait of de Burgos created by artist Jody Hewgill.”

[Many thanks to David Labiosa for bringing this item to our attention.]

For further information on the series, you may contact Roy Betts at (202) 268-3207 (office) or (202) 256-4174 (cell), or via email at roy.a.betts@usps.gov

Image (and more information) from http://orlandolatino.blogspot.com/2010/01/postal-service-honors-julia-de-burgos.html

For full Julia de Burgos biography, see http://www.gale.cengage.com/free_resources/chh/bio/deburgos_j.htm

See the Jody Hewgill’s page at http://www.jodyhewgill.com/home.html and her blog at http://www.drawger.com/hewgill/