writer & translator residing on the ancestral land of the Duwamish & other Coast Salish peoples
also known as Seattle, WA.
selected writing
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Translation of Maya K'iche'/Spanish Poem featured on NPR
These poems by Latin American women reflect a multilingual region…
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2 Maya K'iche' Poems by Rosa Chávez, translated from Spanish
Elena Kame is a spell, biting with her little canine mouth…
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3 Poems by Rosa Chávez, translated from Spanish
I like to kiss scars / there, where the skin grows tougher / there, where the memories are visible
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Translations of Maya K'iche' and Tu'un Savi Poems featured in Anthology of Latin American Women Writers
Spanning time, styles, and traditions, a dazzling collection of essential works from 140 Latine writers, scholars, and activists from across the world…
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2 Poems by Rosa Chávez in BOMB Magazine, translated from the Spanish and K'iche'
The stone’s consciousness / speaks from its core / and calls our name
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4 Ñuu Savi (Mixtec) Poems co-translated from Spanish with Whitney DeVos
We are left here—my eyes, / my womb, my feet, / and I, with no wind, no water.
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5 Poems by Latin American authors co-translated from Spanish with Whitney DeVos
The Protection International Poetry Challenge spotlights creatives, activists, and advocates for human rights. The winning poems honor human rights defenders that have suffered, succeeded, fought, and fallen.
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2 Poems by Rosa Chávez in C& Art Magazine, translated from Spanish and K'iche'
May my hurt bloom when it stops pumping red ink / may it burst into small thorns…
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7 Poems by Rosa Chávez, translated from Spanish & K'iche'
My wandering heart…will make a home on the land that was stolen from her
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"When Mama Told Me," "Resistance Footage," & "Oracion"
“Que lindo, pero así no fue.” My mother rereads my poem on her smartphone, shaking her head.
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"Pulling Onions," "There is No Violence Here" & Other Poems
In Guatemala, the children on the streets enjoy / Arranca Cebollas.
bio
Gabriela Ramirez-Chavez is a poet and translator. The daughter of Guatemalan immigrants, she was born and raised in South Central LA and now lives in Seattle. She holds a BA from Cal State Long Beach and a PhD from UC Santa Cruz.
She translates Latin American writing, especially the poetry of Rosa Chávez (Maya K’iche’ and Kaqchikel) with whom she is collaborating on several projects. Their translations have been featured on NPR and in Poetry, World Literature Today, BOMB Magazine, and Asymptote, among other venues. Gabriela’s own poetry has appeared in literary journals and anthologies, including The Wandering Song: Central American Writing in the United States, and her chapbook Basurado.
Her critical and creative work has been supported by scholarships from the Kenyon Review Translation Workshop, the Los Angeles Review of Books Publishing Workshop, and many graduate awards, grants, and fellowships, including the Eugene Cota-Robles Fellowship. She has been an Editorial Assistant at the University of California Press and a poetry reader for literary magazines in LA and Santa Cruz.