
Toro reconnects with Puerto Rican heritage through writing
By Grace Bertrand
COMING from a New Jersey upbringing, Rider English professor Vincent Toro often felt a disconnect to his Puerto Rican heritage As he grew up, he found himself as an outsider of his own culture. When he became a writer, Toro decided to channel his artistic talents as a bridge between himself and his distant community.
“I believe art is the way in which we artists build a relationship to the world,” said Toro. “I was using my art to bring me toward ‘mi gente’ [my people].”
In November, Toro was awarded the Letras Boricuas Fellowship that honors and celebrates distinguished Puerto Rican writers from Puerto Rico and the mainland United States. The $25,000 fellowship was created by the Flamboyant Foundation and the Carnegie Mellon Foundation to encourage a sense of community among Puerto Rican writers.
With the recognition, Toro said he felt more connected to his Juncas and Cabo Rojo roots more than he ever has. The honor, along with the funds, gave him confirmation as a writer, and as a Puerto Rican.
“It sounds silly, but I got off the phone call thinking, ‘Now no one can say that I’m not Puerto Rican,’” said Toro as he recalled the emotional weight of the moment.
He plans to use the fellowship money to give back to his Puerto Rican community and grow closer to his heritage. With the funds, Toro hopes to embark on research trips to Puerto Rico and a personal retreat abroad with his partner, a fellow writer.
Before Toro started his career as a university professor, he found his first love in writing. He started off writing for a number of literary journals and anthologies such as “Puerto Rico En Mi Corazón.” He received recognition for his storytelling throughout the three collections of poetry he has published. His 2016 debut of “Stereo.Island.Mosaic.” earned him the Poetry Society of America’s Norma Farber First Book Award.
Further navigating through Latinx art spaces, Toro began running the performing arts and literary program at Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, the largest national Latinx arts center in San Antonio.
“First and foremost, I want to be an advocate for the arts,” said Toro. “It’s important now more than ever to share with and remind the world that there are so many brilliant and beautiful artists of the Latinx diasporas that are contributing to communities everywhere.”
As Toro found his way to teaching English, he strove to continue being a strong upholder of literature written by the Latinx community. Even in his classrooms today at Rider, colleague Cynthia Martinez, coprofessor of Latinx studies with Toro, explained how much of a champion he is for his Puerto Rican heritage.
“He has this ability to simplify pretty complex ideas and bring them to the context of the world that we’re living in,” said Martinez.
Similar to his writing, Toro bridges together his teaching and his experiences to make topics taught in the classroom relevant to students’ everyday lives.
“To have a person at Rider who brings so much visibility to that [Puerto Rican culture] in such an engaging way that can capture students’ attention and get students going on a lot of discussions is wonderful and really important,” said Martinez.
Rider interviewed Toro when he was awarded the fellowship in November. In an article published on the university website, Toro said he “hopes to be able to nurture all the fruits that it [the fellowship] bears.”
Nearly three months later, Toro said his hopes remain the same and with more time, he expects to reap the benefits of the fellowship.
In the months since, Toro has gotten to network with the fellow winners of the award who are primarily based in Puerto Rico. He hopes to connect with and further develop relationships with his creative peers the next time he visits the island.
“The seeds are showing themselves, but the fruit is going to take a while and that’s okay,” said Toro.
For Toro, the acceptance of this award also came the acceptance of so much more.
Whether it’s reciting a Puerto Rican poem or dancing salsa with his partner, Toro found that he feels his most authentic self when his truth is told through art.
“When I walk into a space, I’m always an artist and I’m always Puerto Rican,” said Toro. “They’re not really separate from me anymore.”