About Carmen Rodríguez

Chilean-Canadian bilingual writer, educator, journalist and activist Carmen Rodríguez came to Canada in 1974 as a political exile, following the 1973 military coup in her native Chile.

She is the award winning author of Guerra Prolongada/ Protracted War (Toronto, Women's Press, 1992), a volume of poetry; and a body to remember with (Vancouver, Arsenal Pulp Press, 1997), a collection of short stories (finalist, Vancouver Book Awards); De cuerpo entero (Santiago, Editorial Los Andes, 1997), its Spanish counterpart (Honorary Mention, Santiago Literary Prizes); Retribution (Toronto, Women's Press Literary, 2011), a novel (second place, Most Popular Novel category,

International Latino Book Awards); and Atacama (Halifax/Winnipeg, Roseway/Fernwood Publishing, 2021), a second novel (Honorary Mention, Best Historical Novel category, International Latino Book Awards). As well, Retribution was published in Norway under the title Chiles Døtre (Oslo, Juritzen Forlag, 2013). 

Her writing has also appeared in periodicals and anthologies, been the subject of myriad reviews and analytical studies, and become part of high school and university curricula.

Rodríguez has taught a range of disciplines in a variety of settings – from literature, languages and cultural studies to creative writing, basic literacy and teaching methodologies in colleges, union halls, shanty towns, schools, universities and First Nations’ communities. As well, she has released numerous research studies and instructional publications in the fields of adult literacy and popular education. Worth mentioning is her Educating for Change: Community-Based/Student-Centred Literacy Programming with First Nations Adults (Salmon Arm,  K´noowenchoot Centre, 1994. Burnaby, Open Learning Agency, 2001 - second [revised] edition), an instructor's handbook accompanied by a one-and-a-half documentary video for instructors of aboriginal literacy, which has been used extensively across Canada.

Her career as a journalist includes working as Vancouver correspondent for Radio Canada International for twenty-two years and being a founding member and part of the editorial board of Revista Aquelarre Magazine, a Vancouver-based bilingual quarterly of international scope, published between 1989 and 1998.

In 2019, the Canadian Association of Spanish Language Scholars and Creators dedicated its annual Homage and Exhibition in honour of her trail-blazing and unique contributions to the Latin American-Canadian community as a writer, educator and activist; and in 2021, the Vancouver Latin American Cultural Centre inducted her as the organizations inaugural 'Honorary Elder.'