Mariela Griffor
Encyclopedia
Mariela Griffor is a journalist, poet, short story writer, international activist, columnist
, and scholar.
. She left for Brazil
by herself in 1984 to study journalism at the Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro
. She attended the university for one year, then moved to Sweden
to escape the regime of dictator Augusto Pinochet
. She was a member of the Manuel Rodríguez Patriotic Front
in Chile at the time.
Mariela remained in Sweden for 12 years, during which time she taught at a Montessori school
, raised her daughter, and married Edward Griffor, a professor of mathematics who currently teaches at Wayne State University
. After Pinochet's regime ended, She and her husband returned to Chile, then moved to the United States
, where they settled in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan
.
, and an M.F.A. in creative writing from New England College
, where she is a Joel Oppenheimer
Scholar. She is fluent in Spanish, English, Swedish and Portuguese. She cofounded the Detroit Institute for Creative Writers and has been a community relations developer at Bagely Housing Association, a non-profit organization
advocating for affordable housing. In 2004, she was the winner of the Pablo Neruda International Poetry Competition. Griffor is a recipient of the Certificate of Merit from the State of Michigan. She is a graduate student at, and in 2003 was named writer in residence at, Wayne State.
. A non-profit organization, Marick Press began with publishing a few books written by authors in Griffor's writing group. Today, the press publishes numerous poets as well as non-fiction writers.
, and her immigrant experiences as an exile
in both Sweden and the United States, such as in her book of poetry, Exiliana. She is also the author of House and Resolana/Sunspots, both books of poetry, as well as Naziness: A Collection of Short Stories. She is working on a memoir.
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
, and scholar.
Early life
In her youth, her family moved to Santiago, ChileSantiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
. She left for Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
by herself in 1984 to study journalism at the Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
. She attended the university for one year, then moved to Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
to escape the regime of dictator Augusto Pinochet
Augusto Pinochet
Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte, more commonly known as Augusto Pinochet , was a Chilean army general and dictator who assumed power in a coup d'état on 11 September 1973...
. She was a member of the Manuel Rodríguez Patriotic Front
Manuel Rodríguez Patriotic Front
The Manuel Rodríguez Patriotic Front , also known as El Frente Patriótico, or simply El Frente, is a left-wing urban guerrilla movement in Chile, named for a figure in Chile's independence movement, Manuel Rodríguez. The group was founded on September 14, 1983 as an armed resistance against the...
in Chile at the time.
Mariela remained in Sweden for 12 years, during which time she taught at a Montessori school
Montessori method
Montessori education is an educational approach developed by Italian physician and educator Maria Montessori. Montessori education is practiced in an estimated 20,000 schools worldwide, serving children from birth to eighteen years old.-Overview:...
, raised her daughter, and married Edward Griffor, a professor of mathematics who currently teaches at Wayne State University
Wayne State University
Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...
. After Pinochet's regime ended, She and her husband returned to Chile, then moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where they settled in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan
Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan
Grosse Pointe Park is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 11,555 at the 2010 census. Bordering on Detroit with frontage on southern Lake Saint Clair, it is the westernmost of the noted Grosse Pointe suburbs, with the oldest overall housing stock of the five cities...
.
Career
Griffor holds a B.A in journalism from Wayne State UniversityWayne State University
Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...
, and an M.F.A. in creative writing from New England College
New England College
New England College is a private four-year college in Henniker, New Hampshire, enrolling a total of approximately 1800 undergraduate and graduate students.-History:The school was created in 1946 for students attending college on the G.I...
, where she is a Joel Oppenheimer
Joel Oppenheimer
Joel Lester Oppenheimer was an American poet associated with both the Black Mountain poets and the New York School. He was the first director of the St. Marks Poetry Project...
Scholar. She is fluent in Spanish, English, Swedish and Portuguese. She cofounded the Detroit Institute for Creative Writers and has been a community relations developer at Bagely Housing Association, a non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
advocating for affordable housing. In 2004, she was the winner of the Pablo Neruda International Poetry Competition. Griffor is a recipient of the Certificate of Merit from the State of Michigan. She is a graduate student at, and in 2003 was named writer in residence at, Wayne State.
Marick Press
In 2001, Griffor founded the Grosse Pointe Park based publishing company Marick PressMarick Press
Marick Press is a non-profit publishing house that was founded in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan, in 2005. Mariela Griffor, founder and publisher, has won prizes in Europe, South America and the US for her poetry. Under Griffor's leadership Marick has attracted nationally and internationally known...
. A non-profit organization, Marick Press began with publishing a few books written by authors in Griffor's writing group. Today, the press publishes numerous poets as well as non-fiction writers.
Writings
Griffor writes about her homeland of ChileChile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, and her immigrant experiences as an exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
in both Sweden and the United States, such as in her book of poetry, Exiliana. She is also the author of House and Resolana/Sunspots, both books of poetry, as well as Naziness: A Collection of Short Stories. She is working on a memoir.