Armando Ibáñez biography
by Jesus Rosales

Dictionary of Literary Biography (excerpt)

Armando Ibáñez is a poet who writes passionately about man and his physical and spiritual existence. Though Ibáñez's poetry tends to explore existential universal themes, his constant use of the Spanish language and of Mexican American images distinctly associated with the Southwest identifies his poetry as one that is regional and deeply connected to his Chicano roots. By combining universal themes with regional characteristics, Ibáñez intends to prove that he, as a Chicano poet, is capable of writing about universal human concerns without sacrificing his cultural individuality.

Professional background

In 1977, Ibáñez decided to attend the University of Texas undergraduate program in journalism. His stay at the university was brief, for he was soon given the opportunity to work for a Public Broadcasting System (PBS) children's bilingual program called Sonrisas (Smiles). After spending time writing children's dramas (one of which was nominated for a Peabody Award), Ibáñez returned to Alice and took a job with the Alice Echo-News as a staff writer. From there, he worked seven years for the Corpus Christi Caller Times covering South Texas life. During his tenure at the Caller-Times, Ibáñez won several writing awards, including the sweepstakes award for the top story of the year in the Harte-Hanks newspaper chain.

Call to religious life

At this period of his life that Ibáñez felt the "call" to the religious life. "God has a way to make his presence known," Ibáñez said in an unpublished December 1993 interview, adding, "God's call is different for every vocation but He is where truth is in our lives." Eventually Ibáñez earned two masters degrees, in Theology and Divinity, at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology, Graduate Theological Union, at Berkeley, California, in 1993. That same year he was ordained a priest in the Order of Preachers (Dominican Order) of the Southern Dominican Province in San Diego, Texas.

The Dominican House of Studies in Oakland.

Residing in L.A.

Currently Ibáñez resides in Los Angeles, California, where he is a filmmaker. He earned an M.F.A., specializing in producing, from the American Film Institute in 1998. There he was awarded the Colin Higgins Screenplay Production Award for his screenplay A Moment of Silence (1998). He also serves as the chaplain for a group of Dominican cloistered nuns at the Monastery of the Angels.

Published Works

The first published works of Ibáñez appeared in El Carnal (The Brother), a student journal at Texas A&I University, as well as other regional periodicals of South Texas. His poetry has been published throughout the United States in journals such as Aciendo Arte (Making Art) (Corpus Christi), Canto al pueblo (Song to the People) (San Antonio), Ruah (Berkeley), and Preachers' Exchange (New Orleans). Several of his poems, including "Mesquites Never Die," "Sea," and "My Angel" have been produced as poetry videos. Ibáñez himself has produced, directed and edited these videos. According to him, the poetry video communicates poetry to a society that is increasingly visual oriented. At the same time, he believes that the conglomeration of music, sound, and image in a poem captures effectively the art of the poet narrating stories around a campfire. Ibáñez's second collection of poetry, Wrestling With the Angel (1997), explores spirituality and man's relation with God. As with Midday Shadows, Ibáñez divides the book into four sections: "The Search," "The First Encounter," "The Struggle--Life, Death" and "The Blessing." In an unpublished interview Ibáñez points out that this collection of poems speaks of the joys and sorrows that we encounter in our daily lives:

QUOTE

"We can be moved to tears by a mesmerizing sunset or by the sweet scent of a rose. At those moments, we have no problem believing in a Supreme Being, in God. But then we face times when our heart seems to be torn out by the roots, especially when someone we love dies of Aids or when we see senseless violence and hate around us. Where is God? Here comes the struggle, the wrestling with the Angel," he points out.

Summary

Armando Ibáñez is a talented and promising writer whose poetry speaks of the existential meaning of life with an open heart. Inspiring and promising, his poetry seeks to understand humankind's relation with his physical world and his inner self. His poetry is not filled with "clichés or religious saccharine," as he has often stated; quite the contrary, he believes it is honest and open to a myriad of interpretations. Greatly concerned with a spiritual destiny, Ibáñez presents himself as a poet, who, through the magic of the written word, transmits hope to the heart of many.

© Dictionary of Literary Biography 1999
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