Consuelo Rivera Fuentes
was born in Santiago, Chile in August 1951, the eldest child of Jorge Rivera and Mercedes Fuentes. How would we describe her? A passionate defender of human and animal rights, someone who would battle fiercely for what she believed was right, someone who didn't suffer fools gladly, an out and proud lesbian, a committed feminist.
She was a strongly independent woman (her nearest and dearest often tore their hair out.....). She was kind, and always made time for those whom she loved. She was stubborn (so providing a good match to partner Lynda and her immediate family).
Fluent in English as well as her native language, Spanish, she wrote many short stories and poems, in both languages...... no mean feat. Living in the UK for the last decades of her life, she contributed immensely to cultural exchange between Latin America and Britain. Her politics remained central to all she did in both her writing and her professional life.
It is hard to even begin to do justice to her legacy - she was so creative, in so many ways. She understood how Audre Lorde, whose writing she so admired, remained alive in the characters and narrator she had created. In the following pages, we include some of Consuelo's poetry and stories and the responses of many who were closest to her. We believe this will keep her alive through those words. Telling stories, she insisted, is creating dialogue: we want to continue that dialogue through her writing, and thus to continue her legacy and her memories.
Consuelo Rivera Fuentes
nació en Santiago de Chile en agosto de 1951, hija mayor de Jorge Rivera y Mercedes Fuentes. ¿Cómo la describiríamos? Una apasionada defensora de los derechos humanos y de los animales, alguien que luchaba ferozmente por lo que creía justo, alguien que no aceptaba tonterías alegremente, una lesbiana declarada y orgullosa, una feminista comprometida.
Era una mujer muy independiente (sus seres más queridos a menudo se arrancaban el pelo .....). Era amable y siempre dedicaba tiempo a sus seres queridos. Era testaruda (por lo que encajaba bien con su compañera Lynda y con su familia más cercana).
Es difícil siquiera empezar a hacer justicia a su legado: era tan creativa, de tantas maneras. Comprendió cómo Audre Lorde, cuya escritura tanto admiraba, seguía viva en los personajes y el narrador que había creado. En las páginas siguientes, incluimos algunas de las poesías y relatos de Consuelo y las respuestas de muchos de los que estuvieron más cerca de ella. Creemos que esto la mantendrá viva a través de esas palabras. Contar historias, insistía ella, es crear diálogo: queremos continuar ese diálogo a través de su escritura, y así continuar su legado y sus recuerdos.