Nela Río was born in Córdoba, Argentina in 1938. From an early age she remembers writing and at age 13 she wrote her first award winning story-winning a school prize for the best short story. At 14, she began to write poetry in a small notebook that she called "origins." She wrote in these notebooks to prevent herself from tearing out the poems she disliked, learning to "re-write instead of destroy." By the time she entered college Río was a seasoned author. Together with some friends, they organized a literary review for the university they attended. After she graduated from college, she decided to enter into graduate studies.
She began her graduate studies in Argentina, but for both political and personal reasons she had to leave Argentina and began her studies anew at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia in 1965. Unfortunately, she did not finish the program as her infant son passed away while in Georgia. The pain caused her to move to another location and she found herself in Canada in 1969. Nela Río soon found a position at St. Thomas University in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada where she taught for 33 years. She became a Canadian citizen in 1977. However, because of the emphasis on her academic career Río had not published literary works since her years in Argentina. In the 1980s she resumed her literary career with her book of poetry En las noches que desvisten otras noches (In the Nights that Disrobe other Nights) . She remembers that it was her politicization caused by reprehensible state-sponsored terrorism and torture in Latin America during that time that inspired her to write. Also, she drew upon an emerging Third-World feminism to establish solidarity between women across continents.
Since then she has published eight more collections of poetry which cover topics from repression to torture to love and romance. She has won international acclaim, receiving awards from all over Europe and North America, for her poetry and short stories. Her work has been published in many languages including English and French.
Sources:
Nela Río, "CV/Resumes," Box 8, Folder 5 in collection
Nela Río, "Correspondence with Hugh Hazelton," Box 4, Folder 7 in collection
From the guide to the Nela Río papers A2008. 0009 ., 1967-2007, (DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University)
