My name is Christina Magaña. Currently, I am a sophomore English major at Loyola Marymount University. I just recently added a Chicana/o Studies minor and am looking forward to my future studies in this area. I am a graduate of Ramona Convent Secondary School. It was at Ramona where I first truly discovered the potential literature has to heal, teach, and transform.

In general, I am revitalized by language; it can bring people together, tear people apart, and then put them back together again. I credit my wonderful parents for allowing me to explore language here at Loyola Marymount University. At this university, I have been exposed to literature and texts that have challenged the world I have accepted as true. Last semester, I was lucky enough to take a class entitled Hispanic Spirit in Drama. This class exposed me to the works of many Latina/o playwrights including Migdalia Cruz.

Fur, by Migdalia Cruz, was different from any other piece of literature I had read before. The hirsute Citrona is a tragic figure. In spite of being treated like a monster, Citrona has found the ability to love in the face of adversity. I found myself most inspired by this work because of this enduring figure. The beast or monster is not just a monster. Citrona is not a type. Cruz creates dimension in her characters. I think this is what has attracted me to her work as a playwright.