About Us

History

Papagayo was founded in Fall 2005 by English Professor Ysella Fulton-Slavin as a creative writing and book club in El Paso Community College (EPCC) - Rio Grande. The name is a portmanteau of “Papa” meaning “father” and “Gayo” meaning rooster, evoking the idea of crowing literature into the world and inspiring curiosity in students. Both students and members from the community would attend to share their love of literature, and write their own stories. In Spring 2016, Ysella retired, and English Professor Jorge Gomez became its faculty advisor alongside Professor Richie Marrufo as co-advisor. Since then, Papagayo presents weekly workshops in EPCC Rio Grande on the arts and humanities, and even the sciences.

Mission

Located in room A125 at the Rio Grande campus of El Paso Community College in downtown El Paso, Papagayo’s mission is to foster literacy and promote the arts and humanities through workshops, collaborations with organizations, a literary podcast, and community outreach.

Vision

Our vision is an empowered, diverse border region ready to take on the challenges that come with living in the 21st century.