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Raquel Z. Rivera is an author and singer-songwriter. She has a Ph.D. in Sociology and is an Affiliated Scholar at the Center for Puerto Rican Studies, Hunter College.

Her debut CD Las 7 salves de La Magdalena / 7 Songs of Praise for Mary Magdalene (2010) is a quirky and highly danceable invented liturgy in honor of Mary Magdalene that draws from Dominican salves, Puerto Rican jíbaro music, bomba and other Caribbean roots genres. The album debuted in March 2011 on the Top 20 World Music Charts Europe.

Co-editor of the anthology Reggaeton (Duke University Press 2009), she is author of New York Ricans from the Hip Hop Zone(Palgrave Macmillan 2003) and numerous articles on Caribbean/Latino popular music and culture. Her essays, short stories and poetry have been featured in literary journals, newspapers and literary websites, including El Nuevo Día, Claridad, Siempre, El Fémur de Tu Padre and The Latino Artists Roundtable webpage. 

Born and raised in Puerto Rico, she has lived in New York City since 1994. 

www.raquelzrivera.com
www.ojosdesofia.com