Describing the cultural, social, and historical context of Fornés’s first artistic home, the Judson Memorial Church, and its radical arts ministry led by associate pastor (and Fornés’s future collaborator) Al Carmines, which gave dancers, musicians, visual artists, and performance makers the freedom to experiment in their work without fear of censorship while also making space available for the development, rehearsal, and presentation of their work. This contribution will explicate how Judson’s community of interdisciplinary artistic experimentation activated the foundational aesthetic (and ethic) that would guide Fornés in significant ways for the rest of her career.

Alisa Solomon excavates the fragmented evidence of María Irene Fornés’s intimate relationship with noted public intellectual Susan Sontag. Arguing that the two came together at a pivotal time in their lives, Solomon demonstrates how Fornés and Sontag galvanized each other as they embarked on their disparate professional careers as writers, producing a persistent synergy in spite of their radically different backgrounds and career trajectories. Carefully charting how Fornés and Sontag cryptically acknowledged and deliberately effaced their history as romantic and creative partners, Solomon argues the relationship was foundational to both writers as not so much a matter of mutual influence as confluence rippled through both of their careers long after their romantic relationship ended.

Considering the life and influence of María Irene Fornés’s mother on her development, education, and theatrical career. This chapter follows the life of Cuban teacher, mother, and widow, Carmen Collado Fornés, who moved with her two daughters, María Irene and Margarita, to New York City in 1945, and lived with María Irene until her death in 1996. Key aspects of this chapter include Carmen Fornés’s vocation as a teacher, her influence on her daughter, and how María Irene’s role as caretaker informed her work as a theater artist and teacher.