Berta Alicia Ramirez-Galan

Berta Alicia Ramirez-Galan

Born and raised in El Salvador, Central America moved to Costa Rica as a refugee in the 1980’s where she finished her studies in Business Administration from the Institute of Labor studies (IESTRA) at the National University of Heredia.

It was in Costa Rica as well where she pursuit her career as a writer and Human rights activist after she became the urgent actions campaigns and handling case area coordinator for a Central America Human Rights Organization her mother has cofounded previous to the war years. This after she has also has taken refuge in Costa Rica because of persecution.

As the coordinator for that area she was in charge of various publication such as the monthly bulletin, the quarterly and the biannual and annual report addressed to the NGOs and the Intergovernmental Universal Systems (UN) and Inter American Systems (OAS). All of it together with the materials created and send by telex for the purpose of urgent action addressed to same institutions.

It was there where she started to publish her poetry written during the years previous to the war in El Salvador, articles, editorials and short stories. Even thought she has already won a contest while she was a teenager and have some of her poetry published in high school newsletters in El Salvador.

As a Human Rights case load worker in Costa Rica she was trained by the Inter American Institute in Human Rights (IIDH) in Human Rights and Humanitarian Laws for NGOs Lawyers and other disciplines. She was also trained in various other disciplines by the General Secretariat of the Central American Universities Superior Council (CSUCA) and the Human Rights Central American Commission (CODEUCA).

She moved with her family to Canada in 2001 and graduated from post diploma in International Trade, as well as from accounting and payroll. However she does work in Information Technology.

As a writer in Canada she has written articles, poetry and short stories and has her work published in different publications such as newsletters, anthologies and other publications, among them Amnesty International “fieldworkers Notes”, Development and Peace” Mustard seed” , “ Vocero” Hispanic Congress, and “Radiance” Women’s writer newsletters among others.

In Poetry she has her work published in anthologies such as the Shadows Imprint, an anthology of American and Canadian Poets and in the 2001 anthology of the UNESCO Website “Dialog among Civilizations"

She participates very often in various reading events organized by Poetry and writers organizations from Ontario and belongs to the World Poet Movement and other poetry and writer organizations.

She has published Poems of Children, Love and War, a collection of Poems in English and Spanish as well as the Spanish version of Black Leather Shoes , a chronology of Exile.