Luz María Umpierre I'm Still Standing: Treinta años de poesía/Thirty Years of Poetry (2011)
“

I have been a Pariah in academia but to all those who sought my destruction I always had one answer: "I'm Still Standing." The hymn from Sir Elton John is the best description of how I feel about my survival and triumph over a system that should not be called part of the Humanities since it is hardly humane in its treatment of difference. I have also found deplorable the treatment of students in academia. My former students are the people I miss the most about teaching. But, as one of my former students told me once and I have found it to be true: "You will always have students." So we bring this compendium to you: the totality of a life of poetry. May you feel an embrace from me as you read them. To everyone who reads these pages: I'm Still Standing! Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!

— Luz María Umpierre on Elton John

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "I have been a Pariah in academia but to all those who sought my destruction I always had one answer: "I'm Still Standing." The hymn from Sir Elton John is the best description of how I feel about my survival and triumph over a system that should not be called part of the Humanities since it is hardly humane in its treatment of difference. I have also found deplorable the treatment of students in academia. My former students are the people I miss the most about teaching. But, as one of my former students told me once and I have found it to be true: "You will always have students." So we bring this compendium to you: the totality of a life of poetry. May you feel an embrace from me as you read them. To everyone who reads these pages: I'm Still Standing! Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!" in the context of "Luz María Umpierre I'm Still Standing: Treinta años de poesía/Thirty Years of Poetry (2011)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Quote Image
Source: Wikiquote: "Elton John" (Quotes about Elton John) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 19, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app

About Luz María Umpierre

Luz María "Luzma" Umpierre-Herrera (born in 1947) is a Puerto Rican human rights advocate, New-Humanist educator, poet, and scholar. Umpierre-Herrera works on the topics of activism and social equality, encompassing the immigrant experience, and bilingualism in the United States, and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) issues. Umpierre has published ten poetry books and has had numerous essays published in academic journals.