When my first novel The Closet of Discarded Dreams, a Chicano fantasy, received honorable mention last year, I felt lucky and honored. I'm not a contender this year, since I haven't had a novel published since. Still, on-screen, I can remember the feeling and hope some of my acquaintances do well, in my place. But only this year, remember.
Over the ruido of Las Vegas slots, the 2014 International Latino Book Award finalists will be announced this weekend. Here's some special Gritos! for books of friends, and contributors to La Bloga (may they have better luck on-stage than they do at the roulette table):
Señor Pancho Had a Rancho, René Colato Laínez
Noldo and his Magical Scooter at the Battle of The Alamo, Armando B. Rendón
Our Lost Border: Essays on Life Amid the Narco-Violence, Sarah Cortez & Sergio Troncoso
What the Tide Brings, Xánath Caraza
Good Money Gone, Mario Acevedo [w/Richard Kilborn]
Mañana Means Heaven, Tim Z. Hernandez
Desperado: A Mile High Noir, Manuel Ramos
The Old Man’s Love Story, Rudolfo Anaya
Ghosts of the Black Rose, Land of Enchantment 2, Belinda Vasquez Garcia
Reyes Cárdenas: Chicano Poet 1970-2010, Reyes Cárdenas
 |
| Sylvia Moreno-Garcia |
Another latina finalist. In Canada!
The novel This Strange Way of Dying by Silvia Moreno-Garcia was short-listed for The Sunburst Award Society for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic, 2014.
The Sunburst Award jury said: "Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s short story collection This Strange Way of Dying is a grimoire of the beautifully macabre, capable of summoning up strange worlds imbued with the secret fears and thrills we try to bury in shadow. Moreno-Garcia’s words on the page whisper sweet seductions, inviting the reader to open doorways to her or his subconscious and become familiar with things that have been estranged.
This Strange Way of Dying bridges the divides between science fiction, horror, and fantasy, opening readers to the overall power of the uncanny, whether through Lovecraftian stories of summoning darkness, feathered snakes, vampires, necromancers, resurrected soldiers, witchcraft, or tales of murder and betrayal. Silvia Moreno-Garcia makes the mundane magical, the normal strange, and points out the macabre foundations of our social myths. This Strange Way of Dying opens funhouse mirrors, revealing for the reader her or his own distorted image, changed by the experience of reading.
Sylvia Moreno-Garcia is a writer, editor, and publisher who was born in Mexico but now lives in British Columbia. This Strange Way of Dyingis her first collection; her debut novel, Signal to Noise, will be published in 2015.
BIG Lástima:
On Facebook I claimed I'd be featured in an NPR broadcast yesterday. I lied. Due to broadcast quality, it didn't happen. Sorry, because it might have been my fault, what with doing the phone interview outside on the patio and my dog's barking. See last Saturday's post for info I would've given.
Es todo, hoy,
Melinda Palacio
May wraps ups with my non-fiction story, "Grandmother's Stars," published in
Mary: A Journal of New Writing. The other good news is the
Ocotillo Dreams tour rides again in New York at
La Casa Azul Bookstore in East Harlem. Aurora Anaya-Cerda fulfilled her dream to open a bookstore in East Harlem. The store will open with much celebration June 1 and I have the privilege of being among the first authors to have a book signing at
La Casa Azul Bookstore, June 7 at 6pm. This is also my first visit to the big city as an author. The address to La Casa Azul Bookstore is 143 E. 103rd Street, El Barrio 10029. In NY speak, take the 6 train to 103rd.
The first week of June in New York is also exciting for two other reasons: Book Expo America and the 14th International Latino Book Awards. La Bloga represents.
Daniel Olivas's novel, The Book of Want, is a finalist in Best Popular Fiction and Ocotillo Dreams is a finalist in two categories: Best First Book and Best Historical Fiction. Check out the complete
list of finalists here. The 14th International Latino Book Awards takes place June 5 at the Instituto Cervantes. Fourteen is a good number so far. Today I received my 14th review on Amazon, another 5 star customer review. Add your review of Ocotillo Dreams
here.
Congratulations to all the authors who were recognized by the International Latino Book Awards. My bilingual book
René Has Two Last Names/René tiene dos apellidos received Honorable Mention in the Best Children's Picture Book (Bilingual) category. ¡Ajúa!
I received the great news at my Facebook page. My friend Yuyi Morales posted the link of 2010 International Latino Book Awards Winner List. My friend Linda Rodriguez also congratulated me for the honorable mention. This was a great birthday present for me.
René Has Two Last Names/ René tiene dos apellidos has received three recognitions this year. Thanks to all the readers and award committees.
- Honorable Mention: Best Bilingual Children's Book- International Latino Book Awards
- 2010 Skipping Stones Honor Award
- 2010-2011 Tejas Star Book Award List
To learn more about
René Has Two Last Names visit the book's website at
www.renesbooks.com Also my new books have their own websites. Take a look at
The Tooth Fairy Meets El Ratón Pérez and
My Shoes And I websites and learn more fun facts and ideas for the classroom and home.
***
If you are in Los Angeles Area, don't miss my author reading
at Tia Chucha's Cafe Cultural
Sunday, June 6th 1-
June 4th 6pm EXCLUSIVE RECEPTION with special guest Benjamin BrattReception includes: Low riders, old school music, delicious food and of course, Benjamin Bratt!7pm LA MISSION screening $25/TICKET (includes reception and movie)AMC 24 HIGHLANDS RANCH 103 Centennial Blvd, Littleton, CO 80129TEATRO PREGONES IN ALOHA BORICUA
The journey to Hawaii in the early 1900's set to contemporary music -- reggaeton, plena, pop, rock.
June 10th, 11th and 12th at 7:30pm
$18 General, $15 Stu/Sen, $12 for groups over 12 people
Presented at the Denver Civic Theatre 721 Santa Fe, Denver, CO
12th ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL LATINO BOOK AWARDS
Congratulations to all those who received recognition from the International Latino Book Awards, presented May 25 at BookExpo America. You can see the complete list of honorees at this link.
A special tip of the ole sombrero to fellow bloguero René Colato Lainez for Rene Has Two Last Names/René tiene dos appellidos (Arte Público Press), which received Honorable Mention in the Best Children's Picture Book (Bilingual) category; and to good friends Rudolfo Anaya for 2d Place for The Essays (University of Oklahoma Press) in the Best Biography (English) category, and Lucha Corpi, who won the award for Best Mystery Novel (English) for Death at Solstice (Arte Público Press.)
Congratulations to the International Latino Book Award Winners!
CATEGORY A – CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULT BOOKS
Best Educational Children’s Book - English
The Song of the Coconut – Adalucía - Cholita Prints & Publishing Co.
Best Educational Children’s Book - Spanish
Quiero Ser Poeta - Rafael Garcia Jolly, José Carbonell Pla, Antonia Moreno, María D. Torres Bañuls - LetraRoja
2ND Place: El secreto del dorado - Maria Villegas y Jennie Kent - Villegas Asociados S.A.
Honorable Mention: Figúrate: Animales, Fantasía y Mundo - María Villegas y Jennie Kent - Villegas Asociados
Best Educational Children’s Book - Bilingual
Dealing With Insults - Qué Hacer con los Insultos - Marianne Johnson - Rosen Publishing/Buenas Letras
2ND Place: Teo in Palo Verde - Adam Del Rio - Lectura Books
2ND Place: Ronaldinho - José María Obregón - Rosen Publishing/Buenas Letras
Honorable Mention: Las Abejas - Katie Franks - Rosen Publishing/Buenas Letras
Best Children’s Picture Book – English
Abuelos - Pat Mora - Groundwood Books
2ND Place: The Secret Legacy - Rigoberta Menchú - Groundwood Books
Honorable Mention: Kitchen Dance - Maurie J. Manning - Clarion Books
Best Children’s Picture Book – Spanish
Los Tres Reyes De Oriente - Lluis Farre - Bambú
2ND Place: El mejor mariachi del mundo - J. D. Smith - Raven Tree Press
Honorable Mention: Mira, Mira - Angels Navarro - Bambú
Best Children’s Picture Book – Bilingual
Rachel and the Lion - Stephanie Lainez - Story House Books
2ND Place: Colors!¡Colores! - Jorge Luján - Groundwood Books
Honorable Mention: The Storyteller’s Candle - Lucia Gonzalez - Children’s Book Press
Best Young Adult Fiction – English
Dark Dude - Oscar Hijuelos - Atheneum/Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing
2ND Place: Amor and Summer Secrets - Diana Rodriguez Wallach - Kensington Publishers
Honorable Mention: Mr. Clean and the Barrio - David Bueno-Hill - Urbano Books
Best Young Adult Fiction – Spanish or Bilingual
El Asunto Galindo - Fernando Lalana - Bambú
2ND Place: Odisea - Albert Jané - Combel Editorial, S. A
Honorable Mention: Carlito’s Story - Max Benavidez & Katherine Del Monte – Lectura Books
Honorable Mention: No sapiens - Ariel González - Libros en Red
Best Young Adult Nonfiction - English
The Barefoot Shoeshine Boy - Al Rivera - Author House
Best Young Adult Sports/Recreation – English
Soccer’s Story & A Futbol Fable - Gil Sperry - Amigo del Mar Press
Best Young Adult Sports/Recreation – Spanish or Bilingual
Go Milka Go! ¡Core, Milka, Corre! - Raquel Benatar - Renaissance House
CATEGORY B – NONFICTION
Best Arts Book - English
The Journey of Frederic Edwin Church - Through Colombia and Ecuador - Pablo Navas Sanz de Santamaria - Villegas Asociados S.A.
2ND Place: Line: 7 Elements of Art - Jane Castillo - Crystal Productions
Honorable Mention: Yolanda M. Lopez - Karen Mary Davalos - Chicano Studies Research Center Press (UCLA)
Best Arts Book - Spanish or Bilingual
Manuel Hernández - Manuel Hernández - Villegas Asociados S.A.
2ND Place: Alicia Viteri: Memoria Digital - Alicia Viteri - Villegas Asociados S.A.
Honorable Mention: Herman the Jester and the ABC’s of Art - Rafael Filion - Author House
Best Biography - English
Crazy Loco Love - Victor Villaseñor - Arte Público Press
2ND Place: The Last Supper of Chicano Heroes - José Antonio Burciaga - University of Arizona Press
2ND Place: Paths to Discovery - Norma E. Cantú - Chicano Studies Research Center Press (UCLA)
Honorable Mention: Take Me With You: A Memoir - Carlos Frias - Atria Books/Simon & Schuster
Best Biography - Spanish or Bilingual
Bolívar, Delirio y Epopeya - Víctor Paz - Villegas Asociados S.A.
2ND Place: Llorando en la Oscuridad - Pablo Chapoy - Ediciones Del Ermitaño
Honorable Mention: Yagruma: Amores Prohibidos en Epocas de Tirania - Francisco Calderon Vallejo - Conceptos Editoriales
Honorable Mention: Un Sueño Americano - Oscar de la Hoya - Rayo
Honorable Mention: De Ciertas Damas - Carlos Lleras Restrepo - Villegas Asociados S.A.
Best Business Book - Spanish or Bilingual
El Latino más rico en los Estados Unidos - Rubén Ruiz - Wealth and Millionaire Publishing
2ND Place: Hablidades Para el Trato Personal en los Negocios - Dr. Camilo Cruz - Taller Del Éxito
Best Gift Book - English
Colombia by Color - Benjamin Villegas - Villegas Asociados S.A.
2ND Place: Holywood - Se Habla Español - Rafael J. Rivera-Viruet & Max Resto - Terramax Entertainment Publishing
Best Gift Book - Spanish or Bilingual
Secreto: El Libro De La Gratitud (The Secret Gratitude Book) - Rhonda Byrne - Atria Books/Simon & Schuster
2ND Place: Quiero Ser Poeta - Garcia Jolly, Carbonell Pla, Moreno, Torres Bañuls - LetraRoja
2ND Place: Pardon My Spanglish ¡Porque Because! - Bill Santiago - Qwirk Books
Honorable Mention: Gringosincrasias - Emma Sepúlveda - Asterión
Best History/Political Book - English
No Greater Love: The Lives and Times of Hispanic Soldiers - Major General Freddie Valenzuela, with Jason Lemons - Ovation Books
Best History/Political Book - Spanish or Bilingual
Principio y Fin Delmito Fidelista - José Alvarez - Trafford Publishing
2ND Place: Alberto Lleras - Alberto Lleras - Villegas Asociados S.A.
Best Reference Book - English
A Simple Guide to U.S. Immigration and Citizenship - Luis Cortes - Atria Books/Simon & Schuster
Best Reference Book - Spanish or Bilingual
De Inmigrante a Ciudadano - Luis Cortes - Atria Books/Simon & Schuster
2ND Place: El Latino más rico en los Estados Unidos - Rubén Ruiz - Wealth and Millionaire Publishing
Best Cookbook - English
Latin Evolution - Jose Garces - Lake Isle Press, Inc.
Best Cookbook - Spanish or Bilingual
Larousse De Los Postres - Paulina Abascal - Ediciones Larousse
2ND Place: Y Hoy ¿Qué Les Doy? - Lourdes Al cñiz y Lourdes March = Grijalbo - Random House Mondadori
Honorable Mention: La Comida de Italia - Un viaje para los amantes de la cocina - María Villegas & Sophie Braimbridge - Villegas Asociados
Best Health Book - English
The Art of Healing Latinos - David E. Hayes-Bautista & Roberto Chiprut - Chicano Studies Research Center Press (UCLA)
Best Health Book - Spanish or Bilingual
Mami, tengo hambre! - Jeamme Warren Lindsay, Jean Brunelli, Sally McCullough - Morning Glory Press
2ND Place: Y Hoy ¿Qué Les Doy? - Lourdes Al Cñiz y Lourdes March - Grijalbo - Random House Mondadori
Best Religious Book - English
Misa, Mesa y Musa Vol 2 - Kenneth G. Davis - World Library Publications
2ND Place: Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage: Unlocking the Secrets to Life, Love and Marriage - Mark Gungor – Atria Books
Best Religious Book - Spanish or Bilingual
Autobiografia de un Yogui (revised) - Paramahansa Yogananda - Self-Realization Fellowship
2ND Place: Susurros de la Eternidad - Paramahansa Yogananda - Self-Realization Fellowship
Honorable Mention: Reconstruye Tu Vida: El Camino a la Felicidad Sin Limites - T.D. Jakes – Atria Books/Simon & Schuster
Best Self-help Book - English
The Barefoot Shoeshine Boy - Al Rivera – Author House
2ND Place: I Love You. Now What? Falling in Love is a Mystery. Keeping it Isn’t - Mabel Iam – Atria Books/Simon & Schuster
2ND Place: Family Activism: Empowering Your Community Beginning with Family and Friends - Roberto Vargas – Bennett-Koehler Publishers
Honorable Mention: The Latino’s Guide to Parenting - Suzanne Moreno - Ed-Ventures Publishing Co.
Best Self-help Book - Spanish or Bilingual
Triunfar en la Vida - Paramahansa Yogananda - Self-Realization Fellowship
2ND Place: ¿Se Habla Dinero? The Everyday Guide to Financial Success - Lynn Jimenez - John Wiley & Sons
Best Spiritual/New Age Book - Spanish or Bilingual
El Viaje - Siete pasos para diseñar y dusfrutar una vida con propósito - Lic. Rafael Ayala - Taller Del Éxito
2ND Place: Secreto: El Libro De La Gratitud (The Secret Gratitude Book) - Rhonda Byrne - Atria Books/Simon & Schuster
2ND Place: Autobiografia de un Yogui (revised) - Paramahansa Yogananda - Self-Realization Fellowship
Honorable Mention: El Latino más rico en los Estados Unidos - Rubén Ruiz - Wealth and Millionaire Publishing
Best Travel Book - English
Winter in Kandahar - Life in Afghanistan Before the Taliban - Ana M. Briongos - Trotamundas Press
Best Travel Book - Spanish or Bilingual
El Viaje de Frederic Edwin Church - por Colombia y Ecuador - Pablo Navas Sanz de Santamaria - Villegas Asociados S.A.
CATEGORY C – FICTION
Best Popular Fiction - English
Gunmetal Black - Daniel Serrano - Grand Central Publishing
2ND Place: Ghosts of El Grullo - Patricia Santana - University of New Mexico Press
Best Popular Fiction - Spanish or Bilingual
No sapiens - Ariel González - Libros en Red
Best Novel – Adventure or Drama - English
Brida - Paulo Coelho - Harper Collins
2ND Place: The Flowers - Dagoberto Gilb - Grove Press
Honorable Mention: If I Die In Juárez - Stella Pope Duarte - University of Arizona Press
Best Novel – Adventure or Drama – Spanish or Bilingual
Por La Vida De Mi Hermana (My Sister’s Keeper) - Jodi Picoult - Atria Books/Simon & Schuster
2ND Place: El Infinita en la Palma De la Mano - Gioconda Belli - Rayo
Honorable Mention: Luna llena. Cabalgando sin riendas - Carmela Escobar - Libros en Red
Honorable Mention: Nada Importa - Alvaro Robledo - Villegas Asociados S.A.
Best Novel – Historical Fiction - English
Alejandro and the Fishermen of Tancay - Braulio Muñoz - University of Arizona Press
2ND Place: Valfierno: The Man Who Stole the Mona Lisa - Martin Caparros - Atria Books/Simon & Schuster
Best Novel – Mystery - English
The Case Runner - Carlos Cisneros - Arte Público Press
2ND Place: The Paris Enigma - Pablo de Santos - Harper Collins
Honorable Mention: Gunmetal Black - Daniel Serrano - Grand Central Publishing
Best Novel – Mystery - Spanish or Bilingual
Sangre en el desierto - Alicia Gaspar de Alba - Arte Público Press
2ND Place: Tácticas contra el tedio - Mauricio Bernal - Villegas Asociados S.A.
Best Novel – Romance - English
The Heartbreak Pill - Anjanette Delgado - Atria Books/Simon & Schuster
2ND Place: More Than This - Margo Candela
Honorable Mention: Tarnished Beauty - Cecilia Samartin - Atria Books/Simon & Schuster
Best Novel – Romance - Spanish or Bilingual
Luna llena. Cabalgando sin riendas - Carmela Escobar - Libros en Red
Best Graphic Novel – Spanish or Bilingual
Aleida x anos - Vladdo (Vladimar Flórez) - Villegas Asociados S.A.
2ND Place: Ellos/Ellas - Silvia Vallejo - Villegas Asociados S.A.
Best Poetry Book - English
Half of the World in Light - Juan Felipe Herrera - University of Arizona Press
2ND Place: Primera Página: Poetry from the Latino Heartland - Latino Writers Collective - Scapegoat Press
Honorable Mention: The Buried Sea - Rane Arroyo - University of Arizona Press
Best Poetry Book - Spanish or Bilingual
Lugar de Origen - Place of Origin - Elena Lafert & Melina Draper - Oyster River Press
2ND Place: Susurros de la Eternidad - Paramahansa Yogananda - Self-Realization Fellowship
Honorable Mention: Secretos - Chuyin Rocha - Createspace
CATEGORY D – DESIGN (Title – Illustrator/Designer(s) - Publisher):
Best Cover Design
Take Me With You: A Memoir - James Perales - Atria Books/Simon & Schuster
2ND Place: Alicia Viteri: Memoria Digital - Villegas Asociados S.A.
Honorable Mention: The Richest Latino in America - Rubén and Richard Ruiz - Wealth and Millionaire Publishing
Best Cover Illustration
El secreto del dorado - Villegas Asociados S.A.
2ND Place: The Song of the Coconut – Adalucía - Cholita Prints & Publiching Co.
Best Interior Design
Manuel Hernández - Villegas Asociados S.A.
2ND Place: The Song of the Coconut – Adalucía - Cholita Prints & Publiching Co.
Best Use of Photos
Colombia es Color - Villegas Asociados S.A.
CATEGORY E – AUDIO
Best Children’s Audio Book – Spanish or Bilingual
Animals at the farm/Animales de la granja - Gladys Rosa-Mendoza - Me + Mi Publishing
2ND Place: My Family and I/Mi familia y yo - Gladys Rosa-Mendoza - Me + Mi Publishing
Best Non-Fiction Audio Book – Spanish or Bilingual
La Ley de la Atracción - Dr. Camilo Cruz
CATEGORY F - THE MARIPOSA AWARDS
Best First Book - English
Take Me With You: A Memoir - Carlos Frias - Atria Books/Simon & Schuster
2ND Place: Reclaiming Paris - Fabiola Santiago - Atria Books/Simon & Schuster
Honorable Mention: The Seamstress - Frances de Pontes-Peebles - Harper Collins
Honorable Mention: Carnival of Memories - Yocasta Fareri - iUniverse
Best First Book - Spanish
Luna llena. Cabalgando sin riendas - Carmela Escobar - Libros en Red
2ND Place: Pardon My Spanglish ¡Porque Because! - Bill Santiago - Qwirk Books
Honorable Mention: Herman the Jester and the ABC’s of Art - Rafael Filion - Author House
Honorable Mention: Secretos - Chuyin Rocha - Createspace
11th Annual International
Latino Book Awards
May 28, 2009
Nominations continue to come in for next year's International Latino Book Awards (ILBA). This is the earliest ILBA has ever received nominations. Judging from these early entries, it looks like there will be strong competition in all categories.The 2009 ILBA to be held at the Javits Center in New York City on the afternoon of May 28. Each year the awards ceremony is held in conjunction with BookExpo America, the country's largest book publishing industry trade show.Publishers, authors, publicists and all friends of literacy are invited to nominate their favorite books from 2008. There are 62 categories open for nominations: English and Spanish language categories covering everything from fiction to self-help to children's and young adults. Books must have been published in calendar year 2008 to be eligible.
For the 2009 awards, there are four new categories, including Best Young Adult Sports/Recreation (A11 & A12), (B19 & B20), a general fiction category, Best Popular Fiction (C37 & C38), Best Gift Book (B19 & B20) and Best Graphic Novel (C47 & C48). Please consider all the categories carefully before deciding which ones best fit your submissions.You will find nominating forms and instructions in both English and Spanish here. The nominating process lasts until March 13, when the books will be sent to a diverse panel of judges.L. A. Live
New Home of the Los Angeles Latino Book & Family Festival
August 29-30, 2009
The new home for the Los Angeles Latino Book & Family Festival starting in 2009 is L.A. Live. Home to the Nokia Theater, Club Nokia, the Grammy Museum, the Conga Room, Lucky Strike Lanes, the AEG Broadcast Studio, the ESPN studios and restaurants such as Trader Vics, Wolfgang Puck's, Lawry's and the ESPN Zone, L.A. Live will also feature two world class hotels, the Ritz-Carlton and the JW Marriott. This entertainment complex is revitalizing the downtown Los Angeles scene and quickly becoming the Times Square of the West. As the new, preferred venue for major events and concerts, including the 2008 & 2009 Primetime Emmy Awards, L. A. Live is perfectly located in downtown Los Angeles, just across the street from the Staples Center and the Los Angeles Convention Center.The Festival exhibit area will occupy the Nokia Plaza and Chick Hearn Court (the street that runs between the Plaza and Staples Center). A floor plan will be available shortly. This dramatic new Festival venue demands a brand new start for the Los Angeles Festival. Look for more celebrities, more authors and more literacy based initiatives than ever before.The Los Angeles festival has had its greatest successes when held in late August and positioned as a "back-to-school" event, so we are also very excited about staging the event at this great facility the last weekend of August.Reserve your space for LBFF L.A. Live today!Books are the pathway to a better future for our kids. Please support this effort.Lisa Alvarado
University of Arizona Press authors from across the nation earn acclaim at 2008 International Latino Book Awards
Since 1999 the nonprofit organization Latino Literacy Now has honored the many positive contributions being made to Latino literature by publishers and writers worldwide through its annual International Latino Book Awards competition. Attracting nominations from publishers across the United States as well as Mexico, South and Central America, and Spain, this competition highlights titles that exemplify literary excellence within the Latino community. Presented at BookExpo America, this year’s awards honored titles running the gamut of subjects from murders of innocent women in Juárez to the history of the Day of the Dead. Four University of Arizona Press titles were recognized as vital contributions to Latino history and culture.Francisco Aragón’s "The Wind Shifts: New Latino Poetry" earned First Place in the Poetry in English category. In this groundbreaking collection, readers discover works by emerging Latino and Latina poets in the twenty-first century. Hailed by Booklist as a “ravishing collection,” this work introduces such highly acclaimed writers as Naomi Ayala, Richard Blanco, David Dominguez, Gina Franco, Sheryl Luna, and Urayoán Noel. The poems in this collection traverse tantalizing subjects ranging from living and traveling overseas to the nuances of living in suburbia and navigating life in the U.S.–Mexico borderlands. This rich and varied sample of young, talented North American Latino and Latinas embodies a freshness and mastery of language that is not to be missed.Kathleen Alcalá’s "The Desert Remembers My Name: On Family and Writing" earned First Place in the Autobiography/Memoir in English category. In this delightful and rewarding collection of essays by an esteemed Chicana author, Alcalá lyrically explores the many meanings of “family,” while searching for significance in the histories of her family and other people who have influenced her life and writing. Although the essays are in many ways personal, they are also universal. Through her exploration, readers discover not only why Alcalá is a writer but also why she should be appreciated: because she helps others find themselves.Blas Falconer’s poetry collection "A Question of Gravity and Light" earned Second Place in the Poetry in English category. In this debut collection, Falconer presents 45 poems that are emotionally forthright and linguistically evocative but written without affectation or subterfuge. Although he is a gay man who embraces his Puerto Rican heritage, he crafts poems that speak to all readers with engaging directness, free of pretense or posturing. In a review titled “The Exiled Voice,” the Nashville Scene calls Falconer an imagistic poet who does “a remarkably skillful job of exploring that space in the mind where passing sights and sounds make contact with the deeply buried self, creating a poignant depiction of a man who finds himself always a stranger in a strange land.”Rodolfo Acuña’s "Corridors of Migration: The Odyssey of Mexican Laborers, 1600–1933" earned Honorable Mention in the History in English category. In this sweeping history, Acuña—the founding scholar of Chicano history—presents the culmination of three decades of dedicated research into the causes and effects of migration and labor activism. This well-written narrative documents how Mexican workers formed communities against all odds. According to Acuña, “this book is about the resilience of people who have been exploited and how they have overcome it.” In writing Corridors of Migration, Acuña traveled to Arizona, New Mexico, Mexico, and most of the major U.S. libraries and archives in Washington, D.C. The research and insight this book presents will surely make it a seminal study for years to come.The University of Arizona Press, founded in 1959, is a nonprofit publisher of about fifty books each year, with over 800 books in print. Publications include scholarly and trade titles in Native American and Latina/o studies, anthropology, archaeology, nature writing and environmental studies, regional history, Latin American studies, and space sciences. The Press publishes two critically acclaimed series in fiction and poetry, Sun Tracks: An American Indian Literary Series, and Camino del Sol: A Latina and Latino Literary Series.
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CALIFAS FABULOUSNESS
The Spine of Califas: A Poetic Road Trip
If you only go to one poetry reading this year, this is it! Look at this line-up!
Music:
Los Illegals (Willy Herron, Xiuy Velo)
Performers:
Richard Montoya (of Culture Clash)
Lysa Flores
Jade Ross
Cihuatl-Ce
Paul Calderon
Rafael F J Alvarado
Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo
Adolfo Guzman-Lopez (your driver for the night)
It's a night of music and poetry that'll take you on the freeways and by-ways of the state. The poets are the offramps. The music, by East L.A.'s legendary Los Illegals, is the 92 octane that'll power you through a scenic night of verse and song.
Get in, close the car door and put on your seatbelts, the poetry and music is about rev up
(it's cheaper than driving anywhere these days).
When: 8:00 p.m. Saturday, June 14th, 2008
Where: Tropico de Nopal Gallery Art-Space,
1665 Beverly Blvd., Echo Park
For more info: (213) 481-8112
$10
Richard Montoya
Is one third of the unholy trinity known as Culture Clash. Since their founding nearly 25 years ago Culture Clash has become one of the foremost theater troupes in the country, commenting on social, demographic and political changes in plays performed around the country.
Jade Ross
Poet, painter, writer, songstress, designer- Jade Ross is an artist by birth, singer by trade, and emcee in conception. From South Africa to South Central she has performed for hundreds of audiences, capturing the essence of a spirit long lost in music. Early beginnings from Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall to The Temple Bar Santa Monica, her melodies make hips wind like something sexy, her rhythms make heads nod in affirmation that hip hop is more complex than you think, and her content makes you think...... damn!
Cihuatl-Ce
Once a runaway now a youth advocate/outreach worker, her passion for social change can be felt within the energy and urgency of her lyrics using music to reach the people specifically inner city ghetto youth. She brings it raw, uncensored and unstoppable. Educating while empowering and uplifting, fusing hip hop with indigenous sounds in an effort to share some of the ancient teachings that remain after 515 years of colonization so that they may continue to be passed on and never be forgotten.
Paul Calderon & Rafael F J Alvarado
Has been producing poetry shows and hustling poetry for twenty years, He produces most of the shows on the World Wide Word Radio Network & hosts The Moe Green Poetry Hour. He's obsessive-compulsive about poetry & once in a while he manage to host a good show. Now & then poetry finds him and slaps him around.
Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo
Is a 28-year-old Los Angeles poet. Writing since she was six, but new to the scene she began seriously pursuing her writing when she was accepted into the MFA in Creative Writing, Poetry program at Antioch University Los Angeles. In addition to working on her writing she is a full-time high school Drama and English instructor and theatre director.
Adolfo Guzman-Lopez
Co-founded the Taco Shop Poets in 1994. He's currently the arts and education reporter at KPCC 89.3FM
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A Sunday afternoon of Poetry At
The Amsterdam Cafe
Sunday, June 22
hosted By Rafael F J Alvarado
at 3 pm
Amsterdam Cafe
10905 Magnolia Boulevard
North Hollywood, CA 91601
(818) 506-1938
Featuring:
Amaranth Borsuk
Hélène Cardona
Kate Durbin
John M. FitzGerald
Amaranth Borsuk
Amaranth Borsuk is a Ph.D. candidate in Literature and Creative
Writing at the University of Southern California. Her poems have recently appeared or are forthcoming in ZYZZYVA, Columbia: A Journal of Literature and Art,
Denver Quarterly, POOL, and thedrunkenboat.com. She recently placed
third in The Atlantic's student poetry contest, and her manuscript,
Pomegranate Eater, has been a semifinalist for the Walt Whitman Award
from the Academy of American Poets, the Four Way Books intro prize,
and the Saturnalia Books poetry prize
A citizen of the United States, France and Spain, Hélène Cardona is fluent in English, French, Spanish, German, Greek and Italian. Born in Paris of a Greek mother and Spanish father and raised all over Europe, she studied English Philology and Literature in Cambridge, England; Spanish at the International Universities of Santander and Baeza, Spain; and German at the Goethe Institute in Bremen, Germany.
She attended Hamilton College, New York, where she also taught French and Spanish, and the Sorbonne, Paris, where she wrote her thesis on Henry James for her Masters in American Literature. She worked as a translator/interpreter for the Canadian Embassy and the French Chamber of Commerce. She is also a teacher and dream analyst and has appeared in many films.
Her first book, The Astonished Universe, an uplifting and luminous collection of poetry about consciousness, is the first bilingual edition in English and French from Red Hen Press. Richard Wilbur writes that each poem fully exists in two tongues at once, and this adds to the books great charm and visionary quality.
Kate Durbin
Kate Durbins first collection of poetry, The Ravenous Audience, is forthcoming from Black Goat Press/Akashic Books in Fall 2009. Her writing has appeared or is forthcoming in Drunken Boat, The Ledge Poetry and Fiction Magazine, The Elegant Variation and Boxcar Poetry Review. Currently, she is a staff writer for Asian American Poetry and Writing (http://www.aapw-la.org). Kate received her MFA from the University of California in Riverside, and is working on a novel.
John M. FitzGerald
A dual citizen of the United States and Ireland, John M. FitzGerald is a poet and attorney
in Los Angeles. He attended UCLA and the University of West Los Angeles School of Law,
where he was editor of the Law Review.
His poems have been published in numerous journals and anthologies.
Spring Water, a novel in verse, was a Turning Point Prize selection.
His second book of poetry, Telling Time by the Shadows, came out in April 2008 from Turning Point Books. His other collections include The Mind, The Charter of Effects, and Question of Creation. He has just completed his first novel, Primate, and has turned it into a screenplay.
He has lived in England and Italy, and currently resides in Santa Monica.
Robert Nazarene, editor of the American Journal of Poetry, says
SPRING WATER is to poetry what The Silence of The Lambs is
to filmdom: a harrowing, horrifying narrative trip which makes for
an absolutely compelling read...brilliantly delivered by one of America's
most promising new poets.
http://www.helenecardona.com/
Here's an excerpt....
...I know I am adding to, a literary landscape made rich by other Latino writers. I can pretty much know that for now, what I write is not being duplicated anywhere else. Like a pioneer, the writing experience leaves me both lonely and thrilled...
...I’d like to think I don’t play the identity card, but I do. As writers, we would like to think it is enough just to present our individual visions. But Brazilian as well other Latino writers are faced with a general population that has misconceptions about our culture, so in a sense, we are teachers as well. An added responsibility? Yes. And for this, the door for us to go through has got to be larger. The Latino literature landscape – from Aztlán to Tierra del Fuego – contains many voices begging to be heard.
Lisa Alvarado
René Colato Laínez
Congratulations to Amy Costales, her book HELLO NIGHT-HOLA NOCHE won the International Book Award for Best Bilingual Picture Book of 2008. Here is an interview with "la ganadora".
How did the get the idea for Hello Night- Hola noche?
I took my son for walks, and those walks led me to my third picture book, Hello Night~Hola noche. After dinner Sam was always cranky. I learned to sooth him with a nighttime walk.
Everything about our walks was soothing. The cool night-time air was refreshing, and Sam snuggled in his stroller with his elephant and baby blanket, completely content. I talked to him in a soft voice, reciting nursery rhymes. He particularly liked to hear words that I remembered from my own childhood,
Quiseria ser tan alto
Como la luna, ay, ay
Como la luna
As he grew older our roles changed. Instead of me talking to him, he began to talk to me, pointing out the “luna” and “estrellas” and whatever else caught his eye. He greeted everything he saw in Spanish and English.
Tell us about the submission process for this book.
I was very focused on rhyme at the time. Sam and I were avid readers of Pío Peep. It occurred to me to write a bilingual bedtime rhyme for Sam. I did, but it was only for Sam. I didn’t submit the story because I was hesitant to submit verse.
After Luna Rising accepted my second picture book, I decided, on a whim, to submit Hello Night~Hola noche. Theresa Howell called me the very next day to accept it. No painful waiting! The editing was painless, too. Theresa wisely suggested changing the order of some of the pages, and we were set.
What was the first reaction when you saw the actual book?
"Wow! I love this book! "
The art is magical and whimsical. Mercedes McDonald captured exactly the way I remember feeling walking my young son through the cool, dark night.
Is there another manuscript in the process?
Sam now likes morning walks. He is usually on his scooter, helping me exercise our dog Gracie, while our silly cats stalk us through the hedges. He recently asked me to bring a notebook along on our walk so we could write down the magical things about the morning. We took copious notes. Sam is now planning on helping me write Hello Day~Hola día for his big sister.
visit Amy at www.amycostales.com
Very exciting times for you Melinda. All the best on your nominations and time spent in New York.
Congratulations on all of these wonderful achievements, Melinda! Not surprised at all. Best wishes to you and Daniel Olivas with your book nominations at the New York event. It's all good!! I'm also glad to hear about Reyna Grande's new memoir' review. It's going to be very well-received, I'm sure. Best wishes to you all.