SOMETHING NEW FROM DAGOBERTO GILB
Dagoberto Gilb has a provocative essay (does he write any other kind?) posted at the
Barcelona Review, an international online magazine. Entitled
The Hexagon of the Conquest, Gilb's article is a complex and questioning foray into concepts such as lost and found history, the clash of technology against artist sentiment, the unrecognized importance of the conquest of the Americas to the conquerors and the conquered, the need for investigation and curiosity, the preservation of the past as a doorway to the future, and why books can save a life. And so much more. Of course, the article also is about none of these.
Before he finishes, the author has taken the reader to pre-colonial Mexico, the Archivo General de Indias in Seville, and on board one of Magellan's ships. He tells the tale of a library romance between a former priest and his overweight lover; he jokes about his busted leg and imagines his own death; he remembers his youth, the Paricutín volcano, and an example of Cortés' strategy. And so much more.
Gilb opens with this paragraph:
I didn't like books when I was young. Or, better said, I didn't play much with books and they didn't play much in my life. I played baseball and football and shot hoops when I could find one. I was good, one of the two who always picked sides on all elementary school teams. I lived in that dirty house in the neighborhood, the one where the yard wasn't mowed or edged, bushes overgrown, the neighborhood where I would learn, especially from other kids' parents, that divorced and Mexican were words that were dirty too and that kept me from having friends in neat houses. Then a new boy from another state moved in near enough when I was around 12. My new friend wasn't athletic. He never talked about sports. I didn't care because at least I got to go over to his house, which was the dirtiest of them all, on a street with a traffic light, a house that was always for sale or rent. They rented. His mom looked like she drank, and his dad was a taxi driver. His dad, who was very quiet, sullen I'd put it now, lost his left arm working for the railroad. His dad could have been the one-armed man from The Fugitive! I never told my new friend how I smiled thinking it, not once, but it was always sort of there, making me feel like I was closer to a TV show world. Read the entire article here. You can also find the piece in
Callaloo.The current issue of the
LATINO BOOKS Y MÁS
There's a nice (but short) interview at MyDesert.com with Luciano Ramirez and Tonia Bustamante-Ramirez, owners of Latino Books y Más in Palm Springs, CA. Mr. Ramirez explains his motivation for the store, now in its fifth year, as : "I always wanted to work with books, and I've always read books in English by Latin American authors. We wanted to open a bookstore that looks like our house (and) carry books and things that Borders, Barnes & Noble and Wal-Mart didn't carry." You can also watch a promotional video for the store at this link.
The store has scheduled Victor Villaseñor for a reading of Crazy, Loco Love (Arte Público, September, 2008) on October 25 at 2:00 PM. More info here.
DAY OF THE DEAD ALREADY
While visiting Latino Books y Mas, or your favorite indie bookstore, you might look for Day of the Dead Crafts : More Than 24 Projects That Celebrate Día de los Muertos by Kerry Arquette, Andrea Zocchi, and Jerry Vigil (Wiley, 2008). No, it's not too early to start preparing for Día de Los Muertos, and this book offers many clever ideas including step-by-step instructions, ideas, and inspiration for a wide range of projects: calaveras; masks and skulls 
made from paper maché, gourds, and sugar; artistic ofrendas, or altars, to honor those who have passed; necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and more. Jerry Vigil is a well-known Denver artist who has created some iconic pieces including his Zoot Suit series of muertos, so you can expect exceptional quality in these projects for the classroom, your home, or event.
NEW STORY FROM DAGOBERTO GILB
The September Harper's Magazine carries a new story from Dagoberto Gilb, Willows Village. Gilb appeared in Harper's back in 2001 with Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes: A Pocho Tours Mexico, an article that emerged from Gilb's well-known hassles with Texas Monthly. The new story contains a familiar Gilb character - the down-and-out Chicano trying to make the best of a bad situation, at risk of being his own worst enemy. But the story veers into unexpected territory, and the reader is treated to a fascinating study of human interaction at very basic levels. Desire (sensual and material) clashes with crude, almost mundane kindness, generosity, and jealousy. The story is satisfying without being over-indulgent and, as usual, Gilb's writing is crisp, clean.
I'd recommend getting a copy of Harper's just for Gilb's story. Of course, you will read more in the magazine, which also features a review of A Universal History of the Destruction of Books,by Fernando Báez (Atlas, August, 2008). By the way, Noam Chomsky said Baez's account of the massive and centuries old war against writing is “Impressive. . . The best book written on this subject.”
WRIT WRITER
I hope you saw or get a chance to see the recent documentary, Writ Writer , directed by Susanne Mason, which aired on June 3 on PBS and is now making the art film/independent circuit. Dagoberto Gilb was involved in this project, too. The film tells the story of Fred Cruz, a different kind of hero of the Chicano Movement. Here's a quote from the film's website:
"WRIT WRITER tells the story of a self-taught jailhouse lawyer named Fred Arispe Cruz who challenged the constitutionality of prison conditions in Texas in the 1960s, and launched the state’s prisoners’ rights movement.
The film uses narration adapted from prison diaries, letters, legal pleadings, and courtroom testimony by writer Dagoberto Gilb (The Flowers, The Last Known Residence of Mickey Acuña, The Magic of Blood, and Gritos) and performed in voice-over by actor Jesse Borrego (24, The New World, Blood In, Blood Out)."
Cruz's story is enlightening and presents a part of American history that was about to be lost. The interviews with the former wardens are amazing - unrepentant racists and brutes. I came away from the movie with an image of Cruz as a tough, intelligent man who managed to rise above his personal demons to actually change the world.
There's a good summary of Cruz's life here. And a trailer for the movie here. Watch it.
WRITER OF THE YEAR PANELRocky Mountain Fiction Writers (RMFW) will present their annual
Writer of the Year Panel with authors
Jeanne Stein, Mario Acevedo, Carol Berg, and
Robin D. Owens at the
Tattered Cover LoDo (Downtown) - 1628 16th Street, Denver, CO on September 4, 2008, at 7:30 p.m. The panelists will share their insights on how-to-get published, reveal tips on honing your craft, and illuminate questions that surround the world of publishing. This event is free and open to the public.
The announcement I received about this event said this about one of La Bloga's faves:
"Mario Acevedo is an RMFW 2008
Writer of the Year nominee and the author of the
Felix Gomez vampire-detective series published by HarperCollins including:
The Nymphos of Rocky Flats, X-Rated Bloodsuckers, and
The Undead Kama Sutra. Mario attributes his writing success to the support and advice provided by RMFW. Mario is currently working on translating his books into jive and
Esperanto."
Keep on reading.
Later.
totally cool. i'm sad i couldn't get to la bloga until the end of the day, but i'm glad i got to la bloga at the end of the day. grand reading!
mvs
what an intense, awesome read. gilb wrote it like a dreamscape, unreal. so much to admire. i too really like the cuentitos about the huge priest and his girlfriend and the one about cortes' horse but that section about touching the documents and that leading to borges was the most amazing. gilb published an equally awesome short story in harpers (two months ago) at the same time there was another by him in the new yorker. the man is in heat. good post, so glad i looked. thanks.
raul g