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The belief that land is sacred, embodying the memory and inheritance of those who sacrificed to settle it, is common among New Mexican Hispanos, or Nuevomexicanos, and Santa Fe serves as their unique geographic and symbolic center. The city will celebrate the four hundredth anniversary of its founding in 2010 and this anthology honors its role as the foundation of New Mexican Hispanic culture.
Divided into nine parts, this collection reflects the displacement that many Hispanos feel having watched their hometown transform into a tourist and art Mecca. Parts I and II pay homage to Santa Fe through the sentiment that Hispano writers express for the city. Parts III and IV provide historical maps for places that have been reconstructed or obliterated by development, while Part V is dedicated to Santa Fe's distinctive neighborhoods. Parts VI and VII express nostalgia for traditional lifeways. Part VIII illustrates the spirit of Santa Fe and Part IX reflects on traditions that stand the test of time.
Rosalie C. Otero is the director of the University Honors Program, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, and the associate dean of University College. She has written several book chapters, articles, and short fiction.
A. Gabriel Meléndez is professor of American studies at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque.
Enrique R. Lamadrid is a literary folklorist and cultural historian in the University of New Mexico's Department of Spanish and Portuguese. In 2005, he was awarded the Americo Paredes Prize by the American Folklore Society in recognition of his work as a cultural activist.
When Rosita, the loveliest gal in the Pecos River Valley, offers her delicious rhubarb pie as first prize for the Great Grasshopper Race, a thousand love-struck vaqueros line up for the competition. Of course everyone believes that the legendary cowboy Pecos Bill, riding his giant grasshopper, Hoppy, is a shoo-in for the grand prize. Sure enough, Bill and Hoppy give an impressive performance, crisscrossing the Southwest in a raucous ride. But young Juan, who is hopelessly in love with Rosita, astonishes them all when he and Jack the Jackalope take a miraculous ride around the world and across the Milky Way. The daring pair return, covered in stardust, to claim the beautiful Rosita and her delicious pie.
Set in New Mexico, Anaya's fanciful story, coupled with Amy Córdova's vivid illustrations, brings the tradition of Southwestern tall tales to a new generation of young readers.
Ages 6 and up
Rudolfo Anaya, widely acclaimed as one of the founders of modern Chicano literature, is professor emeritus of English at the University of New Mexico. Anaya was presented with the National Medal of Arts for literature in 2001 and his novel Alburquerque (the city's original Spanish spelling) won the PEN Center West Award for Fiction. He has also received the Premio Quinto Sol, the national Chicano literary award, the American Book Award from The Before Columbus Foundation, the Mexican Medal of Friendship from the Mexican Consulate, and the Western Literature Association's Distinguished Achievement Award. He is best known for the classic Bless Me Ultima.
Amy Cordova lives in Taos, New Mexico, where she is co-owner of her own gallery, Enger-Cordova Fine Art. She has illustrated many children's books and teaches art to elementary school children at the Yaxche Learning Center.
NEW DIRECTOR AT MUSEO DE LAS AMERICAS The Museo de las Américas (Museo) Board of Trustees announced that Maruca Salazar has been selected as the new executive director. Additionally, David Dadone, former director of operations for the Museo, has been promoted to deputy director. Salazar will assume the position in July.
We are delighted that Maruca Salazar will be leading the Museo de las Américas as the new Executive Director, stated George Martinez, Board president. She comes to us with a wealth of artistic, administrative, and curatorial experience. Furthermore, Maruca's relationships with teachers and artists throughout the region will greatly assist us in increasing the scope and reach of our education programs, while expanding our artistic vision.
Prior to joining the Museo, Salazar served as the arts coordinator and arts staff developer for Denver Public Schools. During her tenure, Salazar developed an integrated arts education program, and was responsible for the development and stewardship of the $6.5 million arts budget. She holds a Master's of Arts in Multicultural Education from the University of Colorado, Denver; and a Bachelor's of Arts in Multicultural Education from the University of Veracruz, Mexico.
This is the opportunity of a lifetime and a true honor, stated Salazar. As an artist and educator, as well as a long time supporter and participant of the Museo de las Américas, I am committed to advancing Museo's legacy of learning and sharing.
A longtime advocate for the arts, Salazar is a founding member and supporter of the Chicano Humanities and Arts Council, XicanIndie Film Festival, Pirate Gallery, and the Museo de las Américas. As a Visual Artist she has exhibited at local museums and galleries, including the Museo and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver.
This is an exciting time for the Museo, stated Martinez. The Board and staff are confident that Maruca will lead the Museo to new and exciting places, and cement our place as a cornerstone of Denver and the West's cultural community.
About the Museo de las Américas Museo de las Américas (Museo) is the Rocky Mountain region's foremost museum dedicated to educating its community about the diversity of Latino Americano art and culture from ancient to contemporary. The Museo presents exhibitions and education programs that offer new views on Latin American art, advancing the role of Latino artists in the global cultural dialogue, and becoming a cultural hub for the local, national, and global community. The museum is centrally located in the historic Santa Fe Arts District - one of Denver's oldest Latino neighborhoods - at 861 Santa Fe Drive. For more information, please visit: www.museo.org.
Congratulations to Maruca! She's a great fit for the Museo.
HIT LIST READING AND SIGNING AT THE TATTERED COVER On May 21, Mario Acevedo and I read and signed Hit List at the Tattered Cover here in Denver. We promoted the event as the M&M show and free M&M cookies were given to all who attended. I know that Mario and I had a good time and we think our audience did too. We sold a good number of books and read from our stories in the collection. Mario also read from Shortcut to the Moon by Alicia Gaspar de Alba, a prime example of the terrific writing that can be found in this book. Here's a bit from Alicia's story:
When you're from El Paso, you get used to the rough grain of the wind. The leaves turn piss yellow or brittle brown in the fall, not every shade of red and gold and purple, and the winter wind doesn't frostbite your thighs or turn your tears to icicles. In Iowa City, you learn the meaning of seasons. At the Black Angel Cemetery, where I spent untold hours practicing Iowa Writing Workshop techniques that felt like they were making me change from being left-handed to right-handed, the colored leaves of oaks and maples stood out among the headstones like fiery panes of stained glass. What I loved most about that year in Iowa, other than the cornfields and the blizzards and the daffodils blooming under the snow and the juicy double cheeseburgers at George's Bar, was getting blitzed on Cuervo and Colombian with my cousin Ivon in all-night, heart-to-heart sessions that we called "shortcuts to the moon."
I read from A.E. Roman' s Under the Bridge, a story that introduces Chico Santana, the private investigator that plays a lead role in Roman's debut novel, Chinatown Angel. You may recall that I interviewed Roman for La Bloga just before his book came out this past March. The book is great and you should pick it up if you are any kind of reader who appreciates exciting fiction, crime or otherwise. Here's part of what I read to the Tattered Cover audience:
My name is Chico Santana. I'm a private investigator. First off, I'm a nice guy, My wife Ramona says so, and she's part Haitian and part Dominican, so it must be true.
If you look closely at my nose, you can tell it's been broken twice. And if you pay attention to word on the street, you'll come to understand that the men who broke my nose are no longer eating anything that won't flow up a straw. I'm not a tough guy. A lot of tough guys are six feet under. I'm just lucky.
And I'm also not one of those PIs that sit at a desk with his feet up, waiting for his bosses ... to throw him a bone. Nor am I one of those types who are always bragging how close they can come to your chin without hitting you. I have no .38, but I do have a license to bust your ass, and if I have to, I will bust your ass and maybe even the ass of somebody you love.
Mario's story leads off the collection. Oh, Yeah is a short piece but it has plenty of humor, surprises, and tension to whet your appetite for the rest of the stories. My story, The Skull of Pancho Villa, features Gus Corral, a character I've grown fond of and who is starring in the novel I've just started. Here are a couple of photos from the event.
Manuel Ramos and Mario Acevedo at the Tattered Cover, May 21, 2009
Mario and Manuel sign copies of Hit List: The Best of Latino Mystery
THE LINEUP
Edited byGerald So withPatrick Shawn Bagley, R. Narvaez, and Anthony Rainone
ISSN 1945-75106" x 9", 36 pages, saddle-stitched$6.00
The Lineup: Poems on Crime, Issue 02, has arrived. What does poetry have to do with crime? As Patrick Shawn Bagley says in his introduction to the latest issue of this chapbook, Poets do not ask that question. People for whom poetry is a vital part of their reading life do not ask that question. ... So why do we write crime fiction, let alone crime poetry? One may as well ask why we write -- or read -- anything at all. We do it in an attempt to understand. We do it to find some kind of meaning in events that all too often leave victims, perpetrators and everyone around them damaged or destroyed. ... Here you will find proof beyond any reasonable doubt of poetry's relevance to modern life.
Get your hands on this book and dig deep into serious, provocative images. I'm honored that my poem, The Smell of Onions, is included. The Lineup has quite a lineup of contributors: Amy MacLennan, Jennifer L. Knox, Deshant Paul, Stephen D. Rogers, Sophie Hannah, Christopher Watkins, Carol Novack, John Harvey, reed Farrel Coleman, Patrick Carrington, Karen Petersen, Janis Butler Holm. I hear that issue 03 will have Sarah Cortez as one of the editors. Sarah is the co-editor of Hit List: The Best of Latino Mystery.
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but music is worth a thousand pictures. This is aptly illustrated by Mariachi Classics, a 2009 CD released by Mariachi Real of San Diego on the Mardi Gras Records label.
The CD has sixteen covers of songs that should be in the repertoire of any mariachi worth its salt. Many of the tunes evoke visions of girls in bright yellow, red, and blue swirling skirts with colorful satin ribbons in their hair. Others conjure up a snorting, prancing horse that rears up on its hind legs straddled by a charro waving his sombrero just as the Mariachi comes to a crescendo.
The table is set by the opening song, Las Mañanitas, signaling that what is coming is indeed a taste of old Mexico. In Mexico where most people follow the Catholic calendar, Las Mañanitas is traditionally sung to those celebrating the feast day of the Saint whose name they bear. In the United States, for people of Mexican heritage, no matter by how many generations or by how many miles they are distanced from Mexico, Las Mañanitas has become the “birthday” song.
All of the canciones on the CD are standards and the Mariachi Real de San Diego gives exciting renditions. A song becomes a standard by being played over and over again and in this case for decades. The songs have survived wars, crossed borders and been passed from generation to generation. Yet each time they are sung they sound as exciting as the first time but familiar enough that we know every word.
No matter how you translate it, the Mariachi Real de San Diego lives up to its name. In Spanish “real” means royal. This Mariachi’s vocal and instrumental mastery blend together seamlessly to create solid, soul-stirring renditions of these Mexican standards. If you only speak English, you’re also right - this is truly a REAL mariachi. ____________ Thanks, Flo - here's a video of Mariachi Real de San Diego
Michael Sedano reported on this conferencelast week on La Bloga, and he mentioned his role in the conference including his important gift of photographs. The conference deserves another post; here's language from the conference website. Notice the prominence of Señor Sedano.
The 22nd Annual Tomás Rivera Conference will Feature Screenwriter Ligiah Villalobos’ film Under the Same Moon and will be screened at the event celebrating Chicano Latino literature and arts. Screenwriter Ligiah Villalobos, who wrote Under the Same Moon (La Misma Luna), will be the keynote speaker at the 22nd annual Tomás Rivera Conference on Friday, April 24, at the University of California, Riverside. Among the highlights of the annual event are an art installation of a life-size car made of burlap, My ’61 Ford, by Adán Avalos, an exhibition of previously unreleased photos of Rivera and other Hispanic writers by Michael Sedano, screenwriting workshops by Villalobos, and the screening of Villalobos’ Under the Same Moon.
All events will be held on the UCR campus, and are free and open to the public. Parking costs $6.
The 2009 conference has as its theme From the Fields to the Stars and commemorates the 25th anniversary of the death of Tomás Rivera, a Chicano poet, educator and UCR’s chancellor from 1979 to 1984. He was the first Hispanic and first minority chancellor in the UC system, and also, at 43, the youngest person ever appointed to lead a UC campus. He died in 1984 after a heart attack.
"So many things have come together for this most heartfelt conference in honor of the 25th anniversary of Rivera’s passing – the availability and genius of Ligiah Villalobos, the daring of Adán Avalos, the new script by Carlos Cortés, the generous photography collection donated by Michael Sedano and the hard-working Tomás Rivera Conference Committee, the engine of this program. And, of course, Mrs. Concha Rivera’s vision," said Juan Felipe Herrera, Tomás Rivera Chair in creative writing and conference organizer. "Each hour of the conference day will be a star for all to see."
Conference events start at 8 a.m. when Adán Avalos will begin the installation of his life-size burlap car in the lawn area outside the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences Interdisciplinary Building, where most conference activities will take place. Avalos, the son of farm workers, recently was the resident artist at the Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga, Calif.
At noon, the Flor y Canto (Flower and Song) Chicano Literature Festival archives will be inaugurated in Special Collections and Archives on the fourth floor of the Tomás Rivera Library. Rivera attended the first Flor y Canto National Chicano Literature Festival held at University of Southern California in November 1973. An original photo collection will be displayed featuring images of Rivera and other early Chicano writers at that groundbreaking festival. Michael Sedano, the donor and photographer, will be present.
Villalobos will conduct three screenwriting workshops from 1 to 4:15 p.m. in the Interdisciplinary Building screening room. The sessions will focus on the structure of the half-hour comedy, the one-hour drama and the full-length screenplay. Villalobos has been the head writer of the Nickelodeon series Go, Diego! Go! and previously directed all television production and development in South America for The Walt Disney Co.
A 5 p.m. reception outside Interdisciplinary 1020 will include music by local guitarist Hector Ceballos. Activities will move inside at 6:15 p.m. with Carlos Cortés, UCR professor emeritus of history, performing an original dramatic solo in homage to Rivera, followed by a screening of Under the Same Moon. A question-and-answer period with Villalobos will follow.
NERUDA POETRY FESTIVAL KICKS OFF WITH TRIBUTE TO POET PIONEERS
Su Teatro's Tenth Annual Neruda Poetry Festival had a soggy opening night as another spring storm moved into Colorado - rain expected to turn into snow - but a little moisture couldn't dampen the spirits of the audience. We listened to excellent readings of the works of two pioneers of Chicana poetry: Flor Lovato and Margie Domingo. Truly, we shared an inspiring evening with the actors from Su Teatro who did the readings, giving new life to poems and word art, some of which were written decades ago. The two poets confessed that hearing their works read by someone else was a "liberating experience" and a "beautiful event." Margie thanked Tony Garcia, Su Teatro's Artistic Director, for "not waiting until we died" to do the tribute, and Flor revealed that writing her spirited poetry back in the day when the Chicano Movement was in its beginning stages in Colorado, "saved her life."
Margie Domingo and Flor Lovato
Actors and Poets: Cindy Cordova, José Guerrero, Joaquin Liebert, Tony Garcia, Margie Domingo, Valerie Castillo, Jamie Lujan, Flor Lovato. Not in photo: Angel Mendez Soto and Manuel Roybal.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS FOR HIT LIST
Straight fromArte Público Press, here is the list of scheduled events, so far, for readings and signings for Hit List: The Best of Latino Mystery. I may be biased, but I have to say that there's some pretty good stories in this book - you really should get a copy, then take it to one of the events to listen to a few of the writers read from their stories and answer questions from readers. If you don't know about Hit List, browse through recent issues of La Bloga; there are at least four interviews with contributors to this anthology.
Friday, May 8, 2009 - 6:30 pm Murder By The Book 2342 Bissonnet Houston, TX 77005 713-524-8597 David Thompson [email protected]
Participating authors confirmed: Sarah Cortez, Lucha Corpi, Rolando Hinojosa
Thursday, May 14, 2009 - 6:00 - 8:00pm East Harlem Cafe 1651 Lexington Ave (@ 104th St.) New York, NY 10029 Aurora Anaya-Cerda La Casa Azul Bookstore [email protected]
As part of my ongoing efforts to spread the word about Hit List: The Best of Latino Mystery, this week I have an interview with Sarah Cortez, one of the editors of Hit List. Sarah is quite an interesting person with a varied background, which we get into a bit in the Q&A below. Anyone who proclaims on her website that her two greatest loves are policing and poetry should be interviewed. I was intrigued about the idea of a cop also functioning as a poet and an editor, and Sarah responded quite well; I think you will find her answers informative and helpful, especially for someone considering a life in the literary world. You can find out more about Sarah, her books and her other projects on herwebsite.
You are a writer, poet, police officer, editor, and teacher. Quite a résumé. What kind of writer are you – how would you describe what you write? How did you get to the point where you said, “Yes, I am a writer”?
Even though I was first published in fiction, I consider poetry to be my métier. My poetry has been described as “tightly-muscled,” as well as, “Searing. Sexy. Stunning. Blunt.” by no less a poet than Naomi Shihab Nye. I am a devotee of concise language and precise visceral imagery.You ask how I arrived to the point of considering myself a writer. Well, I was fortunate to be mentored by two of the great contemporary American poets: Edward Hirsch and Naomi Nye. By taking classes with them and with other talented teachers, I furthered my craft and my practice. Of course, as with many other writers, I found the first book contract quite convincing. Winning prizes and awards also added to my sense of being a professional writer. However, I would be the first to insist on the “democracy of the blank page.” Whether one has had eight books published or none, in front of the blank page we’re all equal.
Yes, equal and fearful - nothing like a blank page to stir up insecurities.
It’s not unheard of, of course, that law enforcement people would segue into something creative such as writing. In your opinion, though, has the police background helped or hindered your creative urges?
The policing background greatly augments my writing practice, particularly in poetry. One of the poet’s greatest and most formidable tasks is putting the inexplicable into words. One must attempt to translate the unknowable onto the page. In policing, you are slammed with the inexplicable all the time. In fact, it rains down on you. I am most productive in my writing when working the streets as a cop. The negotiation (both internal and external) required due to the amazingly different roles and concomitant discursive spaces is impossible for a civilian to understand.
You recently helped put together Hit List: The Best of Latino Mystery, along with Liz Martínez, your co-editor. What attracted you to becoming an editor? How would you describe editing in comparison with writing a short story or a poem?
What attracted me to editing is much the same as what attracted me to teaching. While editing’s ultimate goal is producing an artistic whole that is publishable, the editor often helps the writer grow and learn. So, in both the teaching of creative writing and the editing, you are assisting the student/writer further his/her vision and craft. I would even go so far as to say that you can’t be a truly effective creative writing teacher without being an excellent editor.In terms of the differences between editing vs. writing your own work, I would say that in writing your own poem or short story you create from the get-go. Your primary excitement and joy is in the creative act, then later in the “revision” act. In editing, the editor has to totally enter into the author’s vision. The editor must carry inside him/herself a thorough understanding of the form, a keen eye for grammatical and syntactical snafus, and an exquisitely honed appreciation for the appropriate payoffs for the future reader, which of course, vary by form. Added to all of this is an impeccable ear for language and all those additional elements composing the standards of the form, e.g. in fiction, plot, characterization, dialogue, pacing, tone.
How did Hit List come about? Where did the idea originate? Who helped make the idea a reality? Why do you think it is important to have such an anthology
The original idea for Hit List came from Liz Martínez. She saw that while there were anthologies of short mystery for other ethnic or cultural groups that there wasn’t one for Latino authors. She came to me because I had the professional contacts to obtain a contract with a prominent publisher and I had the editing skills necessary to ensure a quality product. Plus we both had loved mystery since childhood.
Both Liz and I owe Dr. Nicolás Kanellos, the founder and director of Arte Público Press, an immense debt because he unhesitatingly and enthusiastically took on the project. You know, he is renown for being a brilliant visionary. He’s the publisher who started Denise Chávez, Ana Castillo, Gary Soto, Sandra Cisneros, and Pat Mora on their international writing careers.
It is important to have such an anthology for numerous reasons. First, the book showcases many excellent Latino/a writers. Secondly, the book lets the reader enjoy the widely varied applications of the mystery apparatus by Latino authors. Another important subtext for me as an editor is to let the multi-faceted cultures and sub-cultures of the characters shine forth. It is this richness, I believe, that may lead the reader to perceive that Latinos come from many different types of neighborhoods, different economic strata, etc. For instance, my story in Hit List, In My Hands, is set in an affluent Houston suburb and has only Anglo characters. I grew up in an Anglo neighborhood adjoining a ritzy enclave.
We don’t often hear about young people wanting to become an editor. Cop or writer, yes, but seldom editor. Give us a quick pitch as to why more students should look at editing as a way to become involved in literature or the arts in general, or even as a career path.
I would guess we don’t hear more about students becoming editors for two reasons. The first reason is that youthful dreams tend to lead the dreamer into starring roles. In the literary world, the starring role at this point in time is that of the author. The second reason is that if you take the general rule of thumb as true that it takes about ten years to become proficient writing in a form (and, BTW I believe that it is necessary to be extremely proficient in a form before you try to edit others’ writing in that form), then after those initial ten years, a young writer has to develop the eye and the ear for editing. Well, you can see how time-consuming the process will probably be.
When you read the submissions for Hit List, did your police experiences (your “real life”) “get in the way” of letting you escape into the stories, or maybe it was the other way around – because you have been a cop were you able to enjoy the stories at a certain level of reality that other readers might not recognize?
You ask if my experience as a cop interfered with my enjoyment of the Hit List stories, or help me enter the imaginative space of the authors. As a street cop, most of the calls for service don’t involve homicide, which is the preeminent crime of interest in mystery. However, a good cop is very intuitive and a master at reading body language and subtle shifts in minuscule details, e.g., breath, pupil dilation, hand movements, voice, etc. So, this eye for human behavior can really serve you well as an author, poet, or editor. I would say that the times when I would get pulled out of an author’s compelling fictional landscape would be when a tactical, ballistic, or equipment question came up. For instance, is that type of duty belt or nylon rig used that way, is the caliber correct, did that manufacturer make a weapon with that type of finish in that caliber in that year, etc. Fortunately, I have shot many of the weapons referenced by crime authors and ballistics fascinate me.
Your poetry was featured in the first issue of Lineup, a magazine devoted to crime poetry. What is crime poetry and how is it different from other kinds of poetry?
I’m glad you asked about Lineup, the chapbook series so wonderfully edited by Gerald So, with Patrick Shawn Bagley, R. Narvaez, and Anthony Rainone.The poetry featured deals with some aspect of criminal behavior whether from the victim’s, criminal’s, or another’s perspective.In trying to define what is different about crime poetry from other poetry, I would say that the subject matter focuses the poet’s eye very particularly.So that in trying to accomplish that “great” poetic task we talked about above – putting the inexplicable into words – the poet must unflinchingly hone in on physicality, whether the physicality of the crime scene, the victim, the suspect, and so on.What I see when I read poems from Lineup is the unremitting eye of each poet beginning in the sensory world of the crime’s occurrence.And, of course, the higher the emotional content of an event, the harder it becomes to write about it with elegance.Writers, especially fiction writers, joke about how hard it is to write love/sex scenes and have them turn out well.That’s because of the high emotional content and the enormous number of hackneyed clichés surrounding love/sex scenes.Well, crime scenes carry a lot of those same burdens for the writer/poet.The poets chosen for Lineup do a fantastic job.
I think Lineup is an innovation with much potential power to dramatically change the poetry/crime fiction scene. I hope more readers find it. I'm delighted to note that I have a poem in the upcoming second issue, due later this summer.
What other projects are you working on?
Thank you for asking about my current projects. I’m finishing up editing Indian Country Noir for Akashic Books, another of the projects that Liz Martínez and I have done together. I am also collecting essays by current or retired law enforcement officers for a collection of literary writing by America’s cops. I’ve been busy traveling to colleges and universities to show both composition teachers and creative writing teachers how to use Windows Into My World: Latino Youth Writer Their Lives in the classroom. You can tell people to contact me on my web site www.poetacortez.com if they’re interested in learning more about these projects. Thanks, Manuel. I’ve enjoyed talking with you!
Thank you, Sarah - I hope we meet in person one day, as long as you're not arresting me.
___________________________________________ BITS AND PIECES
TENTH ANNUAL NERUDA POETRY FESTIVAL
Thursday night 4/16, 7pm: A moving spoken word tribute to Flor Lovato and Margie Dominguez, featuring Su Teatro actors and local artists and scholars. $12, $10 student/senior
Friday night 4/17, 7pm:Barrio Slam competition—$500 grand prize attracts the best talent in the city. $250 for 2nd, $175 for 3rd, fun for everyone! Only $5
Saturday afternoon 4/18, 5:30pm: Tacos and Words Literary Salon featuring The Anaya Project. Creative responses to the work of Chicano literary legend and author of Bless Me, Ultima, Rudolfo Anaya. $12
This program features: John-Michael Rivera, professor,writer and poet Gabe Gomez, poet Jennifer Rincon, playwright,writer, actor Paul Flores, performance artist, writer Maria Melendez, poet and teacher Manuel Ramos, writer Harrison Fletcher, professor, writer J Michael Martinez, teacher, poet Cecelia Aragon, playwright, professor, writer
Saturday night 4/18, 8:05pm: ¡Representa! featuring Paul S. Flores and Julio Cardenas. $18, $15 student/senior
For more information, or to purchase tickets, callEl Centro Su Teatroat 303.296.0219 and check out our new and improved website: www.suteatro.org. All events at El Centro Su Teatro, 4725 High Street, Denver, CO 80216
SUPER ESTRELLAS
Presenting the ultimate artistic extravaganza. artistes "super" estrellas features the ultra-cool urban art of: tony vecchio, gems, j.g. medina, jolt, josiah lee lopez a.k.a. zepol, and sev
n...
CHAC north gallery, 774 santa fe blvd., denver, april 1 - 25.
come one, come all, art to entertain the masses!
WESTWORD'S BEST Best DIY Book With Local Ties Day of the Dead Crafts Co-authored by Jerry Vigil "We love local santero Jerry Vigil, having bestowed a previous Best of Denver award on him for his cocky Colorado Rockies muerto, a traditional bare-bones Day of the Dead calavera dressed up in a Rockies uniform. And now we get to laud him all over again for Day of the Dead Crafts: More Than 24 Projects That Celebrate Día de los Muertos, a book he co-authored (with Kerry Arquette and Andrea Zocchi) and contributed to as an artist. Vigil said last fall that he hoped to help impart a more sophisticated understanding of the cultural traditions behind the whimsical Day of the Dead art. And we say he succeeded, without taking away an ounce of the genre's personality."
Spring is cruising the blood, the tired winter gasps empty threats (warning - we have had blizzards in April, even May.) I'm getting my second wind for writing. Life is good.
Later.
3 Comments on Sarah Cortez Interview - Neruda Poetry Festival - Estrellas - Best Muerto Book, last added: 4/10/2009
Lucha - nice to hear from you. I enjoyed Hollow Point at the Synapses (again), in Hit List. There are some pretty good stories in the collection, don't you think? I hope we can do a joint event around the book with several of the writers. That would kill (so to speak.)
El Centro Su Teatro, in collaboration with the Consulado General de Mexico and the Denver Film Society, proudly presents XicanIndie FilmFest XI: Latino World Cinema, April 2 – 5, 2009 at the Starz FilmCenter, 900 Auraria Parkway in Denver.
What began as a small celebration of independent Chicano film making, has, in a decade’s time, become the foremost Latino film festival in the region. This year’s XicanIndie will feature the Denver premiere of an award-winning and riveting new film from director Alex Rivera, Sleep Dealer; a beloved classic from Mexico’s golden age of cinema; a handful of exciting independent shorts - the Chones; and a special tribute to legendary movie producer Moctesuma Esparza (The Milagro Beanfield War, Gettysburg, Walkout).
Join us at 6:00 p.m. as we celebrate the living legacy of Chicano film producer Moctesuma Esparza (Ballad of Gregorio Cortez, Milagro Beanfield War, Selena, Walkout) followed by the Denver premiere of Amexicano - the story of an unlikely friendship between a down and out Italian-American and a Mexicano day laborer.
“Pulses with the hum of city life”—New York Daily News “Constantly unpredictable”—Variety April 2, 6:00 p.m. -- Opening Night Reception (Moctesuma Esparza will be in attendance); City and County of Denver recognizes April 2, 2009 as Moctesuma Esparza Day; Su Teatro presents Esparza with the XicanIndie Lifetime Achievement Award
7:30 p.m. -- Amexicano (distributed by Moctesuma Esparza’s Maya Entertainment)
Another day in Barcelona, another slimy politician’s wife is suspected of infidelity. Luis Font discovers a portrait of his wife in an exhibition that leads him to conclude he is being cuckolded by the artist. Concerned only about the potential political fallout, he hires twins Eduard and Pep, private detectives with a supposed knack for helping the wealthy with their “dirty laundry.” Their office is adorned with false doors leading to non-existent private rooms, a mysterious secretary who is always away and a broken laptop computer picked up on the street. The case turns ugly when Font’s wife is found poisoned by a marron glacé from a box of sweets delivered anonymously. This is a deftly plotted, bitingly funny mystery novel. A satire of Catalan politics and a fascinating insight into the life and habits of Barcelona’s inhabitants, diurnal and nocturnal. Winner of the 2007 Brigada 21 Prize for the Best Catalan Mystery Novel.
SHORT STORY EVENTS Don't forget the group reading and Q&A for Latinos in Lotusland scheduled for March 28, 2009, 3:00 - 6:00 p.m.at Librería Martínez, 1200 N. Main St., Santa Ana, CA 92701. Phone: 714-973-7900. Scheduled contributors to the anthology include Lisa Alvarez, Conrad Romo, Victorio Barragan, Alejandro Morales, Sandra Ramos O'Briant, Manuel Ramos, and the esteemed editor, Daniel Olivas.
And, this just in ... a reading and signing for Hit List: The Best of Latino Mystery has been set for the Tattered Cover, Colfax store (Denver) for May 21 at 7:30 p.m. Join Mario Acevedo and me at the Tattered as we read from our stories in the new anthology and celebrate this publishing milestone - the first short story collection devoted to Latino crime fiction writers. I will post a complete list of all scheduled Hit List events (from New York to Houston to San Antonio to Denver to L.A.) in the weeks to come. Watch for it.
And while you are at it, watch for another interview with one of the people responsible for putting together Hit List - coming soon.
Later.
2 Comments on XicanIndie, New Book, Short Story Events, last added: 4/6/2009
Bummer. Whilst youse guys are reading, laughing, and signing Latinos in Lotusland, I'll be with my book group looking through Blindness. Oh well. When I consider how my time is spent, I find all these confounding conflicts. Oh well. Break a leg, gente.
Ralph E. Rodriguez is Associate Professor in the Department of American Civilization and at the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America at Brown University. He is the author of Brown Gumshoes: Detective Fiction and the Search for Chicana/o Identity (University of Texas Press, 2005).
Brown Gumshoes is a rarity: a critical analysis of a type of literature usually labeled as genre fiction (and, therefore, “less deserving.”) I am aware of only one other academic book dealing specifically with Chicana/o crime fiction, Susan Baker Sotelo’sChicano Detective Fiction: A Critical Study of Five Novelists (McFarland and Co., 2005.)
Professor Rodriguez also has published articles on a range of Latina/o authors, critical pedagogy, queer theory, detective fiction, and film. Latina/o literature and culture, graphic novels/comic books, queer theory, cultural theory, race, ethnicity, and feminism constitute his active research and teaching interests.
He has received teaching awards from the University of Texas and Penn State University. He is currently a member of the PMLA editorial board and a former member of the editorial board of Aztlán: A Journal of Chicana/o Studies. He regularly referees for a host of journals in American Studies, literary studies, and film studies.
Rodriguez wrote the Foreword to Hit List: The Best of Latino Mystery, edited by Sarah Cortez and Liz Martínez, due from Arte Público Press at the end of March, 2009. In anticipation of the publication of this anthology, I asked Professor Rodriguez to share a few thoughts and comments with La Bloga about Latino crime fiction, a genre that apparently has caught and held his attention.
How and why did you become interested in crime fiction (mysteries, detectives, thrillers?)
I have my 7th-grade English teacher to thank for my interest in mystery novels. He assigned Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. I honestly wasn’t interested in reading it at first, but my parents made sure I did my homework. Twenty pages in, I was hooked. Perhaps I should credit my parents as well. I loved the intrigue and puzzle aspect of the mystery novel.
Ah yes, Christie. Every few years I read And Then There Were None. It helps to get back to basics, especially when the creative well runs dry.
Isn't publishing in a crisis, economically and in terms of challenges for audience? If so, does Latino crime fiction have a future in publishing?
Yes, on the economic front, I think all businesses are in a crisis at the moment and are looking for ways to cut costs and make more money. The mystery genre strikes me as a business driven by niche markets. That is to say, not all mystery readers read all mysteries. They have their preferred sub-genres—hard-boiled, cozies, historical, police procedural, etc. In addition, many of these readers have authors they are committed to following as well, but that’s not so different from fiction sales in general. However, I’m not sure that Latina/o crime fiction has yet found its niche or fan base. I can’t say that with unqualified conviction because I don’t have the sales figures to back that statement up. Indeed, when I was working on Brown Gumshoes, I found that most publishers were reluctant to discuss sales figures. Nevertheless, I don’t think any of the Latina/o crime fiction books have sold, say, in the hundreds of thousands. Perhaps Rudolfo Anaya or Carolina García-Aguilera. In other words, they can’t guarantee the sales of, for example, a new James Patterson, J.A. Jance, or Kathy Reichs novel. Though one need not generate those sales figures at first, commercial publishers are going to be reluctant to continue with a series that seemingly isn’t producing readers. Thank goodness for independent presses like Alyson and Arte Público who get first-time writers in print and keep well-established ones there as well. I don’t want to be bleak about this. I think there are challenges for Latino crime fiction (as I think there are challenges for all fiction), but I believe there are great opportunities too. I know there must be literary agents out there just dying to receive a query letter about an exciting new Latino mystery series.
I know writers who are having a tough time continuing with their craft because of market conditions and publishing stress. Maybe more so for Latina and Latino writers who have tied themselves to a subgroup of literature such as mystery. As a follow-up to the preceding question, is there an audience for Latino mysteries among non-Latino readers?
I certainly hope there is, and I suspect that many non-Latino readers have already been reading Latino mysteries. I know they have been in my classes. But you raise a terrific point, Manuel. The viability of Latino fiction depends on both Latino and non-Latino readers buying these books. Writers have to have crossover appeal to succeed. The boom in African American detective fiction, which slightly preceded the rise in Latino mysteries, depended on crossover appeal. It’s what made Walter Mosley such a household name. It also doesn’t hurt that he writes in a number of literary genres and thereby draws readers from other genres over to the mystery novel as well. I think the success of Rudolfo Anaya’s work in general, but particularly Bless Me, Ultima, suggests that folks are interested in topics that Latina/o authors are writing about. I would hate to think of these works of fiction as anthropological or sociological texts because they are works of the imagination and art, not ethnographic fieldwork, but I do know that some of the appeal of ethnic fiction is an interest in knowing what other folks are like.
To return to the matter of crossover appeal, think of the tremendous success of Tony Hillerman’s Jim Chee and Joe Leaphorn novels. So yes, I think there is a market for Latino mysteries among non-Latino readers.
I want to hasten to add that the success and continuation of Latino mysteries depends as well on a strong marketing campaign. Among Latino mystery writers there are no, what the industry calls, out-of-the-box bestsellers, and there probably won’t be until one of the major commercial publishers puts some serious marketing dollars behind a Latino mystery writer. I’m talking about the kind of marketing that would make it impossible for you to walk into a Borders or Barnes and Nobles without stumbling upon a display of that author’s works or to open the New York Times Book Review without coming across an ad for that author. That kind of marketing will draw attention to the author, and then the book has to payoff. Readers have to feel excited about its contents. Then word of mouth and prominent reviews on the web and in more traditional venues can assist in selling the book.
Sounds like an Escher loop. The kind of marketing you describe is usually reserved for writers who already are best sellers; but I agree, such marketing probably has to happen for a Latino or Latina mystery writer to "hit."
Brown Gumshoes was published in 2005. In the four years since, what changes, if any, have taken place in Latino crime fiction -- new writers, new themes?
When one is working on a book, as you know, you follow everything being published that relates to your book. But afterwards, you sometimes need a break. So I have to confess that I haven’t been reading as many mysteries in the last few years, but it did worry me, until I read Hit List, that the production of Latino mysteries was slowing down if not coming to a halt. Michael Nava stopped his Henry Rios series. Rudolfo Anaya finished his quartet of mysteries. What had felt like the emergence of a boom to me in Latino mysteries wasn’t exploding at the magnitude I anticipated. Yet this period of slow growth did witness the publication of many fine books as well, Alicia Gaspar de Alba’s Desert Blood,Lucha Corpi’s Crimson Moon, and Carolina García-Aguilera continued her Lupe Solano series, among others.
I am not certain I have detected new themes emerging. Perhaps it is too soon to see that. I always have the feeling it takes a decade or so worth of work to start noticing patterns and themes. Nevertheless, as Juan Flores and a number of other Latino Studies scholars have pointed out, the Latino population is more diverse and more widely dispersed throughout the United States than ever before. Indeed, that diversity and dispersal are what account for, in part, Marcos McPeek Villatoros’ Romila Chacón series, whose protagonist is a Salvadoran woman living in Tennessee.
We see the diversity of Latino experiences in Hit List as well. The range of voices in the volume will please a number of readers. There are voices new to the genre such as Bertha Jacobson, John Lantigua, and Steven Torres, among many others, whose stories contribute significantly to the growth of the Latino mystery. In addition to these new writers, the volume also includes established figures like yourself, Carolina García-Aguilera, Rolando Hinojosa-Smith, and Lucha Corpi. For me, it is always a treat to run across the new work of established authors you have come to consider your friends over the years because you have spent countless hours reading and re-reading their work. Sarah Cortez and Liz Martínez have assembled a wonderful collection of mystery fiction, and I thank them for that and for the opportunity to write the Foreword. It gave me first crack at reading what should be a wonderfully successful book.
I agree that Hit List sounds like a great collection. I eagerly anticipate the stories from some of the "friends," as you call them, such as Lucha Corpi, Rolando Hinojosa, Steven Torres, Mario Acevedo, Sergio Troncoso, etc., as well as the newer writers -- A. E. Roman, R. Narvaez, Carlos Hernandez, just to name a few more.
The late Max Martínez was a friend and I admired his work, especially his two crime novels, White Leg (1996) and Layover (1997), both published by Arte Público. Max didn't fit your approach in Brown Gumshoes, but I wonder if you have any thoughts about Max and his impact, if any, on Chicano crime fiction?
I enjoyed both of Max’s crime novels, but as I was focusing on detectives and mystery novels and he was writing novels where the focus was on the criminal, it went beyond the scope of my project to talk about him. The crime novel, with its focus on the crime and the criminal, has always constituted a small, but important, segment of the mystery genre. I read Max’s work in the tradition of Jim Thompson, one of the great names in mystery fiction, and I would recommend any fans of The Killer Inside Me to pick up White Leg and Layover. While I admire Max’s work, the crime novel hasn’t really taken off in Latino letters.
I have high hopes for the crime novel, a story told from the criminal point of view. In fact, if I may, I predict that eventually there will be a crime novel told from the perspective of an immigrant Latino or Latina, and it will rock the market. But then, I also predicted that Bush would lose in 2004 -- it seemed obvious.
Let's say that a few of La Bloga's readers have not read any Latino crime fiction or, worse, think they shouldn't waste their time with such lowbrow material. You've read all the stories in Hit List. Why should other people read it?
I think all fiction stands to broaden our cultural horizons. The art of fiction is the art of narrating life, taking a series of events and constellating them into a meaningful picture. This picture can reveal to us depth of character, moral conundrums, pressing political matters, and a host of emotional experiences. At its best, fiction helps us understand ourselves and others in ways we hadn’t imagined before. It opens up a world of imaginative possibilities. It can bring us to ecstatic highs and melancholic lows. It compels us to abandon any solipsistic understanding of the world that we might have by bringing us into the lives of characters whose experiences, values, and beliefs may widely diverge from our own. I don’t believe in drawing distinctions between high culture and low culture because I think all culture has the possibility of connecting with and transforming our lives. I think Hit List can affect readers just as well as any work of capital L “Literature.” The stories in the collection can entertain as well as give pause for thought. The two need not be mutually exclusive.
Moreover, I think we all lead such busy, hectic, and, let’s face it, sometimes boring lives that on occasion we want to escape into a compelling story, and I don’t think we should make value judgments about the worth of such escapes. If you are looking for such an escape, you can find it in the intrigue and suspense of the stories in Hit List. But the volume is also going to ask you to think about substantive matters as well, matters such as history, politics, the ethics of murder, and Latino identity formation. If you have shied away from mystery fiction in the past, dare to embrace it now.
One of the writers you studied in Brown Gumshoes was Lucha Corpi. Who are some of the other women writers in this genre and what are they doing with the mystery template?
Women writers have a long history in the genre and have long been some of its best practitioners. If you are asking about fundamental rewrites or major revolutions at the level of form, I’m not sure I have detected any since the feminist rewrite of the hard-boiled story that emerged in the late 1970s and 1980s. Maureen Reddy’s Sisters in Crimeis a terrific study of feminism and the crime novel, as is Sally Munt’s Murder By the Book?, which also engagingly analyzes the lesbian mystery novel. As regards some of the novelists themselves, I enjoyed the way Barbara Neely used an African American domestic worker as her principal sleuth in her Blanche series. Lindsey Davis’s long-running Marcus Didio Falcus series set in ancient Rome will delight fans of the historical mystery, and I think Janet Evanovich is a comic genius. Well, I can’t possibly list all of the writers I enjoy and admire here, so I should stop before it appears I am attempting to make some definitive and exhaustive list of the women mystery writers who matter. I’m not. I just tossed out a few examples of works and writers I like.
The simple art of murder, Raymond Chandler wrote more than fifty years ago, really is not so simple, as any reader of Brown Gumshoes quickly learns. However, the murder mystery and detective tale have to be entertaining. At its heart, a plot about crime and criminals, cops and sleuths, must have a good story. I'm asking now for your personal opinion -- which writers, in any genre, tell the best stories? Who would you recommend as authors who grab readers quickly and hold them until the very end?
Oh gosh, Manuel, this is a wonderful and difficult question. Without trying to justify what novels grab me and why, I’ll just mention a few titles and authors. Junot Díaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao was one of the first novels I have read in a long while that I wanted to reread as soon as I finished it. Allison Bechdel’s Fun Homeis perhaps one of the best graphic novels I have read in a while. Adrian Tomine’s Sleepwalk and Summer Blondeimmediately come to mind. His characters are by no means loveable and may be too angsty for some, but he really is at the forefront of graphic novels. Along those lines, I think mystery readers and those interested in suspense will enjoy Brian K. Vaughn and Pia Guerra’s Y: The Last Man. Jonathan Lethem’s Fortress of Solitude tells a great story about music, race, friendship, and New York. John Connolly’s Book of Lost Things wouldn’t let go of me, nor would Marcus Zusak’s The Book Thiefand I Am the Messenger. I think the latter book has a lot to tell us about what it means to treat oneself and others well, without being preachy. I adore Haruki Murakami’s novels, and since I’m a runner, I couldn’t miss his What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. I regularly reread Ana Castillo’s Sapogonia and May Sarton’s journals. Edwidge Danticat’s Krik? Krak! and Jhumpa Lahiri’s Interpreter of Maladiesdemonstrate their tremendous gifts as storytellers. Henning Mankell’s Kurt Wallander series is a joy. Nick Hornby’s novels are poignant and playful, especially High Fidelity. Donna Tartt’s The Secret History grabs you and won’t let you go. Robertson Davies’s novels are full of wonder and surprise; Fifth Business is one of my favorites. David Sedaris endlessly entertains me while always striking a chord of deep emotional resonance. Paul Auster’s City of Glassis a wonderful reflection on the detective novel and the shaping force of language, as is Patrick Chamoiseau’s Solibo Magnificent.Paco Ignacio Taibo II is a master of the mystery novel, and Benjamin Alire Saenz’s House of Forgettingis a haunting psychological thriller. Zadie Smith’s On Beauty is a powerful tale about race, class, love, and cultural expectations. Okay, I should stop now. I fear this is getting too long. Readers of La Bloga who would like to know more may contact me at [email protected]
I'm sure some of our readers will take you up on your offer. That's quite an impressive list.
What are you working on now? What future projects are on your agenda?
Kind of you to ask. I have a few projects I am working on now. I am writing an essay on visual seduction and graphic novels, which will likely deal with one of my favorite graphic novelists, jason. That essay is related to a book I am writing now on pleasure and literary form tentatively entitled Please, Please Me. I am interested in how we think about, represent, and consume pleasure in literature. In other words, what is pleasing in literature and why? I want to know, moreover, how those pleasures vary among literary forms such as the mystery novel, the Latino novel, the young adult novel, the queer novel, and so forth. I am also working on two novels. I have a completed mystery novel entitled Bluesman: A Marco Fuentes Mystery sitting on my desk. In Bluesman, Marco Fuentes returns home to Seaside, Virginia from Austin, Texas. His father is undergoing his final chemotherapy treatment, and Marco wants to spend time with his family. While there, Marco’s long-time friend, Winston Jefferson, is shot to death while playing a blues concert in a small nightclub. Winston's mother hires Marco to investigate the murder. Feeling more and more like a Texan of late, Marco finds himself ill at ease in a place he once called home. The working-class neighborhood he grew up in has undergone substantial gentrification, while simultaneously breeding a growing cocaine trade. Marco has to wrestle with both of these developments, as well as his brother Vegas's connections to them, to solve the murder of Winston Jefferson. I need to give the manuscript one more read through and then query literary agents about getting it published. I have also recently started writing a novel that examines a series of overlapping friendships and romantic relationships among a cast of about ten principal characters. Each of the characters is, to varying degrees, trying to figure out the significance of what it means to share their lives with another person, what the role of friendship and romance is in their lives, and how to be open to the vagaries of sexuality. It’s written in a playful style meant to make the reader laugh and reflect on life.
Muchisimas gracias, Ralph. You have given our readers much to consider, maybe even comment upon. I appreciate your time and thoughtfulness and your intellectual attention to a type of literature that I certainly enjoy and promote.
That's it for this week. Upcoming - an interview with one of the best-known and prolific contributors to Hit List. Plus, more news, views, and a review or two. Lucha Corpi's poetry set to music! A new movie that tells "a haunting immigration tale about worker exploitation in a world of technology gone awry" is showcased at the XicanIndie Film Festival in April! More new books! Y mucho más.
Later.
3 Comments on Interview With Ralph E. Rodriguez - The Worthiness of Escapist Literature, last added: 4/6/2009
This comment is actually a general one, but I thought I'd post it to this entry since it is your most recent one and I couldn't find another place to put it. I recently read over at Publish Chicago (www.publishchicago.com) that Sandra cisneros' book House on Mango Street was chosen for One Book, One Chicago, and it seemed like she had some interesting things to say about the Chicago Latino community. I was wondering what you all think about this, and if you've read her book, what do you think of it?
Thank you, Annette Leal Mattern, for filling in the past four weeks. Her health-oriented articles were informative and timely; I appreciate that she shared her observations and advice with La Bloga's readers. Hey, RudyG - did you see what she had to say about smoking?
I've been doing a lot of reading and a bit of writing - not as much writing as I should but that's always the case. I hope to soon have some good news about future publications; stay tuned, as they say. One reading project I took up is to read John Updike'sRabbit novels, in order. Years ago I read Rabbit Redux - Updike's recent passing got me to thinking that this might be a good time to catch up on all four Rabbit books. I have to say that Rabbit, Run was a tough book for me to get into but now that I am finally finding a handle on Rabbit's puzzling personality, at least as much as I can in 90 pages, the book is reading quicker. I'm a very slow reader so this particular project could take me months. Where does Updike stand these days in the pantheon of twentieth century North American writers? Is he regarded as having more substance than John O'Hara or more staying power and diversity than John Cheever, but not on the same level as F. Scott Fitzgerald? Or is the jury still out?
Meanwhile ...
NEW BOOKS FROM ARTE PUBLICO (Taken from the Spring 2009 Catalog)
In Sonora, a group of immigrants circles around a coyote, Leonardo Cerda, who will—for a price—lead them across the treacherous desert to the United States. Fearful that Cerda may be one of those who will collect their money up front and then leave them stranded to die, the travelers ultimately are forced to put their trust in him and begin the dangerous crossing to a new life. Afraid even of each other, they initially avoid eye contact or conversation. But as the three-day passage across the blistering landscape progresses, the fight to survive the grueling trip ensures that their lives—and deaths—are linked forever.
While trudging along, placing one exhausted foot in front of the other, the travelers each remember their lives and the reasons they have been forced to abandon their land, homes and loved ones. Among the immigrants is Menda Fuentes, a salvadoreña, the only member of her family to survive a massacre during her country’s civil war. Then there is Julio Escalante and his young grandson Manuelito, who pay the full fee even though they plan to go only halfway. By their side is Encarnación Padilla, an ancient indigenous woman who has survived ostracism and her involvement in the Zapatista uprising. Next to her walk Nicanor and Borrego Osuna, two brothers who suffer the ultimate indignity just to make it to the United States. Finally, there is Armando Guerrero, shifty, suspicious-looking, and clearly different from the rest because of his fancy clothes as well as the mysterious bag to which he clings.
In addition to confronting their own internal demons, they must also face the dangers that they encounter on the trail: poisonous snakes, debilitating dehydration and exhaustion, and a ferocious sandstorm that tears the group apart. This riveting novel explores the lives behind the news stories and confirms Limón’s status as one of the country’s premiere Latinas writing about issues that affect us all.
This anthology of searing poetry and prose collects the famed Nuyorican's writings from the past 35 years
"Don’t believe the deadly game,"Miguel Algarin warns the elderly black Puerto Rican sitting in a park in Old San Juan, "of Northern cities paved with gold and plenty / don’t believe the fetching dream / of life improvement in New York / the only thing you’ll find in Boston / is a soft leather shoe up your ass."
In this affecting collection of poetry and prose, Nuyorican poet Miguel Algarin crafts beautifully angry, sad pieces about injustice and loss. While warning his compatriots about the unreality of the American Dream, he acknowledges that "we are the pistons that / move the roughage through Uncle / Sam’s intestines, we keep the flow / of New York happening / we are its muscles."
Algarin’s poems covering his long career give voice to the disenfranchised—the junkie, the HIV inflicted, the poverty stricken—and survival is a recurring theme. In the essay "Nuyorican Language," which was originally published in 1975, he argues that for the New York Puerto Rican, there are three survival possibilities: to work hard for little money all your life and remain in eternal debt; to live life by taking risks of all types, including killing, cheating and stealing; and to create alternative behavioral habits. The Nuyorican poet, he says, must create a new language, "A new day needs a new language or else the day becomes a repetition of yesterday."
While many of the poems focus on the Puerto Rican experience in New York, others touch on universal experiences such as the death of friends and the ephemeral nature of life. "So what if you’re dead, / I’m here, you’re gone, / and I’m left alone / to watch how time betrays, / and we die slow / so very slow." And he turns his sharp gaze on events around the world, including the fights between England and Argentina for the Falkland Islands, Israel and Palestine for the Holy Land.
With an introduction by Ernesto Quiñonez, author of the acclaimed novel Bodega Dreams, this collection takes the reader through an intimate, autobiographical journey of one of the country’s leading Nuyorican writers and intellectuals.
Of course I have to mention this anthology - again. And expect more from me dealing with this book and the contributors - I'm lining up at least one intriguing interview and hope to have more to share. For now, here's a complete list of the authors: Mario Acevedo, Lucha Corpi, Sarah Cortez, Carolina García-Aguilera, Alicia Gaspar de Alba, Carlos Hernandez, Rolando Hinojosa-Smith, Bertha Jackson, John Lantigua, Art Muñoz, R. Narvaez, L.M. Quinn, A.E. Roman, Manuel Ramos, S. Ramos O'Briant, Steven Torres, Sergio Troncoso.
NALAC awarded over $143,000 to 22 Latino artists and 17 Latino arts and culture organizations for the 2008-2009 cycle of the NALAC Fund for the Arts (NFA). The NALAC Fund for the Arts (NFA), is the only national arts fund specifically for Latino artists and arts organizations in the United States. READ MORE
The 2008-2009 NFA Grantees Are:
Artists: Brent Beltrán, Anna De Orbegoso, Nicolas Dumit Estevez, Nicole Elmer, Michael John Garces, Guillermo Gómez-Peña, Sandra Guardado, Eren McGinnis, Esau Melendez, Abinadi Meza, Elisha Miranda, Michelle Ortiz, Sandra Pena Sarmiento, Laura Perez, Marlene Ramirez Cancio, Omar G. Ramirez, Ruben Salazar, Minerva Tapia, Juana Valdes, Vito Jesus Valdez, and Elio Villafranca
Organizations: Arte, Inc., Association of Hispanic Arts, Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance, Calpulli Mexican Dance Co., Conjunto Heritage Taller, El Centro Su Teatro, Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, Fiesta DC, La Casa de la Raza, MACLA/Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana, The Providence Latin American Film Festival, Santa Cecilia Orchestra, Serie Project, Talento Bilingüe de Houston, Taller Puertorriqueño, Inc., Teatro IATI, and Teatro Vision.
JAILBAIT ZOMBIES INVADE THE TATTERED COVER
Mario Acevedo reads from and signs his latest Felix Gomez novel, Jailbait Zombie, on March 9, 2009, at 7:30 PM at the Colfax Avenue Tattered Cover, Denver. Acevedo is a former infantry and aviation officer, engineer, art teacher to incarcerated felons, and the bestselling author of The Nymphos of Rocky Flats, X-Rated Bloodsuckers, and The Undead Kama Sutra. In Jailbait Zombie (HarperCollins) vampire detective Gomez coming face-to-face with the worst sort of undead. To stop a ravenous army of zombies, the detective must team up with a precocious teen with clairvoyant powers whose cooperation comes at a price: she won't help unless Felix makes her a vampire - if the zombies don't get her first.
Mario's continuing signing schedule so far is:
The Paranormal Bender Tour with fantasy authors Mario Acevedo, Caitlin Kittredge, Mark Henry, and Cherie Priest:
Clark County Library, Jewel Box Theater Las Vegas, NV March 11, 2009. 7 PM ....................... Mysterious Galaxy San Diego, CA March 13, 2009. 7 PM ....................... Dark Delicacies Burbank, CA March 14, 2009. 2 PM ....................... Borderlands Books San Francisco, CA March 15, 2009. 7 PM ....................... Powell's Books Beaverton, OR March 16, 2009. 7 PM
To get you in the right mood for an evening with Mario here's his animated trailer for his new book featuring motorcycle-riding Legos, directed and animated by EmilianoAcevedo.
Hey who is this Flo? She writes good music stuff!
How come you don't have her as a regular?
Esa, Flo! Thanks for bringing this real mariachi to my attention.And welcome to La Bloga. Hope to read more musica from your pen.
ate,
mvs