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Blog: La Bloga (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: #WeNeedDiverseBooks, diverse books, latino christmas, Chicano Christmas, latino authors, Add a tag
Blog: La Bloga (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Huffington Post, Latino Book and Family Festival, Reyna Grande, latino authors, cancer support, Cancer Survivor, Give Forward Campaign, Martinez Books, Michele Serros, Add a tag
Michele Serros and Melinda Palacio |
Michele Serros reading at a fundraiser for the 2010 Latino Book and Family Festival |
In the past twenty years, Michele's stories and books have become iconic and required reading in high schools and colleges. I never thought decades later we would both be featured authors on panels and writer pals who send each other late night texts. Earlier this year, I had my own debut at Martinez Books. Thanks to Reyna Grande, who gathered 140 Latino authors for the 2010 Latino Book and Family Festival (see photos and post on La Bloga), I met Michele Serros again as a fellow published author.
Giving Back to a Young Author Who Has Inspired So Many
Less than a year after that moment of meeting Michele Serros again at the Latino Book and Family Festival, I knew that she had some complicated news she wanted to share. But she was hesitant to come out with it. I remember seeing her again in Berkeley when she came to hear me read with Francisco X. Alarcón at Moe's Books. She hinted at her illness, but didn't say outright, I have cancer. I think she was hoping the disease that claimed her mother would go away and that she wouldn't have to burden her family, friends, and fans with the knowledge that she was fighting for her life.
In April 2013, she could no longer ignore the diagnosis. The cancer advanced to Stage 4 adenoid cystic carcinoma, affecting her bones, liver, lymph nodes and paralyzing her left vocal chord.
Some of her friends convinced her to join a crowd funding campaign to help pay for the astronomical price of what her insurance does not cover. Michele Serros chose to stand down cancer in a public way, sharing photos from her hospital stay on Facebook and writing about her lucha on the Huffington Post. Join her campaign and help her say, Hasta La Bye Bye Cancer! You will even be able to join in her chorus of gritos September 16. As of yesterday, she has raised $26, 517 out of a goal of $30, 000.
I hope that Michele exceeds her goal. I look forward to belting out a grito for her on September 16, Mexican Independence Day and the last day to contribute to her GiveForward Campaign, 'A Latina en Lucha Needs You Mucha.'
Michele Serros and Mary Rose Ortega |
"Over the years, I have been to several of her readings, have read and collected her books. All her books are personally autographed. She has brought back many memories and has added laughter to my life. I feel she has included us on her day to day struggle because she knows we care. She puts laughter on the persistent cancer that she is fighting. As a Chicana, I feel that she has always made me proud and when a friend is in need, we need to be there for them. So please give, what you can, to help her in this fight against Cancer." |
Mona AlvaradoFrazier writes:
"We are homegirls, Michele and I. Not only did we attend the sam
Michele is genuinely sweet, a quality hard to come by when
Thank you to everyone who donates to Michele's fight against cancer
Reyna Grande |
"Michele is a wonderful human being and a talent writer who has inspired me by her hard work and dedication but also by the strength and resiliency she ha s shown during this difficult period of her life. I wish her all the best and I encourage everyone to give to her campaign as a way of thanking her for everything she has given us, her readers and fans." |
Michele Serros, Stylish Survivor and Author Join her Campaign. Help her fight cancer. |
Blog: La Bloga (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Mario Acevedo, latino authors, Ernest Hogan, jesus treviño, beatrice pita, latino sci-fi, rosaura sanchez, Day of Latino Science Fiction, Latino speculative literature directory, UC-Riverside, Add a tag
Prof. Sherryl Vint |
5 of the 6 Latin@ authors |
Ernesto Hogan & Mario Acevedo |
Only a part of the Riverside audience |
Jesús Treviño on media panel |
UC-Riverside grad students on panel |
Blog: La Bloga (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: latino authors, Dia Blog Hop, Latina4LatinoLit, Add a tag
Last year, Latinas for Latino Lit (L4LL) launched the first Día Blog Hop in honor of Día de los Niños, Día de los Libros which is celebrated annually on April 30th. Established in the United States by poet and author Pat Mora, Día is a celebration of books and children. Libraries and schools across the country recognize it by hosting their own events. (You can find a complete list of these events here on the official Día website.)
This year, we are happy to announce that we have increased the number to two dozen Latino authors/illustrators paired with top Latina bloggers in comparison with last year’s 20! Starting here on our site on April 6th, a different author/illustrator will appear on a different blog, writing an original short article or creating an original illustration in support of Latino children’s literacy. The Día Blog Hop concludes on April 30th here on L4LL, culminating with a special announcement.
To follow along, here is a schedule of the participating blogs and the authors/illustrators with which they are paired. As each article goes live, I will be updating this schedule with a direct link. Bookmark this page for easy reference!
April 6th – Pat Mora on Latinas for Latino Lit
April 7th – Amy Costales on MommyMaestra
April 8th – Duncan Tonatiuh on The Wise Latina Club
April 9th – Alma Flor Ada on La Familia Cool
April 10th – Lupe Ruiz-Flores on The Other Side of the Tortilla
April 11th – Magdalena Zenaida on De Su Mama
April 12th – Christina Rodriguez on My Friend Betty Says
April 13th – Lulu Delacre on Atypical Familia
April 14th – René Saldaña on Tech Food Life
April 15th – John Parra on Modern Mami
April 16th – Graciela Tiscareno-Sato on Unknown Mami
April 17th – Amada Irma Pérez on Mama Latina Tips
April 18th – Maya Gonzalez on PearMama
April 19th – Talia Aikens-Nuñez on Growing up Blackxican
April 20th – Monica Brown on Moms LA
April 21st – Meg Medina on Latinaish
April 22nd – Irania Patterson on Living Mi Vida Loca
April 23rd – René Colato-Laínez on Discovering the World Through My Son’s Eyes
& Mara Price on Ahorros para Mama
April 24th – Laura Lacámara on Mami Talks
April 25th – James Luna on Ezzy Languzzi
April 26th – Kathleen Contreras on Family is Familia
April 27th – Joe Cepeda on Justice Jonesie
April 28th – Isabel Campoy on Growing Up Bilingual
April 29th – Margarita Engle on My Big Fat Cuban Family
April 30th – A special announcement on Latinas for Latino Lit (L4LL)
Read More at http://latinas4latinolit.org/2014/04/l4lls-2014-dia-blog-hop/, Copyright © Latinas for Latino Lit (L4LL)
Blog: La Bloga (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Latino Literature, NYRB, latino authors, New York Review Books, children's collection, latino children's literature, Add a tag
"We're only a small group of people and want to hear from a broader swath and really do rely on readers, booksellers, librarians, etc. If you have suggestions for previously published books of any sort we would very much like to hear them. You can send them to me.
Blog: La Bloga (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: latino authors, Rudy Ch. Garcia, Last Call for Ice Cream, Rudy Rucker, chicano authors, science fiction, fiction, creative writing, sci-fi, chicano literature, Add a tag
by Rudy Ch. Garcia
For varied reasons, when I was growing up in San Anto, one thing set our home off from the others--we read science fiction. My father--the cabrón--assumedly was the precursor of this, though I can't say about my abuelos. The reading of sci-fi (yeah, I know some authors hate the term) continued long after we kicked el cabrón bruto's ass out of the house and began a semi-nomadic life through shanties and the projects. I kept the tradition alive.
I remember when and how I acquired the bug, the one time our sire read us a short story called The Rag Thing. Me and the others were all curled up in the bed with him and listening to this crazy dishrag that turned into a monster and ate the whole town. Actually, the cabrón stopped before the ending and never finished it for us. But we wanted to know how it turned out, so I became the reader from my siblings. Among other genres, I continue reading sci-fi to this day.
At some point in the past I decided to try mi pluma at getting something published. It finally happened this year when cyberpunk founder Rudy Rucker, Sr. accepted the story Last Call for Ice Cream on his personal webzine at Flurb.net.
Here's how Rucker described it:
"Rudy Garcia’s Last Call for Ice Cream is a hypnotic stew of spanglo slanguage, wry and funny, with a special surprise in every sentence, and a renegade view of life in these United States."
Now, when Rudy Rucker likes one of your stories, in the sci-fi world that's a gigantic plus. When your story is rife with "spanglo slanguage," it's a bigger deal because we know how hard it is for the mainstream lit world to accept "latino lit."
El cabrón is dead and can't read the story and there's no doubt some Freudian slivers to this whole thing in my life and this post, but let's set that aside.
When I read the following review of my story, I got surprised, and, sure, offended somewhat:
"The issue ends with Last Call for Ice Cream by Rudy Ch. Garcia, a rambling piece about a guy trying to write a vidscript. It has so much slang that it becomes tiresome very quickly." [by Sam Tomaino]
I guess Tomaino didn't like it much, though I don't know if the slang he refers to is the spanglo slanguage or the English terms I invented. Not to accuse him of monolinguistic prejudice, I put the vato's critique into the realm of no le cai, because to some people maybe the story is "tiresome."
The incident got my brain clicking, wanting to explore some old questions in new ways.
Do Chicanos/latinos read sci-fi? How much, how many? Why don't more? How many are writing sci-fi? Should more latinos be writing it? Why don't we have a bronce version of the Black Science Fiction Society or afroamerican sci-fi mags? Is there some significance to the answer of any of these?
Consider this only the beginning of a series to explore these and other questions that I haven't imagined. I welcome input from anyone--writers, readers, non-latinos, aliens--to see what new directions we might give the topic.
And if you want to add the either side of the critique of my first accepted sci-fi story, make certain you mention Garcia or Rucker, depending on which Rudy you're referring to.
Es todo, hoy
RudyG
Blog: musings (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Rob, Youth Empowerment, Virtual Book Tours, Latino Authors, Mi Barrio, From the Barrio Foundation, Add a tag
CONDOR BOOK TOURSPRESENTSMi Barrio by Robert Renteria (SmarterComics/Writers of the Round Table, 2011) As Told To Corey Michael BlakeIllustrated by Shane Clester ISBN-10:...
Check out the full post at Musings http://nilkibenitez.blogspot.com
Blog: La Bloga (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: new titles, Virtual Book Tours, latino authors, Add a tag
For more information about BronzeWord Latino Virtual Book Tours visit www.latinobooktours.com
Sins of the Flesh
Caterina Shaw’s days are numbered. Her only chance for survival is a highly experimental gene treatment - a risk she willingly takes. But now Caterina barely recognizes herself. She has new, terrifying powers, an exotic, arresting body — and she’s been accused of a savage murder, sending her on the run.
Mick Carrera is a mercenary and an expert at capturing elusive, clever prey. Yet the woman he’s hunting down is far from the vicious killer he’s been told to expect: Caterina is wounded, vulnerable, and a startling mystery of medical science. Even more, she’s a beautiful woman whose innocent sensuality tempts Mick to show her exactly how thrilling pleasure can be. The heat that builds between them is irresistible, but surrendering to it could kill them both . . . for a dangerous group is plotting its next move using Caterina as its deadly pawn.
Jan 11: http://www.authorslatino.com/blog
Jan 12: http://www.juliaamante.blogspot.com
Jan 13: http://www.examiner.com/x-6309-Latino-Books-Examiner
Jan 14: http://kbgbabbles.blogspot.com/<
Blog: Mayra's Secret Bookcase (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: full circle literary, latino authors, bilingual children's books, rene colato lainez, bilingual books, Add a tag
My guest today is children's author Rene Colato Lainez, who's touring the blogosphere with Latino Book Tours this week. In this interview, Colato talks about his books, his writing habits, and his road to becoming a published author. I hope you'll enjoy the interview!
About the author
René Colato Laínez is the award-winning author of I Am René, the Boy, Waiting for Papá, Playing Lotería, René Has Two Last Names and The Tooth Fairy Meets El Ratón Pérez. His picture books have been honored by the Latino Book Award, the Paterson Prize for Books for Young People, the California Collection for Elementary Readers, the Tejas Star Book Award Selection and the New Mexico Book Award. He was named “Top Ten New Latino Authors to Watch (and Read)” by latinostories.com. He is a graduate of the Vermont College MFA program in Writing for Children & Young Adults.
It's a pleasure having you here today, Rene. Why don’t you begin by telling us a little about yourself?
I am born in El Salvador. Due to the civil war, my father and I left the country in 1985 to reunite with my mother in Los Angeles, CA.
I had two dreams: to become a teacher and a writer. I did not give up my dreams. Dreams come true.
Do you have another job besides writing?
I have been a bilingual teacher for seventeen years at Fernangeles Elementary School in Sun Valley, CA. Working with students is wonderful. They are a great source of inspiration.
Tell us a bit about your latest book, and what inspired you to write such a story.
My Latest book is René Has Two Last Names. In El Salvador, like in most Latin American Countries, people use both the mother and father’s last names as a legal name. I was René Colato Laínez everywhere in El Salvador. In 1985, I received my School ID at Los Angeles High School. When I read my name, I was in shock. My mother’s last name was gone. I was only René Colato. My latest book is autobiographical just like my book I Am René, the Boy. In this new adventure, René works to keep his two last names because both last names represent his heritage.
How would you describe your creative process while writing this book? Was it stream-of-consciousness writing, or did you first write an outline?
I usually write an outline. I know that at least I need 14 scenes to write a picture book. I usually write the first and last scene and then work in the middle of the story. But also my writing is a stream of consciousness. I write about my immigrant experience and my experience about living in two cultures. I write from my heart. I will say that many times my heart whispers my stories while I type them in my computer.
What will the reader learn after reading your book?
I want the reader to feel proud of both sides of his/her families. We have received many gifts, stories and traditions from them and we are who we are thanks the love and effort of our familia,
family.
When writing, what themes do you feel passionate about?
I feel passionate about telling the stories of immigrant children and sharing the experiences of living in two cultures. Every day I speak English and español. Read the newspaper and el periódico.
Listen to music and música. Living in two cultures is fun and I want to keep sharing my stories with children and adults around the wo
Blog: Mayra's Secret Bookcase (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: latino books, hachette book group, latino authors, hispanic authors, latino book month, Add a tag
On behalf of Hachette Book Group, I'll be hosting a Latino Book Month giveaway for the whole month of May!
Not here, but on TheExaminer.com.
In order to be eligible to win, all you have to do is leave a comment at the end of my Examiner post or any of my posts from May 1-31. You can leave as many comments as you wish and as many as you wish. The more you comment, the higher your chance to win.
I'll be drawing a winner at the end of each week (on Sunday) and each winner will receive the whole set of 5 books listed here.
I hope you'll stop by TheExaminer for a chance to win these great books!
Thanks,
Mayra Calvani
A lot of food for thought here. I may have to re-read it, and make notes for future Chicanonauticas. We need to make contact with the Spanish-speaking, sci-fi world -- there are several blogs en español that I'm following . . . As for this side of the Border, it's an interesting story -- my dad read science fiction magazines in East L.A. back in the Forties -- in the Seventies, some Chicano activists though that sci-fi and technology were tools of the Anglo oppressors. Of course, today Chicano hackers are part of Aztlán landscape. I guess I have some work to do . . .
And I almost forgot! Spic Spec Fic! I can see it on a book cover!
I'm Boricua, I read sci-fi and am writing a sci-fi screenplay.
You have better things to do than to fret about a review. A review, good or bad, doesn't make the story any better or worse. It is what it is.
By co-inky-dink, the current issue of The New Yorker has a "sci-fi" (somebody doesn't like that term, really?)theme and, sabes que, there's a story by the one and only Junot Diaz (and also stories/articles by Jonathem Lethem, Anthony Burgess, Ray Bradbury (QEPD), Ursula K. Le Guin, Margaret Atwood, etc. Le Quin's article talks about the gender ghetto of science fiction - I think her point is to write good stuff and it will be read.
STUPID WET BACKS ALL OFF YOU ESTAN CAGANDO PALO SIEMPRE Y SE SIENTEN MUY CHINGONES SWALLOW COCKS AND STAY AWAY FROM US STUPID DICKHEADS
I used to not like science fiction literature, thinking that writers didn't have to go to outer space to find characters, settings and conflicts worth writing about, when we have all of the above aplenty here on earth. "Childhood's End" changed all of that. Then I realized that I liked science fiction films and that I had a limited view of science fiction lit (bug-eyed monsters). I'm now aware of the breadth of the lit genre, from hardwired to gutterpunk and have a lot of respect for its writers. How's this for a character arc: I'm the author of "Destiny's Quest: Transformation" a YA novel manuscript about a teenager who discovers that she has powers and has to rescue her brother from some hybrid monsters.
I recently watched the movie 'Prometheus' with my girlfriend and she mentioned that there was no Brown jente in the film. I noticed right away as well but I didn't expect there to be any. This lead me think about the very topic you bring up about the lack of Sci-Fi literature coming from the Latino community. I remember hearing about the term afro-futurism from a companera and I thought about what that might encompass and thought it would be great idea to incorporate that genre into the Brown community and fully develop the concept. I thought about a world in which various Barrios began to create a community based on healthy lifestyles that would promote quantum leaps into autonomous education. This education would give the access to leaps and bounds into a world that would be a truly advanced civilization. My imagination went wild when I thought of the ancient indigenous cultures that had existed and the Barrios coming into full contact with these lost knowledge systems. What would happen if they re-examined these ancient knowledge systems and incorporated them into their daily live and synthesized something completely unique and free from conventional advanced technology. This is a topic I feel that is worth touching on because its not a popular idea I feel and gets easily overlooked because of the social stigmas conceived of the Brown communities. That is why the potential of a truly rich sci-fi story coming from the Barrios could and will blow away wigs.
So interesting. I was just talking about this with Rene Saldana and David Bowles at TLA last month. I am Latina, Mexicana actually. My second novel, Summer of the Mariposas from TU Books is fantasy/ magical realism, and I have another SF novel in the works, but I agree with you; we definitely, absolutely, positively need more Hispanics writing SF.