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Maria Had a Little Llama/Maria Tenia Una Llamita and Knit Together author and illustrator Angela Dominguez creates heart-warming tales about family and togetherness. Angela Dominguez is a two-time recipient of the American Library Association’s Pura Belpre Honor (2014 and 2016).
It’s kind of a love letter to my mom.
— Angela Dominguez on “Knit Together”
Angela’s picture books are rooted in the themes of family, tradition, and friendship. Several of her books including Maria Had A Little Llama/Maria Tenia Una Llamita;Let’s Go, Hugo; and Knit Together pull from relationships with family members and artifacts from her childhood. A wind-up toy inspired French bird Hugo. Angela’s memories of wanting to be a skilled knitter like her mother led her to write a book to remind children they can be talented in their own way. An aunt’s interest in indigenous cultures informed the writing of a version of Mary Had a Little Lamb with a Peruvian twist.
Angela’s books aren’t only an option for children growing up bilingual; they are excellent for those who want to expose young readers to the Spanish language and Latino culture.
Aspiring illustrators will enjoy hearing about Angela’s process and seeing what a book looks like from start to finish.
We’re giving away three (3) sets of books from Angela Dominguez. Each set includes signed copies of Maria Had a Little Llama and Knit Together. Enter now!
All entrants must reside in the United States and be at least 13 years old.
ABOUT THE BOOKS
Knit Together
Written and illustrated by Angela Dominguez
Published by Dial Books for Young Readers
From an award-winning illustrator comes a sweet story of mothers and daughters, drawing and knitting, and learning to embrace your talents just right for Mother’s Day. Drawing is fun, but knitting is better because you can wear it Knitting isn t easy, though, and can be a little frustrating. Maybe the best thing to do is combine talents. A trip to the beach offers plenty of inspiration. Soon mom and daughter are collaborating on a piece of art they can share together: a special drawing made into a knitted beach blanket. For every mom and daughter, this is an arts-and-crafts ode creative passion and working together.
Santiago Stays
Written and illustrated by Angela Dominguez
Published by Harry N. Abrams
Dominguez presents a humorous and endearing portrait of a stubborn French bulldog and a determined little boy.
Everyone knows about Mary and her little lamb. But do you know Maria? With gorgeous, Peruvian-inspired illustrations and English and Spanish retellings, Angela Dominguez gives a fresh new twist to the classic rhyme. Maria and her mischievous little llama will steal your heart.
Let’s Go, Hugo! Written and illustrated by Angela Dominguez
Published by Dial Books for Young Readers
Hugo is a dapper little bird who adores the Eiffel Tower — or at least his view of it from down here. Hugo, you see, has never left the ground. So when he meets another bird, the determined Lulu, who invites him to fly with her to the top of the tower, Hugo stalls, persuading Lulu to see, on foot, every inch of the park in which he lives instead. Will a nighttime flying lesson from Bernard the Owl, some sweet and sensible encouragement from Lulu, and some extra pluck from Hugo himself finally give this bird the courage he needs to spread his wings and fly?
Marta! Big & Small (August 23, 2016)
Written by Jennifer Arena, illustrated by Angela Dominguez
Published by Roaring Brook Press
Marta is “una nina,” an ordinary girl . . . with some extraordinary animal friends. As Marta explores the jungle, she knows she’s bigger than a bug, smaller than an elephant, and faster than a turtle. But then she meets the snake, who thinks Marta is “sabrosa” tasty, very tasty But Marta is “ingeniosa,” a very clever girl, and she outsmarts the snake with hilarious results. With simple Spanish and a glossary at the end, this fun read-aloud picture book teaches little ones to identify opposites and animals and learn new words.
COMING IN 2016
How Do You Say? Como Se Dice? (November 8, 2016)
Written and illustrated by Angela Dominguez
Published by Henry Holt & Company
Hello “Hola.” Some people speak Spanish. Some people speak English. Although we may not speak the same language, some things, like friendship, are universal. Follow two young giraffes as they meet, celebrate, and become friends. This bilingual tale will have readers eager to meet new friends and “amigos.”
COMING IN 2017 Sing Don’t Cry
Written and illustrated by Angela Dominguez
Published by Henry Holt & Company
Pura Belpre Honor winner, Angela Dominguez, based this musically driven story on her beloved grandfather. Her abuelo always encouraged her to stay positive and carry on.
ABOUT ANGELA DOMINGUEZ
Via AngelaDominguezStudio.com
Angela was born in Mexico City, grew up in the great state of Texas, and lived in San Francisco. She’s the author and illustrator of picture books such as Let’s Go, Hugo!, Santiago Stays, Knit Together, and Maria Had A Little Llama, which received the American Library Association Pura Belpré Illustration Honor. When she is not in her studio, Angela teaches at the Academy of Art University, which honored her with their Distinguished Alumni Award in 2013. She also enjoys presenting at different schools and libraries to all sorts of ages. Angela is a proud member of SCBWI, PEN America, and is represented by Wernick and Pratt Literary Agency.
Does the government fund nonprofit human service organizations that serve and locate in the neighborhoods with the greatest needs? This is an important question, as much of the safety net now takes the form of human services delivered, for the most part, by nonprofit organizations. Access to government benefits therefore relies increasingly on the location of nonprofits that are awarded government funds to provide human services. While conventional wisdom holds that the partnership between government and the nonprofit sector does direct government benefits to poor areas, recent research finds an opposite effect in poor neighborhoods that are substantially African American.
The prevailing model of government-nonprofit relations argues that privatization of human services is a “win-win” partnership, because nonprofits need government support if they are to survive in resource-poor neighborhoods, and government fulfills its mandate to serve poor people by funding these organizations. Indeed, research shows heavy dependence on government funding among nonprofit human service organizations that serve poor populations and locate in poor neighborhoods.
Yet, this research does not take into consideration the influence of race on the distribution of government benefits. A recent study using data from a probability sample of nonprofit human service organizations in Los Angeles County examined the likelihood that organizations received government funding. It found that greater levels of neighborhood poverty improved the chances that nonprofit human services located in them received government funding — unless those neighborhoods were substantially African American.
As shown in the graph below, the analysis compared neighborhoods with small shares of African Americans to neighborhoods in which the share of African Americans exceeded 20 percent of all residents — the “tipping point” at which whites tend to view the neighborhood as being “too African American” and avoid it. In neighborhoods that are less than or equal to 20 percent African American, the likelihood that the organization will receive government support increases along with rising poverty, consistent with the partnership model of government-nonprofit relations. In neighborhoods that exceed 20 percent African American, however, the relationship between neighborhood poverty and government funding reverses. As neighborhood poverty increases, the likelihood that nonprofit human service organizations receive government funding decreases.
Interaction between percent living in poverty and percent African American residents in location
The analysis also examined the relationship between the poverty rate and receipt of government funding for organizations in census tracts with different percentages of Latina/os, another minority group in Los Angeles County that experiences high levels of poverty. As shown in the figure below, higher neighborhood poverty seems to encourage government to fund local nonprofit human services regardless of the percentage of Latina/os in the neighborhood.
Interaction between percent living in poverty and percent Latina/o residents in location
What accounts for the failure of the partnership model in poor African American neighborhoods? First, and consistent with research that demonstrates a pattern of systematic government disinvestment in programs for vulnerable minority populations, the findings suggest that the allocation of government funding to nonprofits is subject to discriminatory forces. It could be that policymakers and public officials are reluctant to channel funding to neighborhoods that are negatively constructed and widely viewed as undeserving of government largesse, and direct limited funding to neighborhoods that are viewed as more deserving. It could also be that supposedly “color-blind” grant and contract programs that rely on competition tend to shut out historically oppressed minority neighborhoods that lack competitive advantages.
Yet, this does not explain why government is relatively responsive to poor neighborhoods with a high percentage of Latina/os. After all, Latina/os, like African Americans, are subject to discrimination in the American stratification system. The difference may lie in the relative electoral power of blacks and Latina/os in Los Angeles County. Political representation should influence allocation decisions, because groups with political power cannot be ignored even if they are negatively constructed. In Los Angeles County, African Americans represent a small percentage of the electorate — about 8 percent in 2010 — and their numbers have been shrinking in recent decades. By comparison, the percentage of Latina/os in the county, which stood at about 48 percent in 2010, is relatively large and increasing. Given their diminished electoral clout, poor African American neighborhoods may be more disadvantaged than poor Latina/o neighborhoods when it comes to attracting government funds.
The findings are particularly disturbing given that African American are more likely than other minority groups to live in neighborhoods that are both poor and highly segregated from whites. Indeed, the racial dynamics uncovered in this study suggests that the privatized welfare state may underserve neighborhoods where the need is greatest.
Eve E. Garrow is Assistant Professor of Social Work at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on the implications of privatization of human services for poor and marginalized groups, especially racial minorities, and the commercialization of human services. She has published and presented works on government funding of human services, the role of nonprofit advocacy in promoting social rights, and the risk of client exploitation in nonprofit social enterprises that use clients as labor. Her most recent article, “Does Race Matter in Government Funding of Nonprofit Human Service Organizations? The Interaction of Neighborhood Poverty and Race,” was published in the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory.
The Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory serves as a bridge between public administration and public management scholarship on the one hand and public policy studies on the other. Its multidisciplinary aim is to advance the organizational, administrative, and policy sciences as they apply to government and governance. The journal is committed to diverse and rigorous scholarship and serves as an outlet for the best conceptual and theory-based empirical work in the field.
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Our guest blogger today is author/poet Guadalupe Garcia McCall, whose book “Summer of the Mariposas”, from Lee & Low Books, is part of First Book’s Stories For All Project.
“First Book’s mission to make books accessible to low-income families is very close to my heart. It fills me with joy to hear that such an organization exists. Books are more than important, they fill a basic need in low-income communities—the need to connect to the world. Books for children of poverty represent hope.
As a young girl, I loved books. Books were my friends. They took me places I knew I would never be able to visit because we were poor. After my mother passed away, my father couldn’t leave town to work anymore, so he had to settle for working in Eagle Pass. He did odd jobs, put in a toilet for a friend and got a few bucks. Sometimes he got lucky and someone needed him to take out the flooring on their mobile home and put in a new one; then he had enough money to pay the bills for the month and buy a few groceries. We didn’t have money for anything other than food and bills.
The library at school fed my mind. I was able to borrow as many books as I could ever read, and I read a lot. I wanted to own books too; I wanted to hold them in my hand and never let them go. But books were luxuries we couldn’t afford. Even though there was a Waldenbooks in the mall, I couldn’t buy a book even if I wanted to. I used to watch other people pull out money and pay for books that I could only touch and admire when I was brave enough to walk into the bookstore, take in the scent of new books, and run my fingers over them, longing to take them home.
There was only one way I could own a book as a child. Once a month, the public library would have a books sale. Old, tattered paperbacks were a quarter, and if you bought four, you got one free. It used to pain me to ask my father for money for books; there was so little of it to go around. But my father always found a way to get a few dollars into my hands so I could have my books and travel the world in my mind. I learned so much from those books. They shaped me, molded me, made me strong.
As an author, I try to pay it forward by writing stories that feed young people’s minds and strengthen their spirits. I wrote Summer of the Mariposas to fill a gap. I wanted my Hispanic female students to see themselves as wise, courageous, and strong enough to go on a quest of their own; I wanted them to be brave and become the heroes of their own lives. I wanted to empower them, to give them hope for a better future, to open up the world to them. I am so glad First Book is here to distribute books like Summer of the Mariposas to young women who wouldn’t otherwise have access to them.
As an English teacher, I know how important reading is to a child’s development, how directly connected reading is to their success in school. If they can’t read, they won’t be able to have success in any other class or understand any other subject. Reading can either break them or make them. Putting books in the hands of children of low-income families, helping them find that one book that will make them fall in love with reading, will open doors for them. Books will help needy children reach their fullest potential. Books can provide the hope they have been looking for—the gift that will never be forgotten.”
Love the Stories For All Project? Want more?
Latina Author Pat Mora, “I wish you could see the smiles of Spanish-speaking children when, in reading one of my books to them, I say a word in Spanish.”
African American Author Tony Medina,“This boy exclaimed about me, the author, ‘How does he know about my life?’”
Native American Author Jim Bruchac,“Is having a book of one’s very own meaningful to a child in the 21st century when mobile devices make it possible to connect with the world in ways unimaginable in my childhood? I firmly believe the answer is yes.”
Our guest blogger today is author Pat Mora, whose book “Yum! Mmmm! Que Rico!”, from Lee & Low Books, is part of First Book’s Stories For All Project.
“Once upon a time . . .” A magic phrase that can change our breathing. As far as we know, humans are the world’s story-telling creatures. Let’s think about the unique period in the lives of children when they begin to savor that phrase, when in fresh ways little ones are experiencing their surroundings and deciding where they fit. For many youngsters, media is their main source of information and entertainment. Children lucky enough to become readers discover that they can read those once-upon-a-time words to themselves—and others. They discover the pleasure and power of words. Since words and books are powerful, how can we doubt that the images of children, families, and cultures in their books have a subtle and significant impact on young readers and their families? Who merits having their stories shared and who doesn’t? How does it feel not to see people like you between the covers of beautiful books? Are all our books created and valued equally?
In November 2012, a thread appeared on the H-Net Oral history listserv with the enticing subject line “experimental uses of oral history.” Amid assorted student projects and artistic explorations, two projects in particular caught my eye: the VOCES Oral History Project and the Freedom Mosaic. As we work towards our upcoming special issue on Oral History in the Digital Age, I’ve been mulling over oral historians negotiate online spaces, and how the Internet and related advancing technologies can inspire, but also challenge the manner in which they share their scholarship. I believe the VOCES Oral History Project and the Freedom Mosaic offer two distinct paths historians may take in carving out online space, and raise an interesting issue regarding content versus aesthetics.
Based out of the University of Texas at Austin, the VOCES Oral History Project (previously the US Latino & Latina WWII Oral History Project) launched the spring of 1999 in response to the dearth of Latin@s experiences in WWII scholarship. Since its inception, the project has conducted over 500 interviews, which have spawned a variety of media, from mini-documentaries to the play Voices of Valor by James E. Garcia. My personal favorite is the Narratives Newspaper (1999-2004), a bi-annually printed collection of stories written by journalism students, based on interviews conducted with the WWII veterans. Thanks to a grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services, in 2009 VOCES expanded its project to include the Vietnam and Korean Wars — hence the name change.
VOCES does not have the most technologically innovative or visually attractive website; it relies on text and links much more than contemporary web design generally allows. However, it still serves as a strong, online base for the project, allowing the staff to maintain and occasionally expand the project, and facilitates greater access to the public. For instance, VOCES has transferred the Narratives Newspaper stories into an indexed, online archive, one which they continue to populate with new reports featuring personal photos. The website also helps to sustain the project by inviting the public to participate, encouraging them to sign up for VOCES’ volunteer database or conduct their own interviews. They continue to offer a print subscription to a biannual Narratives Newsletter, which speaks to the manner in which they straddle the line between print and digital. It’s understandable given their audience (i.e. war veterans), yet I wonder if it also hinders a full transition into the digital realm.
The second project that intrigued me was the Freedom Mosaic, a collaboration between the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, CNN and the Ford Foundation to share “individual stories that changed history” from major civil and human rights movements. The Freedom Mosaic is a professionally-designed “microsite” that opens with an attractive, interactive interface made up interviewees’ pictures, which viewers can click on to access multimedia profiles of civil and human rights participants. Each profile includes something like a player’s card for the interviewee on the left side of the page — imagine a title like, “Visionary”, a full body picture, an inspiring quote, personal photos, and perhaps a map. On the right side, viewers can click “Play Story” to watch a mini-documentary on the subject, including interview clips. Viewers can also click the tab “More” at the bottom to bring up a brief text biography, additional interviews and interview transcripts.
The Freedom Mosaic is not a standard oral history project. According to Dr. Clifford Kuhn, who served as the consulting historian and interviewer, and introduced the site to H-NetOralHist listserv, “The idea was to develop a dynamic web site that departed from many of the archivally-oriented civil rights-themes web sites, in an attempt to especially appeal to younger users, roughly 15-30 years old.” On one hand, I greatly approve of beautifully designed projects that trick the innocent Internet explorer into learning something — and I think the Freedom Mosaic could succeed. However, I’m bothered by the site’s dearth of… history. Especially when sharing contemporary stories like that of immigration activist Jessica Colotl, I would have liked a bit more background on immigration in the United States than her brief bio provides.
VOCES and the Freedom Mosaic are excellent examples of how historians may establish a space online, amid the cat memes and indie movie blogs, for academic research. While I have my concerns, I believe both sites succeed in fulfilling their projects’ respective goals, whether that be archiving or eye-catching. However, I would ask you, lovely readers: Is there a template between VOCES’ text heavy archive and the Freedom Mosaic’s dazzling pentagons that might better serve in sharing oral history? What would a rubric for “successful oral history sites” look like? Or should every site be tailor fit to each project?
To the comments! The more you share, the better the eventual OHR website will look.
Caitlin Tyler-Richards is the editorial/ media assistant at the Oral History Review. When not sharing profound witticisms at @OralHistReview, Caitlin pursues a PhD in African History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research revolves around the intersection of West African history, literature and identity construction, as well as a fledgling interest in digital humanities. Before coming to Madison, Caitlin worked for the Lannan Center for Poetics and Social Practice at Georgetown University.
The Oral History Review, published by the Oral History Association, is the U.S. journal of record for the theory and practice of oral history. Its primary mission is to explore the nature and significance of oral history and advance understanding of the field among scholars, educators, practitioners, and the general public. Follow them on Twitter at @oralhistreview and like them on Facebook to preview the latest from the Review, learn about other oral history projects, connect with oral history centers across the world, and discover topics that you may have thoughtwere even remotely connectedto the study of oral history. Keep an eye out for upcoming posts on the OUPblog for addendum to past articles, interviews with scholars in oral history and related fields, and fieldnotes on conferences, workshops, etc.
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Luz Maria Umpierre has wrought a legacy, a challenge, a history, a love letter, a sinuous and sentient record of personal identity, revealing the crosshatched scars and singing victories of a warrior, the yielding body and the body politic in "I'm still standing- 30 Years of Poetry -available through her website http://luzmaumpierre.com
"Luz Maria Umpierre is, quite simply, one of my heroes in a postmodern world that insists on ridding us of icons and pedestals in an attempt to level all people and institutions. Paradoxically, some institutions seem to merit such debasement when they never miss an opportunity to hound the historically marginalized and alternative voices out of the academy." Dr.Eric Pennington (Seton Hall)
She is an established scholar in the fields of Puerto Rican, Caribbean, Latina/o Studies, Poetry, and Gender Studies, with multiple publications in leading journals, including Hispania, Latin American Theatre Review, Revista do Estudios Hispánicos, Bilingual Review, Chasqui, Explicación do Textos Literarios, Chicana/Latina Studies and The Americas Review. Co-founder of the journal, Third Woman. Also published in internet journals, including La Acera, Diálogo Digital, Cruce and La Bloga.
Author of two books of literary criticism, ten collections of bilingual poetry, numerous book chapters and over 50 articles of literary criticism on Latin American scholars and writers from several generations, including a seminal article on writers and migration published in MELUS in 2002 and currently included in an anthology of essays in honor of Isabel Allende.
Her collected works and personal papers currently housed at De Paul University, Latina rare book collection housed at Bryn Mawr College.
She is recognized internationally as an authority on the interdisciplinary study of Literature, the Social Sciences, History and Language, especially regarding race, culture, gender identity and ethnicity. Complete list of publications available on request.
What do you believe is the purpose of poetry? The purpose of poetry is to liberate the spirit, our soul, so that it has a concrete expression that is palpable. And as Julia Alvarez said in one of my favorite poems of all times, to be able to say "Whoever reads this poem, touches a woman." I am hoping that I am quoting her correctly because my copy of her book is at my rare book collection at Bryn Mawr. I can and will accept to be corrected in my quote but not in my idea. LOL
What do you consider to be "Latino/a" themes? All themes are Latina themes. It is the vision or the approach we take as Latinas what gives them a sabor or authenticity that is ours. For example, many years ago I took Vanguardista poetry which was highly non-politicized and turned it into political poetry. From there, for example, emerged my Poemas Concretistas.
To say that there are Latina themes is to reduce us. Granted there are subject matters such as identity that we explore more than other groups of writers but I would not say that there are Latina themes and non Latina themes. All themes are human themes and that is overall the most important theme to me.
Describe the intersection of sexual identity and culture as it lives in your writing? I learned from Audre Lorde years and years ago that I cannot be asked to divide my Self into separate pieces of identity and ignore some in favor of others. That to me would be mutilation. I refuse to mutilate my rich identity for the sake of pleasing the eye of a beholder or for an aesthetics of a political correctdness of beauty. Thus all aspects of my identity and culture live in harmony in my works.
What would you say to critics of your lesbian-identified work? That they get a life and start living in the 21st. century. I never forced them to leave their heterosexist and nationalist macho agenda views through meanness, non inclusion or actual shuning. On the contrary, I questioned them publicly and made my dissenting opinions known to them. I did not go back stabbing them, making calls to bad mouth them into being denied jobs, I did not refuse to teach them in my classes. To the contrary, I included them because I wanted to have an open dialogue about difference. But "I'm Still Standing" as the only dancer on that inclusion floor because some of these people are so petty that they refuse to engage me in public and face to face or, as Lorraine Sutton marvelously said in one of her poems: "to cunt-front" me.
How has academia enhanced/impinged upon your creative process? They have always wanted to deny me a claim to my poetry as an academic achievement. However, I have not allowed them to infringe on my freedom to write. I have used my academic struggles precisely to question antics and tactics in academia and make fun, mock and criticize their elitism and snobbery.
Who are some authors who move you and why? Adrienne Rich, her book The Dream of A Common Language has been my Bible since the 1980s. Nemir Matos Cintron has poems in her collections A través del aire y del fuego pero no del cristal and in Aliens in NYC that have made me cry time and time again because of her portrayal of genuine human identity angst. I recently re/read a poem by Ana Castillo entitled: "I Ask The Impossible" and I am afraid that I ruined the Thai Lemon Tilapia dish that I was eating while reading it because I began to cry uncontrollably. I feel that we have all have wanted to be loved that way and her poem is a voicing of a human need that I had never read exposed in poetry. Lorde also moved me with some of her poems on women. Marge Piercy's book The Moon is Always Female has some of my favorite poems of all times because of her delving into what constitutes to be a strong woman. Julia de Burgos, of course she is part of our collective unconscious as Puerto Ricans. The theme of the river in her poetry and the sea attracts me.
What are some thoughts you would share with newer poetas/poetisas/Nuyorican poets? To remember that many people paved a path for them and they should be honored, not bullied, harassed, shunned and most importantly, not disrespected.
I think Puerto Rican poets of the younger generation have no respect towards their elders, their sages, those who broke a path for them now to enjoy. They are not like other Latina groups. I am marveled by the respect of Mexican Americans towards their wiser older Latinas/Latinos something that is totally lacking among young poets be they Puerto Rican or Nuyorican.
I would like to let them know that one day they will inevitably be older and if they do not change their ways and attitudes, they too will be the subject of disrespect.
What sustains your creative and spiritual longevity? The power to love, to find love, to see everything with fresh eyes, to be able to marvel at beauty and to be passionate about living. But also, as the poem says: "To be of use."
3 Comments on Guest Columnist: Lisa Alvarado interviews Luz Maria Umpierre., last added: 9/8/2012
Crossing the Line had a somewhat slow start but, that’s OK because we’re being introduced to a cast of characters who are meant to sustain this new Latina series. Fabi’s family runs a restaurant in a small town in southern Texas. Both of her grandmothers (who do not get along) work here, as well as her mother (who can shut you down just with her look), father (who rarely leaves the kitchen), her cousin, Santiago (sometimes) and her sister, Alexis (who is about to begin high school). Alexis is everything that Fabi isn’t: she’s confident, bubbly and outgoing yet the two sisters get along quite well, so much so that Fabi wants to prepare and protect her sister as she joins her in high school. She feels that she’ll finally have a confidant at school and may even begin to enjoy it. But, she hasn’t realized that her sister isn’t like her. And, I should mention, she’s also headstrong.
BorderTown will easily be enjoyed by MG and YA readers. There is no sex, profanity or drug use in the books, but the story line brings in enough drama to satisfy this age group. It is a Latino series that delivers rather wholesome storylines without being corny or dated. The text is dotted with more complex Spanish phrases than I typically see and there is a glossary to support those not familiar with the language.
Readers may learn some Spanish, may be introduced to elements of Mexican American culture, but this is truly an American story that any teen can relate to.
Crossing the border doesn’t stop with a dramatic cliff hanger but it does end having introduced characters who we come to like well enough to want to get to know better.
Malín Alegria was raised in San Francisco’s Mission District. She’s a graduate of UC Santa Barbara and received her MA in Education. She is a teacher, organic gardener, seed activist, Aztec dancer, and performer. “Estrella’s Quinceñera” was published by Simon & Schuster in 2006. Her second novel “Sofi Mendoza’s Guide to Getting Lost in Mexico” was released May 2007. Her short stories have appeared in the anthologies “Once Upon a Cuento,” and “15 Candles: 15 Tales of Taffeta, Hairspray, Drunk Uncles, and other Quinceañera Stories”.
Would you like to win a copy of the first and second book in this new series from Scholastic? I have two sets available for two lucky winners! Complete the form below for a chance to win. If you tweet about the contest, use #ScholasticBorderTown in your tweet and cut and paste it into the box below for an extra chance to win.
Review and a contest! | Crazy QuiltEdi said, on 5/20/2012 10:35:00 AM
[...] Don’t miss your chance to win the first books in this series! I forgot to mention in announcing the contest that I will ship internationally. ¡Buena suerte! Share this:ShareLike this:LikeBe the first to like this post. [...]
A promise that we would be together on my fifteenth birthday...
Instead, Nora is on a desperate journey far away from home. When her father leaves their beloved Mexico in search of work, Nora stays behind. She fights to make sense of her loss while living in poverty—waiting for her father's return and a better day.
When the letters and money stop coming, Nora decides that she and her mother must look for him in Texas. After a frightening experience crossing the border, the two are all alone in a strange place. Now, Nora must find the strength to survive while aching for small comforts: friends, a new school, and her precious quinceañera.
4 Comments on Illegal - Review, last added: 3/19/2011
It's neat that you had a personal connection with the book! Illegal sounds really interesting--it's awesome that despite its small page count it still packs a punch! Thanks for the review! :)
Sounds like a lovely story. It is loosely reminiscent to me of...oh, what was it called?...Into the Beautiful North. The immigration issue is such a complex issue.
My Review: I'd never really thought about Castro's 1961 takeover of Cuba and its effect on children. I'd never even heard of Operation Pedro Pan, which flew lots of Cuban refugees, in their teens and younger, into the US. The Red Umbrella gives a moving, personal glimpse into the life of Lucia, just 14 years old, who is sent with her little brother to live in Nebraska.
I adored this book. The possibility that Lucy and Frankie may never see their parents again kept bringing tears to my eyes. Lucy's just a regular girl, concerned with cute boys, the latest fashions, and going to the movies with her friends. Strange things begin to happen in their little town as a result of the Communist takeover, and it's interesting to see how she learns to deal with these changes. The lessons she learns about strength, family and friendship will stick with readers long after the symbolic red umbrella makes its final appearance.
I kept wondering, if I were in her shoes, would I have fallen for all the brainwashing, the Communists' calls to "honor" and "duty" that tore children from their families and sent them into dangerous places? Would I have thought that I was doing the right thing to turn in someone who was being disloyal to the government? It's easy now with hindsight, and because I am at least twice the character's age, but I still found her reactions unsettling and was very satisfied with the character development in this book.
I also felt very connected to Lucia's culture--they use some of the same words we say in the Philippines, like "basta" and "sigue"! I love flan just as much as her little brother Frankie does (that reminds me, there's some in the fridge, BRB).
Who should read this book: Middle grade readers will have a fine time with this book. It would be interesting to know how non-Spanish speakers react to the interjected lines of Spanish. My grasp of Spanish is good enough to be able to read through and not get lost, and the glossary in the back of the book helps, too! There is a little hint of death and violence, but most of the action is happening at a remove, and is not quite so scary as it could be. I think everyone should read this book with a box of tissues. And I think Pedro Pan kids, and their kids/grandkids should read it together, and share those tissue boxes!
I've heard a lot of great things, especially after attending the signing. It piqued my interest, but I'm not sure if I will read it. The Red Umbrella doesn't fall under my favorite genres to read. I always enjoy paranormal/urban fantasy books, but it does sound like a good read and I may pick it up...someday.
I loved this book. The interjected phrases in Spanish didn't bother me but my limited Spanish was able to keep up. And yes, this is really something that I would consider multi-generational and not just a YA read. Nice review.
Dream in Color: How the Sánchez Sisters Are Making History in Congress. Congresswoman Linda Sánchez and Congresswoman Loretta Sánchez. NY: Grand Central Publishing. 2008. ISBN: 9780446508049
A couple weeks ago, publisher Hachette offered to send a free copy of the Sánchez sisters' political autobiography to the first five La Bloga readers to request it. I was pleased that a number of requests came from gente with House of Representatives email addresses. In my fantasy I see a group of interns and clerks, acutely aware of the attainments of the only sisters to serve simultaneously in Congress, poring through the pages looking for personal routes to success.
Three avenues stand out in the sisterly give-and-take style of this eminently readable account: Stick to your principles. Ask for help. Work with anyone who can advance your cause. Taking alternating voices, Loretta in serif, Linda sans-serif, each takes her turn expressing how those ways and means make her effective.
One corollary emerges most clearly: Pull your punches, or, more kindly, don't burn your bridges.
Finally, one key element comes clearly to the forefront, one that no political hopeful can fashion for herself or himself: Be raised female in a strict, old-fashioned Mexicano household.
Most clearly, the family culture has enormous influence in who these two women have become. Spanish is the language of el hogar, English outside, bilingualism because it makes good sense. Be obedient. Fit in. Take caca from no one.
Loretta, the elder, comes in for a lot more strict crap from her parents than does little sister Linda. By the time Linda reaches young adulthood, the parents have acquired a lot of English and transitioned from puro Mexicano attitudes to a less restrictive California casual parenting style. Loretta, as the older female offspring, is in charge of her younger siblings. Loretta's discipline is so much an extension of her parents' that the chamacos calls their sister The Warden.
Pulling punches is just another phrase for being political. The hard-headed Sánchez parents, especially the Dad, must have been genuinely impossible to tolerate without a lot of resentment. Yet, both sisters express grateful affection for the parents' rules and examples, even while describing the father's intolerable domination of his wife, or the double standard for boy rules and girl rules. The mother gets a lot of credit for running interference for the kids, for being a role model who, rather than simply insist the kids do well in school, enrolls in night school to complete a GED then a Bachelor of Arts. When a parent's drive for their kids to succeed is matched by parental behavior to be successful, the kids have to be total losers not to become successful in life.
A reader will understand that children will be protective of their parents and siblings, but such protectiveness of crummy people makes little sense and disappoints readers looking for more than mere generalization. Who is the unnamed congressman who uses procedural sleight-of-hand to pull the rug out from an amendment? Pull the punch in event the jerk can help in a future issue. Read about "a teacher" who behaves in outrageously racist ways, but the teacher is never named. Likewise unnamed the counselor who disparages college because the girl will just find a man and get pregnant, but in later years brags how he always knew she'd become successful. Such villains deserve to read their names, be singled out, even though such racism has been the norm in California schooling.
On the other hand, the writers leap at opportunities to name praiseworthy individuals, a kind teacher, a Republican committee chair who lends a hand, or, surprisingly, Tom Tancredo coming in for sympathetic descriptions. I find it alarming that of all the pendejos the Sánchez' could name, expose, or defend, that Tancredo gets the kid gloves treatment. Anathema must mean something different in Orange County than the rest of the country. I'm surprised there is no begruding affection for B-1 Bob Dornan.
Some punches aren't pulled. Al Gore receives extended calumny for hypocrisy--though we never learn the names of Gore's factotums who do the actual dirty work. Loretta has organized a conventiontime fundraiser for getting out the Latino vote. At the Playboy Mansion. Gore's campaign has accepted fifteen hundred dollars from the coney snatchers, yet "they" object to Loretta's plans as being counter to Gore's campaign based upon family values. To Loretta, the tawdry movidas Gore pulls predicts his failure in the general election. Still, she gives in and holds a successful event elsewhere. In Loretta's view, the real reason for Gore's opposition grows from the funds going to someone other than Gore. No punches pulled there.
Any politician's autobiography will be an exercise in ethos-creation. Ethos, which Aristotle defines as that form of proof found in the character of a speaker, real or assumed, is the life's blood of political campaigning, so a reader is advised to approach this dual autobiography with an agenda, to discern the real from the assumed. Take, for instance, Linda's summary of her political heritage:
My job is to be a passionate advocate of those who are forgotten, those who are neglected, those who are ignored, those who others don't consider to have much value, maybe because they're "just" gardeners or waitresses.
Taken out of context of the whole book, that sounds remarkably self-serving and singularly image-building. Until one considers how Linda abjures a big bucks career in corporate law in favor of serving the forgotten as a labor organizer. Now the nature of this politician becomes more clearly perceived.
Of all the valuable lessons to learn from these women's careers, holding to one's principles puts them, especially Loretta, at their finest. Glossing on compromise and how she and Tancredo will debate immigration standing alongside one another without coming to blows, Loretta Sánchez makes a tellingly important point that she backs up with her legislative example:
Part of mastering the art of compromise is realizing the few times it is not an option, with big votes there can be no compromise. The war is the war, and if you're going to send kids to war, you must be 100 percent sure of your reasons.
Although she does not make this clear here, Loretta Sánchez is one of only a handful in Congress to vote in 2002 against the war powers act that allowed the administration to invade Iraq in 2003. When the elder Sánchez sister tells you about principles and standing firm for important beliefs, that vote separates the real from the assumed in any examination of Character. She can whisper sweet nothings into Tom Tancredo's ear, that vote will always explain who is Loretta Sánchez.
Linda, on the other hand, is less forthcoming and a lot mealy-mouthed:
When it comes to the war, many constituents are angry . . . ultimately, aren't interested in the interim steps . . . It's like attacking the waitress when the chef has screwed up your meal, or having a go at the attendant when a flight is delayed due to bad weather.
No, actually, it's not. It is war. And Congress has failed to end it.
Other than their pulled punches, my only other problem with the book is the authors' interchangeable use of "Hispanic" with Mexican, Latina Latino. Neither "chicana" nor "chicano" appear in the text--though I welcome a correction from a more attentive reader. Ethnic identity forms such an important element in their ongoing story,that I'd like to have seen some directness in talking about this. The writers note their blonde guera-ness led Anglo acquaintances to disparage Mexicans without recognizing a Sánchez girl as Mexican, and the mother telling one to marry an "American" because he would be a not-Mexican husband.
I'm sure the women did not grow up in Anaheim calling themselves "Hispanic." They probably alternated between Mexican, Mexican-American, or, in the 1947 language of Westminster v. Mendez, citizens of the United States of Mexican descent, or some such allusion to their Mexicritude. There is one code-switched sentence that I recall, and at least one mi'ja, so not all ethnicity has been kept out of the story.
Perhaps one day the sisters will pen a coming-of-age story that does address the missing ethnic link. Until that book comes along, readers will find Dream in Color an involving, interesting set of formative and career highlights of two remarkable politicians on their way up.
I hope those who've read the book already--especially recipients of the free copies--will share their views of the Sánchez sisters book. With election season hard upon us and candidates to the left of us, candidates to the right of us, campaigns filling the media with their own ethos-forming messages, the feet-on-the-ground honesty and practicality of these two Congresswomen offers solid points of reference to help separate the real from the assumed.
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8 Comments on Review: Dream in Color., last added: 9/8/2008
I haven't read it yet, I'm one of the lucky 5 waiting for my free copy. Your review really built up my anticipation. Thanks for your opinionated and spirited review!
Anonymous said, on 9/2/2008 5:05:00 PM
Dr. Sedano, as a professor of Chicano Literature and Rhetoric, I think you know what you're talking about! Your review of "Dream In Color" makes some valid points and raises some important questions about Loretta and Linda Sanchez and their "MEXICRITUDE."
When I was the sponsor of the Golden West College Movimento Estudiantil Chicano-Americano, in Huntington Beach, Loretta refused to help our association's leaders in their efforts to recall Phil Wesson, GWC President. My student's claimed that he was racist because he had spoken out against Mexican students and wanted to terminate their association. We asked Loretta to intervene on our behalf. But she refused on the grounds that she was not a Mexican or a Chicana! When I asked her why she had assumed that attitude, she said that the majority of her constituency was made up of Orange County Whites, Latinos and Hispanics from the Chamber of Commerce. So, there you go, that's the definition of her "Mexicritude!"
As to the title of the book, "Dream In Color," it's more a homage to the color of their bleached blonde hair and their gueraness, than to their Mejicanismo. I truly resent that Loretta doesn't use her husband's last name. Because then, she would be showing her true colors!
Norma Landa Flores
Anonymous said, on 9/2/2008 5:10:00 PM
P.S.
Oops! We did add-"Americaano" before Aztlán, just to be more acceptable on campus. But we were an official MeCha association! That's what upset Phil Wesson and Loretta Sanchez, so much.
Dr. Sedano, an interesting review of the book on the Sanchez sisters and even though you point out a number of Chicana Falsa actions and statements I still admire the Sanchez sisters for being stand up Democrats, and especially the battle and win for the raza against Loretta's predecessor the neo fascist and racist B1 Bob Dornan, who was Congressman for that Orange County area for way too long, and even though that area was populated by a large number of Mexicano's and Chicano's, Dornan always treated the raza like the "invisible people" and when he did acknowledge the "Mexicans" it was usually with disdain and or severe patronization
Thank the Lord for the Loretta Sanchez victory and good riddance to the psychopath "B1 Bob"
PS; And trying not to be offensive or patronizing myself I would just like to add that in my experience (63 years old), and being from the LA eastside (Lincoln Hts), It always seemed to me that the Orange County Mexican/Chicano population have been somewhat more influenced by Orange County's historically conservative political attitudes, including the Sanchez sisters, in contrast to the more left wing LA area raza, Would you agree?
Anonymous, I surely hope you receive your copy soon. The publisher is mailing it.
Norma, Don Quixote: Thank you for your observations. I do not imply that the Sánchez sisters are falsas, no matter how much that "Hispanic" label burns me up. As most gente understand, raza is not a monolithic identity, lots of different ways to express and live it. Clearly, their experience with racism mirrors what many others were put through. I would find interesting hearing las Sánchez riff on identity.
Dr. Sedano, I too would like to hear the Carnalas on identity and the whole issue of raza cosmica and who is who and what is what and where are we going and where is our final destination and, well I think you know where I'm going with this. Also I really would get a kick out of asking those same questions to Alberto Gonzales former USAG. Of course he usually doesn't remember much.
Anonymous said, on 9/8/2008 10:57:00 AM
Oiga, joven, it kinda puts my chonies in a bunch that you write "mi'ija" when the accepted form is "m'ija". As a student of communication, you surely know that you can't go willy-nilly and invent your own ortografía, despite your "pile it heavier and deeper."
Similarly, I personally feel that using the word "chicano" is a political choice not just a place-of-origin label. You wouldn't call Gloria Matta-Tuchman chicana, would you? Nor I suspect that you would accept it either. Incidentally, why did Loretta ran first as a Republican? Doesn't that partly explain why the word "chicano" will not cross her lips or traipse from her fingers while typing?
Also, while I see that many female "citizens of the United States of Mexican descent" marry outside their ethnic group for various sundry reasons, why wasn't her marriage to Stephen Brixney, now over, not mentioned? Isn't this an issue that Chicanos ought to be concerned, the "dilution" of the group? No, I don't want chisme, but this does dovetail with the non-use of "chican@" in the book de marras.
Orale...
Manuel
(And, yes, I'll remain anonymous until I feel like getting a google/blogger id; but you know where I live)
I've lent out my copy hence am unable to say that m'ija is my ortografía or las Hermanas Sánchez. Pero !Miran las díacriticas! Pero sabes que? "m'ija" is the chicano spelling.
The husbands slip in and out of the text with no explanation. The book isn't about courtship nor its opposite, so I suppose that 'splains it.
Hey, Loretta is on booktour now. If she comes to a bookseller near you, attend, ask her position on "the battle of the name" (Grebler, Moore, Guzman).
What's this "pile it high and" etc. se dice "fud".
Today marked the second day of this year's BEA annual event, held in Los Angeles. I met several new contacts during the past two days and have been introduced to great websites, bookstores and librarians who are just as eager to get quality books into the hands of readers as we are.
Every year, I come back from BEA feeling refreshed and excited about the future of international children's books and our role in bringing the children of the world closer together and it wouldn't be possible without the others in this growing industry:
Las Comadres is a nationally known Latina organization empowering women to be actively engaged in the growing Latino/Hispanic communities through on line and face to face networks. Their mission is to help connect and empower Latinas everywhere through community building/networking, culture, learning and technology.
0 Comments on Live from Los Angeles as of 6/1/2008 2:14:00 AM
Teatro Luna Fabulousness! Teatro Lunahas a BRAND NEW SHOW opening on March 6th, but you can catch it now! This Saturday and Sunday see a sneak preview of Teatro Luna's most intimate show yet... SOLO TU, a collection of four interwoven solos all about different women's experiences with PREGNANCY.
One woman thinks she's finally built the perfect family - Mom, Dad, Cute Kid- until an invasion of mice makes her wonder what's really going on. Another woman finds herself caught up in the worst kind of Baby-Daddy-Single-Mama Drama. Meanwhile, a woman in her third year of trying to get pregnant decides her pregnant friends make her want to vomit, and her close friend wrestles with pro-life activists, hospital robes, and how she feels about having an abortion in her 30's.
Saturday @ 7:30 pm and Sunday @ 6pm
SHOW RUN: March 6-April 6 2008Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays @ 7:30 pmSundays @ 6pmChicago Dramatists 1105 W. Chicago Ave, at MilwaukeeTickets $15, Student and Senior Discount on Thursdays and Sundays only, $10$12 Group Sale price, parties of 8 or moreFor tickets, visit www.teatroluna.org
Mind, you the company is filled with talented, writers and performers, and it was rough to pair down, but gente, enjoy this interview with three of Teatro Luna's members, Diana Pando, who does administration for the group as well as writing, Tanya Saracho and Diana Herrera, both writers/actors.
DIANA PANDO
Describe your own personal journey as a writer.
Well, I’m trying to catch up to myself in this writer’s journey. I write poems, press releases, blog, snippets here and there of scenes and dialogue. I want to spend more time writing fiction and trying to better understand my creative process. I’ve worked with a lot of people in the arts and enjoy supporting their creative efforts. This year, I’m going to be a little selfish and focus in on my creative pursuits. I’ve always liked journal writing. Just the other day I dusted one off and leafed through the pages and it allowed me to remember myself in another place and time. Writing is so powerful. I think when you write your higher self is revealed.
How did your voice and your message begin to reveal itself?
Voice is so powerful. You either use it or lose it. I think my writer’s voice is still revealing itself in these early stages of my writing life. For me it’s writing bits and pieces here and there. Eventually, coming back to the kladeiscope of writing that I do and putting it all together.
Who were/are important influences for you?
There are a lot of wonderful writers that inspire and influence me. The one that impacted me directly was my mom. She worked long hours at a meat packing plant and at the thrift store on the south side so I can have the luxury of writing. After she passed, I found a lot of notebooks with journal entries, unfinished letters and poems. Every now and then I find a little note that brings a smile to my face.
How does Teatro Luna feed your creative life and vise versa?
Teatro Luna has creative energy spewing out in every direction. The ensemble is such an energetic and hilarious group of talented women. You can’t help but be inspired. They are paving the way for that next generation of Latinas in the arts. I’ve had the opportunity to participate in one of their writing workshops. The piece that I created out of the workshop is called Tía Betty and the Glucose of Doom based on my mom’s struggle with diabetes. The workshop process is definitely a powerful one. It gave me the creative kick in the butt to nudge me a long. As a result, the 20 minute piece I wrote is slowly expanding taking on a life of it’s own. I work on and off on it because it’s a hard and personal piece to write.
What's the significance of working in an all woman-all Latina teatro?
I think it was in 2002 when I first went to see one of TL’s shows when they were at the Pilsen space. I was blown away! I had never seen Latinas on stage before. It was a major discovery for me. By creating new works Teatro Luna is impacting local and national audiences through touring. Teatro Luna is currently the only Latina theatre company producing full seasons. For me there is nothing better than seeing these brilliant Latinas blazing on stage and practicing their art and sharing the stories of Latinas with others. Their communal creativity is really in harmony with each other and adds to their success.
You work in a variety of discplines---playwriting, poetry, performance-- Talk about the differences in each. Is there a genre you feel is your "favorite?"
As an emerging writer, I think my strengths are poetry and fiction writing. I’m dabbling in playwriting because I’m absolutely fascinated by creating dialogue and having actors bring the characters to life. Even though I’ve been doing theatre administration for Teatro Luna they teach me so much about the process.
Talk a little about Proyecto Latina. What do you hope it provides for community writers, and book lovers?
Proyecto Latina is a wonderful community based initiative between Tianguis Bookstore, Teatro Luna and myself. This open mic takes place every 3rd Monday of the month at Radio Arte and it’s a place for Latina’s to come out and show off their talent whether it’s poetry, fiction writing, belly dancers and Hula Hoopers it’s an open mic that brings together emerging and established Latinas in the arts to share, explore and encourage their creative pursuits. We are impacting that next generation by giving them an outlet to show off their creativity. Irasema Gonzales, owner of Tianguis Bookstore, has done an amazing job of lining up some the best features. There’s even a chismé box where you can drop your anonymous chismé and we read them during the open mic. Please drop in and check it out. Log on to http://www.tianguis.biz
What are you sources of inspiration?
A source of inspiration for me is walking through the city. I’m a big fan of long walks despite a toe spur gone amuck. Anyway, too much information. Friends always look at me with suspicion when I tell them we are just three blocks away. Rightfully, so I guess. Three blocks is the equivalent of ten blocks for me. I’m a wanderer. I love to look at people, places and things. Me embobo luego, luego, especially when I’m in Mexico City. There is nothing like being in the Zócalo on a rainy day. Definitely inspires and leaves me drenched. I always forget my umbrella…
What's the role of female friendship in your daily life and as a writer?
Funny you should ask this question. It’s my lifeline! I can’t go back to anything else. In 2002, Irasema Gonzales invited me to see a reading of Sandra Cisneros up at Loyola. I was feeling a little lazy and it was cold out. Thankfully, she dragged me out there anyway. It was an amazing reading and what came out of it was such a blessing. After the reading Sandra was signing her book and answering questions. There was this annoying girl with a red shirt talking and talking to Sandra. “Hurry Up” I wanted to yell “We want to talk to Sandra too!” The line finally began to move and when we got there Irasema asked about writing groups and Sandra told us to connect with the woman in red. The woman in red is now a dear friend and fabulous writer. Our writing group consists of Lizann Acosta, Professor of World Literature & Teatro Luna Artistic Associate, Irasema Salinas, Tianguis Bookstore Owner, Family Dr. Yolanda Cardenas, Magda Banda Ph.d Candidate in Comparative Education and me. Sandra probably has no idea but she’s our writing group madrina.
Where would you like to be creatively and professionally in ten years?
In ten years, I will be producing consistent work in different generes of writing, collaborating with other Latinas on projects, encouraging Latino professionals to support the arts through philanthropy, create the Mariposa Atomica Arts Fund and do advocacy work for the arts. Latinos enrich the arts in the city of Chicago and it’s important that we support and cultivate those efforts.
Tell us something not in the offical bio.
I have an 800 pound Dalmation and he’s more than a decade old, I’m a mascara junkie and my favorite mantra is vision + action = Reality.
TANYA SARACHO (Courtesy Time Out Chicago)
Describe your own personal journey as a writer. How did your voice and your message begin to reveal itself? Who were/are important influences for you?
I am undisciplined and disorganized. My journey is clunky and aimless lately. Ultimamente, I write because projects are due. I haven't written for the joy of it in a while. Well, angry emails and blogs, but nothing of note. Inspiration hits me like a headache, or a stomach ache-it's a painful process sometimes-and it hits at the most inopportune times. Like when I'm driving and talking on the phone, when I'm in a waiting room-with no paper or pen, when I'm in the bathroom. It just hits and runs through my body like diarrhea. It is not a pleasant experience sometimes. It used to be. The little lightning bolt that tingled. Now? It's mostly a painful thing. Maybe it's because of the pieces I've been working on lately. I don't know.
Everyday people influence me. I love how people talk. I love dialogue. I love talking. I sort of like listening. I like talking more. But when I do listen, I love the shifts in cadence and tone, tilts of accents and quirks of the vernacular. I love how people talk. I love how MY people talk. And that umbrella is a large one. I consider most MY people.
How does Teatro Luna feed your creative life and vise versa? What's the significance of working in an all woman-all Latina teatro?
I would never have been able to explore the topics and styles I've explored during the last eight years, had it not been for Teatro Luna. Who would've produced a half bilingual play about a two young Mexican girls growing up in Texas? Who would have produced three monologues about being a woman of Mexican descent, and let me play them all? Who would have let me show my scars, both physical and emotional, and not judge me harshly for it? No where would I have been able to do that. Teatro Luna is a beautiful thing. It's a sisterhood, it's a womb-I don't care if I sound cheesy-it IS a womb. People feel it when they come around us. Everyone's worked is supported, pero tambien nos jalamos las orejas. It's a beautiful thing. I love women. I love women's stories. I love to give voice to women. I...I just love women.
In a related vein, Teatro Luna has plumbed the Latina experience and pushed the envelope on issues of identity, gender and relationship. Talk about TL's significance as a child of traditional teatro, of post-movimiento social commentary.
It's hard for me to have perspective on this. I'm not objective. Obviously, I think what we do is really interesting. But I don't think we've pushed the envelope enough. What we do is pretty simple. We get up there and tell stories. If that's not traditional teatro, I don't know what is. In form, we are not that...I don't know, we are not that innovative. Episodic, ensemble-built work has been around since the Greeks, since Miracle plays, since Spanish pasarelas and posadas de la colonia and early twentieth century Latin American revistas. I think our uniqueness is found in the sum of our parts, in the combination of how we treat topics, how we build pieces, in our gender and our race/ethinicity/nationalities. It's the sum of all those things that create that special something that is Luna.
You work in a variety of disciplines---playwriting, poetry, performance-- Talk about the differences in each. Is there a genre you feel is your "favorite?"
I'm mostly a writer for the stage. I don't have a talent for poetry. I respect poets immensely. To be able to structure and mold words aurally and rhythmically is a talent I truly admire.
Talk a little about Proyecto Latina. What do you hope it provides for community writers and book lovers?
I can't believe we've been doing Proyecto Latina for two years now. I remember the first time we did it, and how we filled Meztli Cafe and how every one was excited about every performer. You could feel the electricity in the place. Not much has changed, the location perhaps, but people are still excited to hear and support new work by Latina writers-of all genres, not just poetry. It provides a much needed outlet and cocoon to nurture our work.
What are you sources of inspiration? What's the role of female friendship in your daily life and as a writer?
All my plays are about females. I don't think that's limiting in the least; They all deal with a female central character and I can't deny it, each and every one has at least a bit of coloring that I draw from the women in my life. My mother, my sisters, my Teatro Luna sisters (who are more than friends)... I take the ribbons of vernacular from their mouths and plaster them on the stage. Their words are much more brilliant than mine will ever be. They are wise and funny and flawed. It's my friend's Yadira's zinger lines and her obsession with the perfect meal. It's my friend Miranda's struggle for her dreams and the sting failure causes. It's Tatiana's depression and her unwillingness to come to surface, but her attempt at it every day. It's my friends navigating their contradictions. Those things are much more interesting than anything I'd come up with on my own. Now I might piss people off. Make them angry because I just take one tiny little shade of blue here, or a smudge of brown and they think that's definitive of my opinion of them. But that's never the case. I am often in trouble for it though.
Where would you like to be creatively and professionally in ten years?
I'd love to be feeding myself fully with the work. Sharing it with as many people as possible. In whatever form. Whatever that means. Whether bigger stages. More productions. Far reaching publications. I'm not sure what that means, but I'd like to have figured it out and be in a place to open doors for other people. Be on the founding stage of programming that makes sure our voice is being heard. In ten years I would have liked to have gotten out of my myopic state and attempt a period piece about hoodoo in the American South during the late 1800's. Nothing to do with Latinidad. That's just a little project that has been rattling in my brain. But it's a long time for that one. In a decade, I'd like to have a cannon of work I can be proud of, but having the best yet to come. Also, in ten years Teatro Luna will be an institution; financially healthy, administratively strong, artistically excellent. Still doing the work.
Tell us something not in the official bio.
I am addicted to divination and getting my cards read. Every week. Every. Week. My name is Tanya Selene Saracho Armenta, and I am a divination addict.
DIANA HERRERA
Describe your own personal journey as a writer.
I took a new plays workshop class in college as an actor, but the teacher made all of us write these six-line scenes…it was my first time writing dialogue and characters and I had a blast. My teacher thought I had potential, so he kept bugging me to take his Playwriting class. I was like, I'm not a writer but he persisted. I finally took the class and fell in love with writing. I write solo pieces and short plays now, and I'm working on trying to get a full-length completed…kinda hard when you have a 6 month old at home! But I'm trying!
How did your voice and your message begin to reveal itself?
I don't think my voice really revealed itself until I started working with Teatro Luna. I learned a huge lesson "write what you know". I also learned to write from a more honest place—my writing has progressed leaps and bounds since I started working with these lovely ladies!
Who were/are important influences for you?
Important influences—I'm not very well read when it comes to playwrights—I know, I know…it's a shame. But I do have to say that Tanya Saracho has been a huge influence on me. I love how ALIVE her characters seem—she is so good at mapping these journeys for her characters that are interesting and humanizing…you walk away from the show dazed, thinking where did that time go? It just flew by? What's going to happen to that lady now? And you find yourself still wondering about that character weeks later…that's the sign of a great writer. To keep you involved with the story even after you leave the theater.
How does Teatro Luna feed your creative life and vise versa?
Since a lot of the TL projects are ensemble-based, I tend to spark ideas off my fellow cast members. I love that they have workshops where you can bring in your writing and get feedback…I think it's such a great environment for developing new work.
What's the significance of working in an all woman-all Latina teatro?
The all-woman all-Latina teatro is a GODSEND. I worked in sketch comedy for a long time, and the male competitiveness is incredible. And if you are a woman who is a talented and prolific writer, watch out! One time, I actually had one of my cast members call me to tell me to stop writing so much…he was upset that I was constantly "showing him up" because I'd bring in 10 sketches to his 3. It's fine to have healthy competition, but not in an ensemble setting. That conversation ruined the project for me. Another wonderful thing about working with all women is when you're having a bad day, you don't get the "she must be PMS'ing" eye roll…you can be more open with your emotions. It also frees you up creatively because you are more likely to be more open with your work and more willing to accept criticism.
I enjoy the COLLABORATIVE feel of TL, and a lot of it has to do with the all-women role. As for all-Latina…it's like being home. I might not speak Spanish, but I identify as Latina…and it's nice to be in an environment where I don't have to explain why I'm not drinking margaritas on Cinco de Mayo!!! It's also inspiring to have this group of strong, talented women who embrace their heritage.
In a related vein, Teatro Luna has plumbed the Latina experience and pushed the envelope on issues of identity, gender and relationship. Talk about TL's significance as a child of traditional teatro, of post-movimiento social commentary.
Egads…that question feels like an essay test I haven't studied for!!!! I think Coya and Tanya will be able to give you a better answer than what I can give…pass!
You work in a variety of disciplines---playwriting, poetry, performance-- Talk about the differences in each. Is there a genre you feel is your "favorite?"
I don't work too much in poetry, except what I write in my journals that will never been shown to ANYONE 'cause it's really bad poetry! But here we go with the other two. My favorite has to be playwriting because I think I have a God complex. Seriously, it's intoxicating to create this whole world and populate them with these people that use YOUR WORDS to express themselves…then if you're lucky you get a chance to see it LIVE!! How cool is that? Also, though…there is that moment of CONNECTION. When you make a bulls-eye with the hearts of your audience members. There is nothing as gratifying as when someone comes up to me after a show and tells me, you were writing about me. I wrote a piece in "The Maria Chronicles" about visiting my brother in prison, and after shows I had several people tell me about their experiences with family members in prison. One lady told me that after my piece she reconciled with her brother and visited him for the first time in years. That really touched me. It might sound trite, but it's true…writing plays for me is like reaching out and saying "I'm not alone, you are not alone…for this moment we will be taking this journey together". I write because sometimes these feelings I have are so intense it becomes necessary to overflow them onto paper. I chose to share my journey, though, instead of locking it up in a diary (well, except my poems. Those don't need to be shared!).
So where does performance fit in? To me, performance is another level of connection with the audience. It's very cathartic, and it's wonderful because you get instant gratification…laughter during a one-liner delivered just right, silence during a dramatic moment…applause. Oh, the applause! Performing is such a high, because you are on this tightrope wire where any sudden change (even something like the theater being too hot or the seats too uncomfortable) will distract your audience…you have to EARN their attention…but once you've earned it what a RUSH.
Talk a little about Proyecto Latina. What do you hope it provides for community writers and book lovers?
I've enjoyed participating in Proyecto Latina in the past…unfortunately I've been absent from the monthly events for a while. However, I think it's such a wonderful opportunity for new artists…and I LOVE that there is a set limit of people that can perform, that it's a 5 minute time limit and that there is a featured performer. That is key…to be able to enjoy these "tastes" of performance without being overwhelmed by a 4 hour open mike. I know being able to hear various artists has inspired my own writing. I'm hoping I can start attending again…I've missed it!
What are you sources of inspiration? What's the role of female friendship in your daily life and as a writer?
My family is a HUGE source of inspiration for me—we have this carefully honed sense of humor that I use in my writing. They are very supportive of me—I talk a lot about them in my pieces and I haven't been disowned. Yet. I love comedy, so of course I'm all over female writers like Tina Fey—even watching the old episodes of The Carol Burnett Show gives me inspiration as a writer. Currently I'm working on a two-woman show, and we are using "The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe" as inspiration…Jane Wagner and Lily Tomlin collaborated on this piece, and it's amazing.
Where would you like to be creatively and professionally in ten years?
Creatively, I'd like to still be writing and getting my work produced…if I can perform occasionally that would be a bonus. It's hard because I do have a family now, and I'm the primary breadwinner…so not only do I have to balance work with family, I have to find time to write and stay involved in projects as well. The good thing is that my husband is VERY supportive—in fact, he's the one that keeps pushing me to take on these projects and he's great about covering the night shifts at home, taking care of our daughter and the house. So it's just a matter of figuring out what the next step is…the point is, I can't figure out next year, much less TEN years from now!!
Tell us something not in the official bio.
I am a HUGE fan of science fiction—my favorite authors include Ray Bradbury, Richard Matheson, HP Lovecraft, Charles Beaumont…and I LOVE TV shows like "The Twilight Zone", "Heroes", "Lost"�anything with a sci-fi edge to it! And yes, I was one of those geeks that stood in line for Star Wars tickets. Han Solo was my first crush.
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Women and Creativity Conference/Lisa Alvarado Shameless Self-Promotion Department
Gente: I've been blessed enough to have been asked to perform The Housekeeper's Diary at the conference -- Friday, March 7, at 8 PM at the National Hispanic Cultural Center'sRoy E. Disney Center for the Performing Arts, as well as a reading for high school students at the Center's Wells Fargo Auditorium, Monday, March 10th at 10 AM.
Conference Info: Women and Creativity 2008 is organized and presented by the National Hispanic Cultural Center in partnership with more than 25 local arts organizations, artists, writers and independently owned-business. This year, we have an inspiring offering of more than 50 exhibitions, performances, workshops, classes, and engaging discussions in Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
Women and Creativity partners invite you to dedicate an afternoon, evening or entire weekend in March to attend events and workshops that awaken and nourish your own creativity and support the creativity of our communities. Although we shine a special light on women’s creativity during this festival, we invite and encourage the participation of men at all events.
The National Hispanic Cultural Center, along with our partners in Women and Creativity 2008, believe that creativity, art and self-expression are central to sustaining healthy individuals, organizations, business and communities – so, join in and celebrate the creative women in your community and the creativity inside yourself.
There will also be a fabulous PEÑA FEMENINASunday, March 9that NHCC's LA FONDA DEL BOSQUE;
Other Artists: Alma Jarocha, Leticia Cuevas, Anabel Marín,Otilio Ruiz, Victor Padilla
Angélica Cuevas National Hispanic Cultural Center1701 4th St, SWAlbuquerque, New Mexico
More Conference News from Demetria Martinez
On Saturday, March 8 at 3 p.m. the first-ever Spanish-language anthology of work by women who reside in New Mexico will be unveiled at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque. Titled Metamorfosis, the book was co-founded by Demetria Martinez, Rosalee Montoya-Reed and Maria Nieves de Abajo Bajo. Please join us to celebrate International Women's Day, poetry, the Spanish language and creativity. A reception will follow. Please RSVP at 724-4777.
And Lastly, news from La Divina, Johanny Vasquez
Hola to Everyone:
I will be participating at the Nuestras Voces: Women's Poetry Night at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign this Thursday, March 6, 2008. The event will take place at from Caffe Paradiso7:00 to 9:00 pm. This will be my first time at U of I, so I'm extremely excited.
If you live in the area or know people that live in Urbana/Champaign, please come by or let them know.
How wonderful – yet another Pemberthy sighting has been reported, this time in Warrnambool where Pemberthy was seen at Collins Bookstore. Thanks so much to Corinne for reporting this sighting after reading about by search in Pass It On newsletter.
Warrnambool is in Victoria, east of Melbourne. The new dot is the orange one on the south east coast.
Don’t forget to let me know if YOU have seen
0 Comments on Pemberthy Spotted in Warrnambool as of 1/1/1990
Jude said, on 7/15/2007 12:59:00 PM
Is this book available in the UK? If so I will keep a look out for the bear here too! Thanks for dropping by my blog. Will pass by again here soon.
Sally Murphy said, on 7/16/2007 2:03:00 AM
Thanks so mcuh for dropping in, Jude. I don't think Pemebrthy is available in the UK, though my earlier picturebook, The Floatingest Frog, is.
Let’s Go, Hugo!
(August 23, 2016)
How Do You Say? Como Se Dice? (November 8, 2016)
Sing Don’t Cry
“Once upon a time . . .” A magic phrase that can change our breathing. As far as we know, humans are the world’s story-telling creatures. Let’s think about the unique period in the lives of children when they begin to savor that phrase, when in fresh ways little ones are experiencing their surroundings and deciding where they fit. For many youngsters, media is their main source of information and entertainment. Children lucky enough to become readers discover that they can read those once-upon-a-time words to themselves—and others. They discover the pleasure and power of words. Since words and books are powerful, how can we doubt that the images of children, families, and cultures in their books have a subtle and significant impact on young readers and their families? Who merits having their stories shared and who doesn’t? How does it feel not to see people like you between the covers of beautiful books? Are all our books created and valued equally?
Based out of the University of Texas at Austin, the VOCES Oral History Project (previously the US Latino & Latina WWII Oral History Project) launched the spring of 1999 in response to the dearth of Latin@s experiences in WWII scholarship. Since its inception, the project has conducted over 500 interviews, which have spawned a variety of media, from 
The Freedom Mosaic is not a standard oral history project. According to Dr. Clifford Kuhn, who served as the consulting historian and interviewer, and introduced the site to H-NetOralHist listserv, “The idea was to develop a dynamic web site that departed from many of the archivally-oriented civil rights-themes web sites, in an attempt to especially appeal to younger users, roughly 15-30 years old.” On one hand, I greatly approve of beautifully designed projects that trick the innocent Internet explorer into learning something — and I think the Freedom Mosaic could succeed. However, I’m bothered by the site’s dearth of… history. Especially when sharing contemporary stories like that of 
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Thank you so much!
Gracias a Lisa y La Bloga por darme una manera de llegar al mundo amigo de California.
Phebe Karen Beiser: As a poet, woman, & lesbian, I am honored by all your contributions to the world. Brava!
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