“Luz de octubre / October Light” by Xánath Caraza

“Luz de octubre / October Light” by Xánath Caraza

 

Xanath Caraza

Xanath Caraza

Xanath Caraza

La canasta roja para pan está lista

Las manos de Nila no paran

Hornean felicidad

Hacen flores de papel para el altar

Tejen arcos de cempaxóchiles amarillas

Bordan manteles de mariposas rojas

 

Campanadas suenan a lo lejos

Anuncian que la hora ha llegado

Hay que abrirles la puerta

Ya llegan, ya vienen

 

El humo de copal marca el camino

Ya llegan

Se oyen los pasos de azúcar blanca

Las voces del pasado

Las risas se confunden con las campanadas

Entonan su concierto

Anuncian la llegada

 

El sol se perdió entre las estrellas

Desde las montañas nubladas

Descienden las almas

Ya las veo

 

El pueblo se llena de alegría

Las puertas de madera se abren

Para los seres queridos que regresan esta noche

Tomados de las manos, juntos

Los vivos y las almas

Beben chocolate

Y papel picado

Ya llegan, las almas descienden

 

Tan sólo esta noche

Nila descansa

Viejita de manos grandes

De pasos de azúcar blanca

Cuyas manos no paran

Hornean para las almas

Luz de octubre que revuelve el alma

 

 

Xanath Caraza

Xanath Caraza

October Light

 

The red bread basket is at hand

Nila’s hands do not stop

Bake happiness

Fold paper flowers for the altar

Weave yellow marigold arches

Embroider red butterfly tablecloths

 

Bells ring from afar

Announcing the hour upon us

Open the door

Here they come; they arrive

 

Copal smoke leads the way

Here they come

Their white sugar steps can be heard

Voices from the past

Laughter mixed with bells

Singing their concert

Announcing their arrival

 

The sun is lost among the stars

From the foggy mountains

The souls are descending

I see them

 

The town is full of happiness

The wooden doors are opening

For the loved ones returning tonight

Holding hands, together

Those alive and the souls

Drink hot cocoa

And colorful cut paper

Here they come, descending souls

 

Only tonight

Nila rests

Viejita with large hands

Of white sugar steps

Whose hands never stop

Baking for the souls

October light stirs in my soul

 

“Luz de octubre & October Light” by Xánath Caraza are included in Conjuro (Caraza X., Mammoth Publications, 2012). Translated into the English by the author.

 

Xanath Caraza

Conjuro received Second place in the ‘Best Poetry Book in Spanish’ category of the 2013 International Latino Book Awards.  In 2013 Conjuro also received Honorable mention in the ‘Best First Book in Spanish, Mariposa Award’ category of the 2013 International Latino Book Awards. Conjuro was an award-winning finalist in the 'Fiction: Multicultural' category of the 2013 International Book Awards.

 

Xanath Caraza

 

Chicanonautica: A Buffalo Demon Haunts the Border

by Ernest Hogan

I am fascinated by lowbrow, or what was once called “popular” culture. Before that sort of thing was taken over by multinational corporations that are probably run by AIs now, they often showed clues about what was going on in people’s minds at the time in a clearer way than the highfalutin literature of the times.  It is definitely the case with The Buffalo Demon; Or, The Border Vultures “A Tale of the Southwest” by Edward L. Wheeler.

Wheeler wrote “around one hundred” dime novels according to Wikipedia. They were precursors to the modern western genre. He created Deadwood Dick and often used real people like Calamity Jane and Sitting Bull for characters.

They were weird. The West wasn’t the collection of stereotypes that Hollywood created and mythologized. People’s imaginations would go wild when they imagined life beyond the border/frontiers of their so-called civilization.

Which brings us to The Buffalo Demon . . .

Said demon has a man’s body, the head of a North American bison and cloven hooves. He is accompanied by a gang of men without heads. They terrorize what seems to be New Mexico and/or Arizona. Y’ know, Aztlán.

They dominate the cover. I bet the art came first, the publisher showed it to Wheeler and offered cash for a story. Ah, the writer’s life!

There are suggestions of the supernatural, but they turn out to be costumed villains, foreshadowing the baddies of future comic books. Imagine them fighting a Lone Ranger knock-off. 

The Demon himself turns out to be a white man, but the most interesting thing is the grotesque racism.

I know a lot of folks these days are horrified that such things even existed, but I have a perverse fascination. Like Odysseus, I have to hear the song of the Sirens . . .

In Border Demon, fear of the Mexicans and natives runs amok. Oddly enough, this focused on the dark-skinned males. Mexican and Indian maidens are desirable and fair game for the white “good guys.” Like Spielberg movies, other popular entertainments, and government policies gender-specific genocide is shown to be desirable. Kill the men, but oh, those gorgeous brown babes!

These attitudes aren’t quaint relics of a bygone era. They are alive and well and living in guys who have been given the authority to randomly beat up people and lock them up without any kind of due process. Be aware of them. They could come after you next.

Ah, but the image of Border Demon and headless horde is so compelling! Why not redo it, only with a modern sensibility? Why couldn’t the Demon and company be heroes? Mexicans and natives rather than whites. Defending the honor of the brown maidens and rescuing them from white villains!

Hmm . . . Could we make the Demon be a brown woman under the mask?

Dare to imagine better worlds.

Ernest Hogan lives in Aztlán. Sometimes he wanders into the regions beyond.

Chloe Vega and the Agents of Magic

Chloe Vega and the Agents of Magic: 

A Latinx Girl Discovers Her Magical Powers 

to Save Her Undocumented Parents 

Written by Leslie Adame 

*Publisher: HarperCollins

*Language: English

*Print length: 400 pages

*ISBN-10: 0063341999

*ISBN-13: 978-0063341999

*Reading age: 8 - 12 years

Twelve-year-old Chloe Vega’s biggest fear is that her undocumented parents will be detained by immigration. That is, until she learns that her parents are actually part of a secret magical society…and that the suspicious looking police officers who have been hanging around their block are henchmen for an evil sorcerer determined to settle a decades-old score. 

Just when Chloe discovers that she has powers, too, her parents are kidnapped. In order to rescue them, she’ll need to harness her abilities at an elite academy, run by the very agency who exiled her parents from the magical world.

Finding herself in the center of a magical war that might destroy everything she has ever known, Chloe can’t shake the feeling that the Agents of Magic are hiding secrets. With her parents’ lives hanging in the balance, she must uncover who is truly on her side and fast to save her family—and the world itself.

Review

"A timely adventure filled with heart, magic and the power of family."  - Claribel A. Ortega, New York Times bestselling author of the Witchlings series

"With topnotch worldbuilding, relatable characters, and rollercoaster action, Adame has created a new series that will enthrall readers and have them begging for more adventure." - Adrianna Cuevas, author of the Pura Belpré Honor Book The Total Eclipse of Nester Lopez and the Edgar Award-winning The Ghosts of Rancho Espanto

"A heartfelt adventure full of suspense, wonder, and nonstop thrills that nabbed my imagination from the very first page.”   - Terry J. Benton-Walker, author of the Alex Wise vs the End of the World series

"A socially conscious fantasy full of danger, discovery, and heart." - Kirkus Reviews

"This fast-paced tale is a great pick for fans of magic, especially those who want to find the magic within themselves." - Booklist

Leslie Adame is a first-generation Mexican American and graduate of UCLA with a degree in political science and a minor in film, television, and digital media. She’s always enjoyed giving back and telling stories about characters not often found in books or films. Leslie grew up in the Inland Empire, specifically Ontario, California. When she’s not writing, you can find Leslie scanning the aisles of your local bookstore, lovingly pestering her family, and catching a flight to explore a new place. She loves watching rom-coms, Disney movies, and trashy reality TV in her spare time, especially while cuddling with her cat.

Poets Laureate Series: Fresno, Aideed Medina

Keeping Poetry Alive: Poets Laureate Across the Nation

Michael Sedano

La Bloga launches a series spotlighting Poets Laureate and their work to foster literacy and poetry in their community or state. Inspired by the Laureate program in Altadena, California, La Bloga encourages other communities to establish a Laureateship.

Who Are Laureates?

The United States Congress supports a Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, more readily known as the US Poet Laureate. The Consultancy, dating to 1947 (link  https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/who-are-the-united-states-poet-laureate-consultants-in-poetry) features a roster of esteemed poets. The US Laureateship has bestowed its honor recently on leading voices such as Juan Felipe Herrera, Ada Limon, Joy Harjo. 

Fifty US states and the Navajo nation appoint Poets Laureate. Numerous communities recognize local writers as their Poet Laureate. There’s a widespread poetry community in our culture, as this roster of state Laureates illustrates (link  https://poets.org/text/current-us-and-state-poets-laureate )

Spotlight on:

Today, La Bloga-Tuesday is happy to feature Aideed Medina, Poet Laureate of the City of Fresno, California, and Medina's signature project, the San Joaquin River Poetry Project. 

City of Fresno, California. Its 7th Poet Laureate

The City of Fresno's citation:

On April 8, 2025, Mayor Jerry Dyer appointed Fresno poet, Aideed Medina, Fresno’s seventh Poet Laureate. Medina was honored at City Hall with a Proclamation during Fresno City Council’s April 10th meeting and recited an original poem for Fresno following the proclamation. The appointment serves as a highlight of National Poetry Month.
 
Aideed Medina is Pushcart Prize-nominated poet, award-winning spoken word artist and playwright, and is the author of 31 Hummingbird: A Suite of Poems (Editorial Xingao, 2023) and Segmented Bodies (Prickly Pear Press, 2024). Her poetry and prose have been featured in many publications, including Fresno State’s Club Austral Literary Magazine, Chicano Writers and Artists Association Journal, La Bloga, Poets Responding, Split This Rock, and Nueva York Poetry Review, among many others, as well as in compositions for the 559 Mural Project and Fresno Grand Opera’s Opera Remix.
 
“Drawing inspiration from her family’s experiences and the broader farmworker movement, Aideed Medina’s poetry captures the resilience, struggles, and hopes of those who have long been the economic backbone of our region,” said nominator, California State Senator Anna Caballero. “Through her work, she pays homage to the labor and sacrifices of farmworkers while giving voice to their enduring spirit and contributions to our community.”
 
“In my poetry practice, the poet attempts to create and share in service and for the community's enjoyment,” said Medina. “In this spirit, I hope to serve as Fresno's Poet Laureate. Flor y Canto, Flower Song for the people, with love.”
 
Medina succeeds Joseph Rios (2023-2025) as Poet Laureate and joins former Fresno Poets Laureate, James Tyner (2013-2015), Lee Herrick (2015-2017 and California’s current Poet Laureate), Bryan Medina (2017-2019), Marisol Baca (2019-2021), and Megan Bohigian (2021-2023). 

=== The Laureate's Vision:

Poetry allows me to revisit what defines my purpose every day.  I was raised with a sense of responsibility for my community, and being selected as the 7^th City of Fresno Poet Laureate deepened my desire to be useful. 

Fresno compels writers to dig deeply into their abilities and create work that speaks to the core issues we face as human beings because of the terrain, the weather, and the value we place on labor. This part of California also demands everything from the land and watersheds that sustain us.  Poetry is the one resource I can offer in unlimited supply, and I am free to put it to work in service of my community.  

I am dedicating the final year of my term to strengthening the connection between the people of our region and the San Joaquin River. We need the river, and the river needs us to advocate for its health and continued existence. That conviction inspired the yearlong San Joaquin River Poetry Project: guided nature walks and poetry-writing workshops at public access points along the river. 

The project is straightforward and one of many community actions aimed at protecting the San Joaquin River. On the fourth Sunday of every month, we gather at a public access point along the river. I lead a planned walk, identify key plants and animals, and share geological facts; then we sit down and write poems. Each participant can carry that experience into the wider community by talking about the San Joaquin, visiting it again, or returning with others. The river has too often been treated only as a commodity rather than recognized as an essential part of our community. Our lives are inseparable from its well-being, and each poem written there can help us regard the San Joaquin as beloved and worthy of protection.  

===Poems by Aideed Medina

Encariñamiento

Aideed Medina 

Encariñame 

con las orillas del río, 

con los robles, y la escobilla de coyote 

con la silla abandonada en la sombra 

por seres que hemos abandonado, 

con basura de la autopista, cigarrillos 

piedras y peces. 

Con el grafiti del puente 

exaltando los nombres de quienes 

visitan el río

con frecuencia, 

con pasión muralista. 

 

Encariñame

con las orillas del río.

Es un arte, una ciencia 

amar un río en zonas 

industriales y capitales agrícolas. 

Con campos de golf 

A la cuesta de

 vecindades 

Lujusas.

do you remember your river?

Aideed Medina

 do you remember the sound of the river’s flow?

do you remember your river— 

before they cemented its banks,

before they made cement from its sides, 

                              before they disguised its path,

before they said we couldn't go to the river, 

before it became a refuge 

beneath the rubble of progress? 

do you remember its soft bends, 

its loud rocks,

its hidden depths,

the deer splashing into the water

and the fox burrowing into the riverbank?

do you remember your river— 

before it became another neighborhood

 to oust the unhoused from,

 to want to sweep them away 

in water and refuse?

do you remember your river—

when the salmon swam through and we fished 

with spears almost as tall as the grandfather

who held the spear? 

do you remember water,

 free and without a dam, 

spanning from one side of the valley to the other, 

able to sweep up towns and histories? 

do you remember the river— 

before it was disguised as an irrigation ditch?

before it was a commodity, money in the bank?

do you remember your river?

does the river remember us? 

 

 

Bailes tradicionales, música y poesía para recordar por Xánath Caraza

Bailes tradicionales, música y poesía para recordar por Xánath Caraza

 

Xanath Caraza

Estimados lectores de la Bloga, hoy comparto algunas imágenes de la celebración en el Johnson County Arts and Heritage Center el pasado miércoles. Espero y las disfruten.

 

Xanath Caraza

Xanath Caraza

Xanath Caraza

Xanath Caraza

Xanath Caraza

Xanath Caraza

Xanath Caraza

Xanath Caraza

Imágenes por SHW.