Un hogar en todas partes / A Home Everywhere

Written by Juliana Javierre

Illustrations by Claudia Marianno

*ISBN: 979-8-89375-036-2
*Publication Date: May 31, 2026
*Format: Hardcover
*Pages: 32
*Imprint: Piñata Books
*Ages: 4-8

A heartwarming story that will remind readers home is where love is.

Pablo is nervous about starting school in his new country, but everyone is kind and welcoming. In class, his teacher points out Colombia on a map. When she asks the boy what he misses most about his life there, his voice quivers as he talks about his grandmother, dog Lola and old friends. It’s okay to feel sad, the teacher tells him, because “missing is how we remember those we love.”

When Mom picks him up from school, Pablo has lots to share with her—until he sees she’s been crying. She admits that she too misses their home. That evening, Pablo begins drawing his cherished memories: the house with its mango tree, sweet Lola and his grandmother, who is as “chubby as if she was full of stories.”

He excitedly shows his mother everything when she comes in to say goodnight, including the empty box he left for her to fill in. There are many things she misses about Colombia, she tells him, but “you are my home everywhere.” This sweet bilingual picture book with vibrant illustrations will reassure children that it’s okay to miss people and places. Kids—and their parents too—will appreciate the sentiment that home is wherever love is found.

JULIANA JAVIERRE, a writer, researcher and teacher, has published four books, including the novel Plaga (Planeta, 2021; ArtRage 2025); the novel Siete veces Lucía, winner of the National Novel Prize Aniversario Ciudad Pereira (2018); and the illustrated children’s book, Historia de un desencantamiento, recipient of the 2020 Stimulus Call Grant for the Creation of an Illustrated Children’s Book. Her short stories and articles have appeared in national and international anthologies. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Creative Writing at the University of Houston.

CLAUDIA MARIANNO is an illustrator from Brazil. She holds a BA degree in Architecture and Urbanism from the University of São Paulo.

Twenty Years Of Altadena Poets Laureate

Altadena Poet Laureate Program At Twenty+ 

Michael Sedano

April and early May  2026 brings significant poetry celebrations to the upper reaches of California's San Gabriel Valley with Poetry & Cookies in Altadena and LitFest in the Denas in Pasadena. 

In Altadena, a changing of the Laureates is a highlight of Poetry & Cookies (link), along with the impending distribution of the published anthology. In Pasadena, the new Altadena Co-Laureates activate their office by joining eight Laureates-emeriti in a happy reunion at LitFest in the Denas, allowing a rare portrait opportunity. Sadly, the portrait series fails to capture the 2010-2021 Laureate, Alene Terzian.

Alene Terzian | May 2010 — April 2012, Thelma T. Reyna | May 2014 — April 2016, Elline Lipkin | May 2016 — April 2018, Teresa Mei Chuc, Hazel Clayton Harrison | May 2018 — April 2020, Carla R. Sameth | May 2022 — April 2024 (with Peter J. Harris, Presente!), Sehba Sarwar, Lester Graves Lennon | May 2024 — April 2026. Standing, Rhonda Mitchell, Altadena Poet Laureate for Community Events,  Shahe Mankerian, Altadena Poet Laureate Editor-in-ChiefThe Altadena Poet Laureate program owes its ongoing existence to Altadena Library District's commitment to poetry. Initially a gathering of a handful of writers at the behest of librarian Pauline Pauli Dutton, the gathering published first with photocopied sheets, then spiral bound booklets titled Poetry&Cookies. Growing community involvement grows and they name several Laureates, and now as literary opportunities multiply, Co-Laureates. 

During the Laureateship of Carla R. Sameth and the late Peter J. Harris, Altadena's Laureates were recognized with a $50,000 Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowship (link). It was the first and now a second. Sarwar and Lennon, too, are recognized with a $50,000 fellowship to support the Co-Laureates' community programs. 

Thelma T. Reyna, whose family-owned publishing house Golden Foothills Press, publishes the 2026 edition of Altadena Poetry Review: Anthology 2026, shares this history of the program's origins and particularly spotlights Pauli Dutton's founder's role. This is from Reyna's Foreward to the collection, about to enter distribution via the publisher, local independent booksellers, and a conglomerate. La Bloga's Michael Sedano has a poem in the anthology as well as the cover photograph. Thelma Reyna shares La Bloga's Friday column with Melinda Palacio.

FOREWORD

By Thelma T. Reyna

Poet Laureate Emerita, Altadena Library District, 2014-2016.

Publisher, Golden Foothills Press

 

HOW WE GOT HERE

This Altadena Poetry Review: Anthology 2026 is the eighth edition of an anthology birthed in 2015 as part of my Poet Laureate contribution to Altadena. That seminal year, our book contained 105 poems written by 60 poets. This 2026 anthology showcases 180 poems written by 158 distinguished and emerging poets—a testament not only to our community’s stalwart advocacy of poetry, but also to the depth and breadth of our commitment to nurture and expand access to it, and visibility of its power and beauty.  

This is a heavy lift for any anthology. But the fertile ground we now till and inseminate was laid and well-prepared for us by a longtime Altadena librarian and visionary poet: Pauline (Pauli) Dutton, to whom I refer, with much admiration and gratitude, as “The Godmother of Altadena Poetry.” This 2026 anthology stands on her shoulders.

Pauli Dutton and Michael Sedano

Pauli brought poetry by, of, and for the people to Altadena during her 29-year tenure as Principal Librarian, then as Acting District Director of the Altadena Library District. She blazed new trails that helped solidify Altadena as a poetry mecca in Southern California by engaging like-minded community members in fulfilling her goals, as follows:

• In 2003, Pauli established the now-renowned “Poetry & Cookies Reading Event”—an annual gathering of poets reading their poems to packed audiences.  Now, the participants are specifically poets whose poems were published in that year’s anthology. This event has run continuously since 2003, including via Zoom in 2020 during Covid.

• In 2004, Pauli established the first local anthology, Poetry & Cookies, and produced it unfailingly for 12 years until she retired. (It was replaced by the Altadena Poetry Review.)

• In 2006, she founded the Poet Laureate Program, which continues unabated to this day, with some Altadena Laureates distinguishing themselves on the national stage of poet leadership. Fourteen poets, to date, have held this distinction.

When Pauli retired in 2014, she could have “rested on her laurels,” as the old saying goes, since these programs she created were well-received and firmly established by then. But fortunately for our poetry community, she didn’t. She remained in her role as leader of the Poet Laureate Selection Committee, e.g., insuring the rigorous process stayed intact and Laureateships continued. She remained active, energetic, and devotedly engaged in the readings, workshops, committees, festivals that were and are hallmarks of Altadena’s loving embrace of poetry writ large. Her influence and legacy continue to inspire us. (For more details, visit https://www.altadenalibrary.org/poetry)

ABOUT THIS ANTHOLOGY

This collection showcases 180 poems of varying styles, themes, lengths, and formats by 158 culturally-diverse poets primarily from Southern California, but also from across the United States and internationally.  Authors include past and present Poets Laureate of local, regional, and state levels, including two Los Angeles (CA) Poets Laureate, Luis J. Rodriguez and Lynne Thompson. Some poets are at the beginning of their careers, but most are experienced authors with publication experience and name recognition. Many are award winners at local, regional, and higher levels; others are affiliated with colleges and universities; and others are mentors and poetry leaders in their communities.  Overall, the poets published in this anthology are distinguished and markedly skilled in their art.

Advance praise of this anthology underscores the depth of sentiments expressed in the poems, especially compassion, humanity, strength, and resilience regarding the "fire poems" in the book: poetry bearing witness to the devastation caused by the horrific wildfires that swept through Altadena, CA, on January 7, 2025, one of the most destructive fires in California history. This anthology attests to the human will to overcome, to be reborn, and it does so with poetry that is lyrical, solemn, thought-provoking, insightful, and full of heart and soul.

===

2026 is a great year for poetry and poetry anthologies. Copies for participants are now in distribution, and public sales commence when the poets have been served. Órale, to Altadena Poet Laureate program.

Altadena's Co-Poets Laureate 

Shahe Mankerian, Altadena Poet Laureate Editor-in-Chief, 2026 - 2028
Rhonda Mitchell, Altadena Poet Laureate for Community Events 2026 - 2028

Altadena's Immediate Past-Laureates

Lester Graves Lennon, Altadena Poet Laureate Editor-in-Chief 2024 - 2026 Sehba Sarwar, Altadena Poet Laureate for Community Events, 2024 - 2026

Readings by Laureates-Emeriti

Carla R. Sameth, Altadena Co-Poet Laureate with Peter J. Harris QEPD, 2022 - 2024 Hazel Clayton Harrison, Altadena Co-Poet Laureate 2018 - 2020   

Teresa Mei Chuc, Altadena Co-Poet Laureate 2018 - 2020   

Elline Lipkin, Altadena Poet Laureate 2016 - 2018

Thelma T. Reyna, Altadena Poet Laureate 2014 - 2016

Laureates' Farewells

Lester Graves Lennon delivers his farewell reading. Lennon edited the Altadena Poetry Review: Anthology 2026.

Sehba Sarwar delivers her farewell reading. Sarwar organized community poetry events over her two-year co-Laureateship. Readings engaged audiences with spotlighted poets and open mics. Workshops stimulated creativity and generated numerous poems and several La Bloga columns.

The Co-Poets Laureate wrapping their two-year service to the Altadena, California and greater Los Angeles poetry community.

Sarwar and Lennon flank Nikki Winslow, Altadena Library District Director. Winslow's support is the heartbeat of Altadena Library District's community involvement, including the twenty-year legacy of the Altadena Poet Laureate Program.  Órale, Nikki.

El Día de las Madres: “Fuerza ancestral” por Xánath Caraza

El Día de las Madres: “Fuerza ancestral” por Xánath Caraza

 

Xanath Caraza

De parte de todo el equipo de la Bloga, Feliz Día de las Madres.

Para este Día de las Madres, 10 de mayo de 2026, me gustaría compartir “Fuerza ancestral” que fue originalmente publicado en mi poemario trilingüe Conjuro (Mammoth Publications, 2012) y en 2019 fue incluido en la antología Voices from the Ancestors: Xicanx and Latinx Spiritual Expressions and Healing Practices (University of Arizona Press, 2019). La traducción al francés, “Force ancestrale”, es de Justine Temeyissa Patalé. Las versiones originales tanto en español de “Fuerza ancestral” y en inglés, “Anestral Strenght”, son de la que escribe.

Muchas gracias y espero, queridos lectores de la Bloga, que pasen, celebren, recuerden, honren, conmemoren, abracen, besen, cocinen, planeen un Feliz Día de las Madres con las abuelas, madres, figuras maternas, tías, hermanas, amigas y mujeres allegadas a sus corazones.

 

 

Fuerza ancestral por Xánath Caraza

 

Fuerza de mujer:

delicada

que fluye en aguas rojas

pensamientos concéntricos

fuerza que renace

se enreda en las copas de los árboles

Cihuacoatl

 

Fuerza creadora que canta

que despierta

que guía entre el oscuro laberinto

que susurra al oído el camino extraviado

que invita a vivir

Tonantzin

 

Latidos de obsidiana

de fuerza incandescente

de humo azul

corazón de piedra verde

frente a ti están

otras vibraciones femeninas

Yoloxóchitl

 

Fuerza de mujer que fluye

entre las páginas

de poemas extraviados

de signos olvidados

entre galerías

de imágenes grabadas

poesía tatuada en la piel

Xochipilli

 

Corazón enardecido

que explota

respira

siente

vive

Tlazoteotl

 

Montañas de malaquita

áureo torrente matutino

que recorre los surcos

del cuerpo

Coatlicue

 

Fuerza femenina ancestral

sobre papel amate

que se entrega

a los intrínsecos diseños

de las frases dibujadas

Coyolxauqui

 

Pensamiento de jade

que se evapora con la luna

que se integra a los caudalosos blancos ríos

Tonantzin

 

Fuerza de mujer:

del lejos y cerca

de arriba y abajo

del dentro y de fuera

de ciclo eterno

fuerza dual

de cielo de granate

 

Cihuacoatl, Tonantzin

Yoloxóchitl, Xochipilli

Tlazoteotl, Coatlicue

Coyolxauqui

 

Guirnaldas de flores blancas las celebran

plumas de quetzal adornan las cabelleras

las abuelas creadoras cantan

al unísono en esta tierra

 

Fuerza femenina, ancestral

 

Xanath Caraza

Ancestral Strength

 

Women’s strength

Delicate

Flows in red waters

Concentric thoughts

Strength reborn

Tangles in the tree tops

Cihuacoatl

 

Creative force that sings

That awakens

That guides through the dark labyrinth

That whispers into the ear the lost road

That invites to live

Tonantzin

 

Heartbeats of obsidian

Of incandescent strength and

Of blue smoke

Heart of green stone

Before you are

Feminine vibrations

Yoloxochitl

 

Women’s strength flows

Among pages

Of lost poems

Of forgotten glyphs

Among galleries

Of engraved images

Poetry tattooed on the skin

Xochipilli

 

Heart inflamed with passion

Bursts

Breathes

Feels

Lives

Tlazoteotl

 

Mountains of malaquite

Golden morning torrent

Flows along the channels

Of the body

Coatlicue

 

Ancestral feminine strength

On amate paper

Surrenders itself

To the intricate designs

Of the drawn phrases

Coyolxauqui

 

Thought of jade

Evaporates with the Moon

Integrates into the white water rivers

Tonantzin

 

Women’s strength

From far away and near

From above and below

From inside and out

Of the eternal cycle

Dual strength

Sky of garnet

 

Cihuacoatl, Tonantzin

Yoloxochitl, Xochipilli

Tlazoteotl, Coatlicue

Coyolxauqui

 

White flower garlands celebrate you

Feathers of Quetzal decorate your long tufts                         

Grandmothers sing

In unison on this land

 

Ancestral, feminine strength

 

Xanath Caraza

Force ancestrale

 

Force de la femme

Délicate

Qui coule dans les eaux rouges

Pensées concentriques

Force qui renaît

S'enroule dans les cimes des arbres

Cihuacóatl

 

Force créatrice qui chante

Qui éveille

Qui guide à travers le sombre labyrinthe

Qui murmure à l'oreille le chemin égaré

Qui invite à vivre

Tonantzin

 

Battements d'obsidienne

De force incandescente

De fumée bleue

Cœur de pierre verte

Devant toi se trouvent

D'autres vibrations féminines

Yoloxóchitl

 

Force de femme qui coule

Parmi les pages

De poèmes égarés

De signes oubliés

Parmi les galeries

D'images gravées

Poésie tatouée sur la peau

Xochipilli

 

Cœur enflammé

Qui explose

Respire

Ressens

Vit

Tlazotéotl

 

Montagnes de malachite

Torrent doré matinal

Qui parcourt les sillons

Du corps

Coatlicue

 

Force féminine ancestrale

Sur papier d'amate

 

Qui se livre

Aux dessins intrinsèques

Des phrases dessinées

Coyolxauqui

 

Pensée de jade

Qui s'évapore avec la lune

Qui se fond dans les rivières de blanc puissant

Tonantzin

 

Force de la femme

Du lointain et du proche

De haut en bas

De dedans et de dehors

Du cycle éternel

Force du ciel grenat

 

Cihuacóatl, Tonantzin

Yoloxóchitl, Xochipilli

Tlazotéotl, Coatlicue

Coyolxauqui

 

Des guirlandes de fleurs blanches les célèbrent

Des plumes de quetzal ornent les cheveux

Les grand-mères créatrices chantent

De concert sur cette terre

 

Force féminine, ancestrale

 

Xanath Caraza