Pedacitos y Pedazos - Guerrero, Hinojosa, Olivas, Myers, Thompson

Again, this is a long post. Click on the title that interests you and you can go right to it.

Lalo Guerrero - Father Of Chicano Music
New Publications From Rolando Hinojosa
Call For Submissions From Daniel Olivas
More Notable 2004 Books - The Gustavus Myers Awards
Hunter Thompson And The Cannon

Lalo Guerrero - Father Of Chicano Music Dies
As reported in The Desert Sun, Eduardo "Lalo" Guerrero, known as the Father of Chicano Music, died on March 17 at the Vista Cove assisted living facility in Rancho Mirage after suffering gradual declining health. He was 88. The Sun article is detailed, respectful and filled with good information about the man who gave us Canción Mexicana, Chicas Patas Boogie, Marihuana Boogie, I Love Tortillas (The Tortilla Song), No Chicanos On TV, and so many more that his complete discography numbers more than 700 songs and millions of records sold in Spanish and English. The Chicago Tribune also has a good article about Lalo. There isn't much I can add except that the man truly was a legend and an icon, and deservedly so. His music covered the spectrum from pachuco boogie to sentimental ballads to spoofs and satire. His fans included Cesar Chavez, Los Lobos, Cheech Marin, Luis Valdez, and a lot of us common folk. The Desert Sun has a site where people can post their memories or tributes - it's here at this link.

New Publications From Rolando Hinojosa
The esteemed Rolando Hinojosa sent me the following great news about reprints, a new book, short stories, so forth, and he says that there is more to come. Órale, Rolando.

Arte Público Press will release Rolando Hinojosa's Dear Rafe/Mi querido Rafa in June 2005. Hinojosa's newest work, We Happy Few, a comic novel with an academic setting, is set for a June 2006 publication. His essay, This Writer's Sense of Place, appears in the University of Texas Press publication Rio Grande (2005), an anthology of Texas writers compiled by Jan Reid. Norton Publications' anthology Texas Literature from the Red River to the Rio Grande, compiled by Don Graham (2005), includes Hinojosa's The Gulf Oil-can Santa Claus. Prótesis, publicación consagrada al crimen (Madrid) published his detective short story, El puñal de Borges, (2005).

Call For Submissions
Daniel Olivas, writer and lawyer from LA, sends a message that he's putting together an anthology that will have as its theme a favorite of many writers, the seathing cauldron of soul and cariño - the City of Angels. Daniel contributed to La Bloga a few days ago with his essay, Cuentos de Fantasma, well worth checking out below.

Here's Daniel's call:"I am editing an anthology of short fiction by Latinos/as in which the City of Los Angeles plays an integral role. I am interested in provocative stories on virtually any subject by both established and new writers. Stories may range from social realism to cuentos de fantasma and anything in between. Los Angeles may be a major 'character' or merely lurking in the background. I'd like to see characters who represent diverse backgrounds in terms of ethnicity, profession, age, sexual orientation, etc. Preferred length: 500 to 5,000 words. Stories may be previously published (please indicate where). Chapters from novels will be considered if they can stand alone. Award-winning publisher is interested but wants to see final manuscript. Please e-mail your story, using standard submission formatting, as a Word document to olivasdan@aol.com. In the e-mail, include your contact information, list of previous publications (if any), and the ethnicity(ies) with which you identify. Feel free to visit my Web page at http://www.danielolivas.com/. DEADLINE: September 1, 2005."

More 2004 Books - Gustavus Myers Award Winners
Continuing a thread I started a few days ago, here are more outstanding 2004 books. My earlier list focused on fiction - these are non-fiction books that deserve attention. This information is three months old but I guess it does not hurt to reinforce worthwhile reads.

A major purpose of the Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Bigotry and Human Rights is "the review and identification of outstanding books written each year about discrimination and bigotry, and ways to develop equitable future communities and societies." On Human Rights Day (December 10, 2004) the Center announced its 20th annual list of Outstanding Book Award Winners Advancing Human Rights. The award is co-sponsored by groups such as the American Friends Service Committee, NAACP, Poverty & Race Research Action Council, etc. There are some excellent reading choices in the list of winners and the honorable mentions and I recommend the lists for help with your next reading selection.

I expect that readers of this blog will be interested particularly in the Latino books that made the Honorable Mention list. I could be wrong but I do not think any of the winning books deal specifically with Latino issues (although you might want to look at It's Test Day, Tiger Turcotte, by Pansie Hart Flood, a children's book about a stressed-out seven year old who has to signify his racial identity on a standardized test form - his parents are Indian and Latina). In any event, here are some of the 2004 books that the Myers Center selected for commendation (the comments are from the Center):

Migra Mouse: Political Cartoons on Immigration, Lalo Alcaraz - Refreshing look at the inconsistencies and contradictions in public perceptions of immigration, the border and mucho mucho mas. [Alcaraz is the LA cartoonist well-known for his La Cucaracha comic strip and as the illustrator for Ilan Stavans' Latino USA: A Cartoon History. Lalo's website is here].

Greasers and Gringos: Latinos, Law and the American Immigration, Steven W. Bender - The intersection between stereotypes and the law, with close attention to the role of mass media in perpetuating stereotypes.

American Gulag: Inside U.S. Immigration Prisons, Mark Dow - Exposes the "Catch-22" of immigration law practice and policy implementation.

"Is This English?": Race, Language, and Culture in the Classroom, Bob Fecho - About learning through process, and the inquiry-based process of learning.

The New Americans, Ruben Martinez - Stand-along companion to PBS documentary on seven families.

We Took The Streets: Fighting For Latino Rights With The Young Lords, Miguel "Mickey" Melendez - Part memoir, part polemic about the powerful voice in the 1960s of Puerto Rican self-determination.

Finally, one other honorable mention (and I swear I was not looking for this), On The Justice of Roosting Chickens: Reflections On The Consequences Of U.S. Imperial Arrogance And Criminality, Ward Churchill - Challenges with historical detail the myth of the U.S. as a "peace-loving nation."

Well, Not Really A Cannon, Dude
Turns out that Hunter Thompson, Oscar "Zeta" Acosta's protegé, didn't actually say that he wanted his remains shot from a cannon. As reported in the Rocky Mountain News, he wanted his cremated remains to be shot out of an upside-down, sculpted mushroom perched on a 150-foot-high, double-thumbed fist. Much better. Some folks are trying to get this done. Ralph Steadman said, "Why not do that if you can?" I know I'd drive up to Aspen to see it.

Manuel