SPOTLIGHT ON REUBEN MUÑOZ

Monday’s post from Daniel Olivas…

Reuben Muñoz is an artist living in Long Beach, California. Until May 2004, when he underwent a quintuple bypass procedure, he worked as an art director/illustrator for the Los Angeles Times. While recovering, he began painting, creating this body of work. This newfound artistic endeavor took a pivotal turn when local gallery, Icaro, invited him to show five pieces as part of a group show, ultimately selling all but one. Several other gallery shows have followed. Muñoz has also completed several commissions and is available for consultation on others. For a sampling of his work, visit his website.

BOOK SIGNING: A book signing will be held for UCLA Professor Tara Yosso’s new book, Critical Race Counterstories Along the Chicana/Chicano Educational Pipeline (Routledge). The event will be held on Friday, March 24, 2006, at 5:30 p.m. at the UCLA Faculty Center, Hacienda Room. For more information, email the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center.

AMAZON SHORTS: Sergio Troncoso’s second essay, The Father is in the Details, is now available on Amazon Shorts. Of this piece, he says:

I wrote this essay to give a glimpse into the day-to-day life of a father on New York's Upper Westside, and to argue for a focus on details, in parenting and in life. With this focus, I have been able to change my character, to improve myself as a parent to my children.

Troncoso, a native of Ysleta, is the award-winning author. You may visit his website, or send him an e-mail.

SCANDALIZZ: Lizz Huerta's poem, "love like a dirty, dirty switchblade," appears in the new issue of ZYZZYVA, one of the best literary journals around (founded and published by Howard Junker).

BILINGUAL POETRY: Palabra Pura is a new poetry series in Chicago which promotes literary expression in more than one tongue through a monthly bilingual reading featuring Chicano and Latino artists. With an aim to foster dialogue through literature in Chicago and beyond, each evening pairs a local poet with a visiting writer along with an open mic to engage the interaction of diverse voices, ideas and aesthetics. The only series of its kind in Chicago – which is home to the third largest Latino population in the United States – Palabra Pura is held the third Wednesday of every month. The curatorial team has placed special emphasis on writers who have recently published books or recently received literary awards. The inaugural reading featuring Paul Martinez Pompa, Jorge Frisancho and music by Global Warming welcomed more than 65 people – a clear sign that there is a hunger for a place where poets and audiences who write and read in Spanish and English may gather.On March 15, 2006, Orlando Ricardo Menes will read with Beatriz Badikian-Gartler at California Clipper, 1002 N. Augusta, Chicago. Doors open at 8:00 p.m. Open mic begins at 8:30 p.m. Admission is free.Palabra Pura is a collaborative endeavor sponsored by the Guild Complex, Letras Latinas of the Institute for Latino Studies at the University of Notre Dame, and the Rafael Cintrón-Ortiz Latino Cultural Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

All done. So, until next Monday, enjoy the intervening posts from my compadres y comadre at La Bloga. ¡Lea un libro!