SPOTLIGHT ON MARCELA LANDRES

Monday’s post by Daniel Olivas…

Marcela Landres is an Editorial Consultant who works one-on-one with writers providing developmental editing for manuscripts, critiques for book proposals, and strategic advice on how to launch and maintain a successful writing career. She works with writers of all backgrounds in fiction and non-fiction, and specializes in helping Latino writers get published. She is also the Publisher of Latinidad™, a free career advice newsletter for Latino writers.

She was formerly an editor at Simon & Schuster for seven years, where she acquired and edited the bestselling authors Karen Rauch Carter and Dora Levy Mossanen, as well as oversaw the award-winning Spanish language imprint Libros en Español. She speaks frequently for organizations such as The Learning Annex, Columbia University, and The National Association of Latino Arts and Culture. A graduate of Barnard College, she is on the Literature Panel for the New York State Council on the Arts, and is a judge for the Beyond Margins Award for PEN, the Latino Book Awards, and The Scholastic Art & Writing Award. In addition, she is a member of the Women's Media Group, New York Women in Communications, and Las Comadres. The media, including The Wall Street Journal, The Chicago Tribune, and The Boston Globe, often quotes her as a publishing expert.

Raised in the projects of Long Island City, Queens as the daughter of Ecuadorian immigrants, Marcela is one of the few Latina editors in book publishing. She can be reached by visiting Contact.

CHICANO/LATINO LITERARY PRIZE: The 32nd Chicano/Latino Literary Prize is now accepting manuscripts in the genre of drama. Manuscript must be an unpublished full-length play (90 typed pages minimum). Due date is June 1, 2006. Please visit the prize’s website for rules.

SAL CASTRO CONFERENCE: The UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center will host this one day symposium on the Chicano Youth Leadership Conference (CYLC), Sal Castro, and the impact of the youth leadership conference series on Chicanos in California and their education. This symposium brings together CYLC participants, CYLC volunteers, and scholars to discuss the historical and educational impact of the series of high school leadership conferences. At UCLA Faculty Center, Friday, May 26, 2006, 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. For more information regarding registration, agenda, parking, etc., visit the CSRC’s announcement.

IN PAPERBACK: Daniel Alarcón’s well-received collection, War by Candelight: Stories (Harper Perennial), is now out in paperback. “…Alarcón, gifted and perceptive, joins a new wave of incisive literary border-crossers that includes David Bezmozgis, Courtney Angela Brkic, Judy Budnitz, and Rattawut Lapcharoensap.” (Booklist.)

ARTE: On Thursday, May 25 at 7 p.m., come and join our friends at Tía Chucha’s Café Cultural for this juried art exhibition Cinco De Mayo Cultural Experience, which seeks to represent the broad range of artistic expression throughout the region. Artists from Southern California draw on multiple sources and mirror the diversity apparent in this vast region. 12737 Glenoaks Blvd., #22; Sylmar, CA 91342; (818) 362-7060; Fax: (818) 362-7102; mailto:infor@tiachucha.com.

MAÑANA: Tomorrow La Bloga will be making a very exciting announcement. Do not miss it!

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