SPOTLIGHT ON WILLIAM ANTHONY NERICCIO

Monday’s post from Daniel Olivas…

Professor William Anthony Nericcio is the Chair-elect of the Department of English and Comparative Literature at San Diego State University. He also serves on the graduate faculty of the Department of Chicana/o Studies and the Center for Latin American Studies. An Editor of Hyperbole Books, an imprint of San Diego State University Press, Prof. Nericcio's latest publications include a lurid meditation on the scandalous life of Pee-wee Herman (aka Paul Reubens) in the Iowa Journal of Cultural Studies and an illustrated survey of the cool graphic narrative Mestizo stylings of Gilbert Hernandez and his spiritual godmother, Frida Kahlo for NYU Press's Latino Popular Culture. His first book, Tex[t]-Mex: Seductive Hallucinations of "Mexicans" in America, was released in January by The University of Texas Press (to read the book's introduction, visit here.) Links to these works and more on Prof. Nericcio are available here.

◙ Marcela Landres interviews Francisco Aragón, the author of Puerta del Sol (Bilingual Press) and editor of the recently released, The Wind Shifts: New Latino Poetry (University of Arizona Press). He directs Letras Latinas, the literary program of the Institute for Latino Studies at the University of Notre Dame where he oversees, among other projects, Momotombo Press.

◙ Tu Ciudad Magazine’s The Best of Orange County (Latino-Style): The April issue takes readers on an A-Z tour of Latino life in Orange County, with personal recommendations from Vanessa Bryant, “Real Housewife” Jo de la Rosa, and Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez. There is also a profile of ¡Ask A Mexican! columnist Gustavo Arellano (whose first book will be out in May), as well as Marisela Norte’s reflections on her friendship with influential artist Gronk on the occasion of a new book chronicling his life and career, Gronk by Max Benavidez (UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Press). Also in the April issue:

• El Centro, an eclectic mix of tidbits and personalities. In this issue, Santiago Cabrera (NBC’s Heroes) shares some personal insight in Star Maps. Ayn Carrillo’s Sex y L.A. column begs couples to avoid destination weddings.

• cStyle, the fashion and beauty section shimmers with metallic hues for the spring season. Sara Diaz, the creative spirit behind Clothesline by Diaz, is featured in Meet Your Maker.

• Culturistas features banda queen Yolanda Pérez as she finishes her fourth studio album and looks forward to exploring new styles.

• Food critic Carolyn Carreño finds an Orange County gem, Taléo Grill, amidst an Irvine business park.

Tu Ciudad Magazine is now available 10 times a year. Copies are sold at stores throughout Southern California including Ralphs, Albertson’s, Vons, Rite-Aid, Barnes & Noble, Borders and newsstands throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties. Or you can do as I do and subscribe.

◙ Yesterday, my review of Helena María Viramontes' new novel, Their Dogs Came With Them (Atria Books, $23 hardcover), appeared in the El Paso Times. The novel is a heart-rending but hopeful portrait of lives that are rocked by the turmoil and violence of East Los Angeles during the 1960s. La Bloga recently interviewed Viramontes on her new novel, the writing process and the purpose of literature.

◙ Record and Write Stories of the Homeless: Meet one-on-one with a pre-selected long-term resident of L.A.’s “Skid Row” to learn about and record that person’s life story. Also talk with some of the people who devote their days to working with these residents. The interview subjects will then be photographed by renowned Mexican photographer Antonio Turk. This is an unusual and important Big Sunday project, designed to give a face and a voice to the homeless, and will be done with the hope and expectation of publishing these stories. Experienced writers only, please. For more information on this writing project, visit here. This is just one of the many Big Sunday projects available. Started last year by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Big Sunday volunteers come from neighborhoods all over the greater Los Angeles area (including Ventura County, Orange County, and the Inland Empire), and volunteer in neighborhoods all over the Los Angeles area. There are volunteer opportunities for every passion, every talent, and every age. Projects are scheduled throughout the weekend to work with any schedule. Projects can last anywhere from one hour to all weekend.

◙ Tattoo Highway, an online journal of poetry, creative prose and art, is now reading for TH/15: "Protective Coloration." Deadline, June 15. This is one of my favorite litmags…you should definitely visit and consider submitting.

◙ The April issue of Somos Primos is now available. Somos Primos is the online publication “Dedicated to Hispanic Heritage and Diversity Issues” produced by the Society of Hispanic Historical and Ancestral Research.

◙ If you are a subscriber, you should have received the new issue of Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies. If you are not a subscriber, you will miss the articles on the late Chicano author Gil Cuadros; femicide in Ciudad Juárez; public schooling on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border; Chinese-Mexican intermarriage during the early twentieth century; and Culture Clash’s play Chavez Ravine. If you would like to subscribe, you can go the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center store to buy a current subscription or email your postal address to the Center so that they can send you a subscription package. I just got my copy and it is beautiful (the cover is a painting by Patssi Valdez with several more reproductions inside). Information about all CSRC publications is available at the CSRC Press website.

◙ Speaking of the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center (CSRC), the CSRC Library and Archive is the first library of its kind and the only freestanding Chicano studies library in the United States. The CSRC Library and Archive serves the field worldwide through a variety of information resources: print materials, digital resources, and archival holdings, as well as through reference assistance and bibliographic instruction. The CSRC Library and Archive has undertaken a new initiative aimed at providing digital access to its rare and historically significant materials, and at facilitating the creation/acquisition of new archival holdings at UCLA. To date, over 5,000 photographs and documents have been digitized. The Chicano Archives Digitization Project will feature a searchable online database of primary documents and artwork for research by scholars and students. This initiative is done in conjunction with the UCLA Digital Library and draws upon other CSRC research projects that have an archival and/or oral history component.

◙ If you reside in or around Los Angeles, please join Espresso Mi Cultura in supporting the Latino Theater Company and the Los Angeles Theater Center.

LATINO THEATER COMPANY @ The NEW LATC

514 S. Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013
(213) 489-0994 (phone)
(213) 489-1851 (fax)
info@latinotheater.com

"THREAT CONDITION: YELLOW" is a selection of favorite sketches including those NEVER BEFORE SEEN IN LOS ANGELES:

* Those Darn Filipino Farmworkers!
* Make America Better (M.A.B.) Vs. Make America Brown (M.A.B.)!
* Yo Yo Ma's cousin…Yo MAMA!
* and more!

3 WEEK LIMITED RUN

APRIL 12-28, 2007
Thursday, Friday: 8 p.m.
Saturday: 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.
$20 General, $15 Students & Seniors, $12 Groups of 10+
FOR RESERVATIONS: 213-489-3281 or Tickets@latinotheater.com

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