Books, Movies and Music

HELENA MARÍA VIRAMONTES
Helena María Viramontes has two reading and signing events scheduled this weekend. The first is at Imix Bookstore, 5052 Eagle Rock Boulevard, Los Angeles, on March 29th at 5:00 p.m. She will discuss her latest novel, Their Dogs Came With Them (Atria 2007). Call 323-257-2512 for more information.

On March 30th, Ms. Viramontes will appear at Libros Revolucíon, 312 W. 8th Street, Los Angeles, 213-488-1303, at 2:00 p.m., also reading from and signing Their Dogs Came With Them.

PATRICIA SANTANA
Patricia Santana will be at Warwick's on April 10 at 7:30pm to discuss and sign her new novel, The Ghosts of El Grullo, (University of New Mexico Press, 2008), the sequel to her bestselling, Motorcycle Ride on the Sea of Tranquility (University of New Mexico Press, 2004). Here’s the press blurb for the new book:

“Having left her much-loved San Diego barrio, Yolanda is now living in the university dorms when a series of events - her mother dies and her father sells their home - forces her to re-examine her life. Yolanda visits her parents' hometown of El Grullo, Mexico, struggling to understand the ghosts in her life — her mother, her father, and her seemingly idyllic childhood. She fears losing herself in the disintegration of the family. For Yolanda, her father is her enemy (or so she thinks), and in the course of the novel we see him at his best and worst, and we see Yolanda at her best and worst. This is a story of Yolanda's initiation into womanhood and about her fierce struggle to make sure her family does not dissolve. Family and sexual politics; love, death, and abandonment; the struggle to resolve a personal identity in the context of a shattered, first-generation immigrant American family - these are the hugely painful obstructions Yolanda must surmount or incorporate into her own being as she makes her life's journey.”

Warwick's - 7812 Girard Avenue, La Jolla, CA, Tel: 858-454-0347

SU TEATRO CELEBRATES TEN YEARS OF XICANINDIE
El Centro Su Teatro proudly presents XicanIndie FilmFest 10: Latino World Cinema, April 3 – 6, 2008 at the Starz FilmCenter, 900 Auraria Parkway in Denver.

What began as a small celebration of independent Chicano filmmaking has, in a decade’s time, become the premier Latino film festival in the region. This year’s XicanIndie will feature an Academy Award nominated film, two Sundance hits, several intriguing shorts, powerful documentaries, a rare Cantinflas reel, an homage to Crusade of Justice leader Corky Gonzales, and a special tribute to Chicano music legend Lalo Guerrero.

Two shorts, La Corona and Lapsus, garnered praise at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. La Corona, a fascinating documentary about a beauty pageant in a Colubmian women’s prison, was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary, Short Subject. Both films will be featured in Thursday’s special student screenings as well as Saturday’s run of chones (shorts).

The festival will open with a newly remastered Mexican classic, Ahí Está el Detalle, starring renowned actor, Cantinflas, who Charlie Chaplin called “the greatest comedian in the world.” Ahí Está el Detalle launched Cantinflas’s long and esteemed career, which included a foray into mainstream Hollywood.

Friday night’s Corky Gonzales homage will feature two films: After Joaquin: The Crusade For Justice by local filmmaker and XicanIndie FilmFest Director Daniel Salazar and Rudolfo "Corky" Gonzales: Living the Legacy, a special tribute documentary by Rafaela Castellanos.

Saturday’s Awards ceremony will precede the screening of the 2006 documentary Lalo Guerrero: Original Chicano, which celebrates the career of this musical pioneer who documented the contemporary history of Mexican Americans through song. The screening will be followed by a special musical tribute.

Other films of note are JC Chavez, a documentary about the Mexican boxing champion; Dos Miradas, a beautiful Chilean lesbian love/hate story; and Macario, a classic of Mexico’s golden age of film, based on the short story by B. Traven (Treasure of the Sierra Madre). For more information about Xicanindie FilmFest 10 programming, or for interviews and advanced screening opportunities, please contact John at (303) 296-0219 or john@suteatro.org, and visit www.xicanindie.suteatro.org.



RICHARD CASTRO
The Mile Hi Chapter American GI Forum will host a book signing of Richard Gould's book, The Life and Times of Richard Castro: Bridging the Cultural Divide (University Press of Colorado, 2007) on April 18, 2008, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. The program is free and will include readings from the book and tributes to Richard Castro. The book signing will be at 1717 Federal Boulevard, Denver. Call 303-455-3304 for information.

Those of you unfamiliar with Castro can find out more about this community and political leader on the Metropolitan State College website. Castro was an early instructor in the Chicano/a Studies Department at Metro, and the college has honored him with the Richard T. Castro Distinguished Visiting Professorship, which has featured Cherrie Moraga, Carlos Fuentes, Carmen Lomas Garza, Ana Castillo, Dolores Huerta, Lourdes Portillo, and Richard “Cheech” Marin.


LOOKING FOR NEW MEXICO WRITERS

The Center for Independent Media announced 8-10 New Journalist Fellowships available to New Mexico journalists and bloggers. Fellows are provided with funding, support, training, and mentoring designed to further their journalistic pursuits.

The program aims to show how citizen-driven media can make a powerful impact on public debate. Further, a goal is to better understand how effective citizen journalism can be organized and produced in a sustainable way. Fellows produce original material for the program's flagship New Mexico news web site. The term of a fellowship is three (3) months with the possibility of renewal.

Fellowships offer:

• a stipend of $4,500 to be paid over 3 months;

• investigative journalism training;

• editorial mentorship from experts in the field of blogging and/or journalism;

• research tools and access to information databases;

• legal information, advice, and access to legal representation;

• technical help and consulting;

• networking opportunities with other journalists, bloggers, and news makers in the state; and

• possible media training/booking and other promotion of the work produced.

In exchange, fellows are expected to:

• produce 4 - 7 original blog posts per week on average;

• fulfill goals in original reporting, to be set on an individual basis;

• adhere to a set of ethical and journalistic standards;

• participate in all trainings, meetings, and conferences; and

• regularly submit a status report on their work.

Candidates must be New Mexico residents who can bring a fresh voice to state and local news, issues, and events.

Visit www.newjournalist.org for the fellowship application and submission instructions. All applications must sent in ASAP. Interviews of the finalists for the Fellowships start next week (March 31st).

The New Journalist Program does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, age, lifestyle, religion, ethnic origin, disability or veteran status. To be eligible for the fellowship, individuals must be U.S. nationals or permanent residents.

If you have any questions about the fellowship, please feel free to contact info@newjournalist.org.

CACHAO
A note to mark the passing of the Father of the Mambo, Israel "Cachao" López, who died on March 22, in Miami. The music pioneer was 89. This innovative musician and composer had a significant impact on all Latin music. As they say, como su ritmo, no hay dos.

Later.