Chicano Music Festival, Bilingual Review, Awards, Event

CHICANO MUSIC FESTIVAL
All events take place at Su Teatro's new space: 215 S. Santa Fe Drive, Denver

THURSDAY, AUG 6, 7pm - 9pm: Opening Night ($8) Su Teatro presents a special screening of the film Chicano Rock: The Sounds of East L.A. Hosted by XicanIndie FilmFest Director Daniel Salazar, and featuring guest commentators Pocho Joe (La Raza Rocks), Johnny "Ritmo" Rodriguez, and Joaquin Liebert (The Risk). Also, get a sneak preview of our annual auction!

FRIDAY, AUG 7, 7pm - 10pm: Noche Tradicional ($10) Musica de Colorado Hall of Fame inductions: folk musician Dr. Lorenzo Trujillo, radio pioneers David Gallegos and Paul Chavez, and KUVO's longstanding Sunday radio program Cancion Mexicana. Featuring performances by The Southwest Musicians and others. Also live and silent auctions.

SATURDAY, AUG 8, 6pm - 11pm: Pachanga! ($18) Pachanga madness returns with the best Chicano Rock and Roll in the state: Sangre Chicana, Next in Line, Johnny "Ritmo Rodriguez" y los Diamantes, and more! Exciting live auctions feature original artwork, resort getaways, spa packages, sports tickets, wine tastings, y mucho mucho mas!

SUNDAY, AUG 9, 5pm - 9pm: Mariachi Tardeada ($12) Enjoy a lovely summer afternoon with great mariachi music, food hot off the grill, and ice cold beer and margaritas. Maricachi Vasquez, Tony Silva and Trio Xochitl with Mariachi de las Artes.

Get a complete festival pass for only $35, or buy a Season VIP and get next year's festival pass plus 2 tickets/2 drinks for this year's festival, all for just $135. Call: 303.296.0219

BOOKS

A half-dozen titles (and blurbs) from the Bilingual Review Press Fall, 2009, catalog:

Anywhere But L.A.
Daniel Olivas
September

The stories in this collection range from contemporary narratives to more traditional cuentas de fantasma, giving readers a vivid and honest portrait of modern Latinos in search of their place in the world. Funny yet poignant, Olivas's characters frequently amuse, sometimes disturb, and often remind us of our own vulnerability. People who on the surface appear to be ordinary and uncomplicated reveal their deepest secrets and anxieties related to a variety of issues, such as race, gender, sexual orientation, and the human condition in general. We are given a glimpse into the complex emotions and attitudes of characters who are trying to cope with the mysteries of life. These stories ring with humor, insight, and power, and, like the city they describe, they shift and slide and refuse to be pinned down as they drive the reader to the very core of human existence through the colorful mural of a thriving Latino community.

Born in the Cavity of Sunsets
Michael Luis Medrano
July

Poet Michael Luis Medrano shows us life in Fresno, California, a city where one can never see the actual moment when the sun slips beyond the horizon because too many buildings block the view. The picture he paints is not always pretty. In edgy, sometimes angry verse, Medrano reveals a world of shadows and sacrifice. Never shying away from grim detail, he describes frustration, struggle, violence, and frief. But he also shows us light, hope and humor with a wry and refreshing voice. Through it all he remains sincere and versatile, letting the reader absorb intense emotion, from writhing agony to tender joy. Born in the Cavity of Sunsets is poetry for the people, from the initiated and well versed to the beginner who is just discovering the magic of a well-turned phrase.

Second Communion
Nash Candelaria
September

This memoir by renowned Chicano writer Nash Candelaria focuses on how and why he chose to become a writer. As he investigates his family's more than 300-year history in New Mexico, the author undertakes a more intimate journey that leads him to understand truths about himself: why he chose to become a writer and why he chose the topics he did. Part family history and part self-examination, Second Communion is a must-read for aspiring writers, those interested in Southwest history, and students and teachers of Chicano literature.

Simpáticos: San Miguel Stories
Elva Treviño Hart
September

Elva Trevino Hart introduces us to the people of San Miguel de Allende. Nestled in the eastern part of Guanajuato in Mexico's mountainous bajio region, the town has a mild climate and an accommodating culture that attract wealthy Americans and Canadians seeking relaxation and escape. In this picturesque setting, we meet a variety of well-to-do Anglo retirees: some are haunted by ghosts, others by their own pasts, some fine renewed meaning and purpose, and still others explore their sexuality. Witnessing it all are the maids of San Miguel, the women charged with making visitors' stays carefree and luxurious.The maids work magic to heal or redeem their employers, but sometimes the sorcery of others trumps their own. Simpáticos movingly describes two extreme socioeconomic conditions and reveals the universal journey we all ultimately share.

Not Myself Without You
Lourdes Vázquez
October

A working-class Puerto Rican family of the 1950s lives surrounded by spirits, ghosts, and witches, a result of incantations performed in their living room. Chronicling nearly two decades of the family's history -- including their occult activities -- the story involves characters who are centered in Puerto Rico but who move through the Caribbean, Central America, Spain, and New York as they are pulled by the economic, political, and social conditions of the times as well as by their own intense desires. Based on oral history and research, Not Myself Without You is the author's own memoir with a strong fictional twist.

The Scoundrel and the Optimist
Maceo Montoya
October

Nothing is easy when you are thirteen, and it's especially challenging when everyone thinks you're eight because you are tiny; your father is an abusive, tyrannical lout; your siblings are determined to strike out on their own to escape constant drunken rages; and your mother is deeply depressed. In The Scoundrel adn the Optimist we meet Edmund, a hapless but irrepressible redheaded teen whose magnificent strength of spirit makes him a giant among men. Despite roadblocks and bad advice, Edmund is determined to win the heart of Ingrid Genera and to become a great guitar player. But his most notable accomplishment is teaching his father, Filastro, the value of integrity and optimism.



AWARDS

Guillermo Saccomanno of Argentina and David Torres of Spain share the 2008 Premio Hammett Prize for the best crime novel in Spanish. Saccomanno's novel is entitled 77. The author dedicated the prize to his granddaughter and recalled that one of her great-uncles was one of the tens of thousands forcibly disappeared in Argentina's 1976-83 military dictatorship. David Torres won for Niños de Tiza. The award ceremony took place during this year's Semana Negra in Gijón, Spain. Also at this year's Semana Negra, Cuban writer Rodolfo Pérez Valero won First Prize for his short story Dioses y orishas (Gods and Orishas) The short story is about immigration, forced prostitution and mafias in Spain. This was the 5^th First Prize for Perez in 19 years. A complete list of the Semana Negra winners can be found at this site.

EVENT
Dance of the Flower Medicine - Danza Xochitl Pahtli
Featured will be curanderos from Cuernavaca, Mexico. On August 4th, the events will start with a Welcoming Ceremony at Cuernavaca Park hosted by the Sister City Council. This two hour event will include traditional dancers, singers, and drummers. Mayor Hickenlooper will present the opening. The following days will include speaking engagements throughout Denver and Lakewood. These events will also include events where the curanderos will offer healings and demonstrations. The events will end at Metro State College. The weekly events are free and open to the public. More information including a schedule of all events at this link.

Event Information Contact: Sofia Chavez-Federick 303-726-7119 Media Contact: Mavis Salazar, (720) 297-3522; e-mail: mavissalazar@comcast.net


Later.