Madonnas, Ernest Hogan, Flo Hernandez-Ramos

Skyhorse's Madonnas: CACA

From amigo Rigoberto Gonzalez comes word of his El Paso Times Book Review of Brandon Skyhorse's The Madonnas of Echo Park.Does Rigo sound negative about the novel? Sounds more like the book deserves my CACA award for double cultural appropriation. The article's entitled Ouch: Stereotypes, clunkers fill stories in 'Madonnas' (special to the El Paso Times).

Here's a sample from the review:
"One character says, 'My sisters had left America and moved South, to a small Mexican village in Guadalajara.' (Don't see the problem? Guadalajara is a city.)"

Simón, like I live in the small American village of Sunnyside in Denver.
Check out Rigo's biting analysis here.

Chicano SF in FLURB

Ernest Hogan of Charla-Interview fame, and Chicano author of Cortez on Jupiter has a new story up on Rudy Rucker's FLURB, A Webzine of Astonishing Tales. It's entitled Doctora Xilbalba's Datura Enema, a story about what can happen to The Man if he gets too deep into a futuristic Narcolandia. Who said Chicanos don't make good SciFi characters? Hogan also gave La Bloga a nice plug at the end.

8.29.10 Denver celebration 'taba suave

Described in Manuel Ramos's post last week, my wife Carmen and I made to Rick's Tavern (Denver) to help finish off the 25th anniversary celebration of KUVO-FM radio and the retirement of Ramos's wife from hosting the Canción Mexicana Sunday morning program, a Denver staple of the Chicano community. Chanclas were thrown, música resounded and the send-off was suavecito.

Superlatives about Flo . . . flowed, all day, on the morning radio show and into the night. As we all know, most ChicanAs can do the work of any two ChicanOs. Flo's one of those who does the work of three. In some ways, her reputation enters the world of myth and magic, so for the occasion I created a one-hundred-and-eleven-word microstory. Aquí está:

111 4 8.29.10

The trickster god Tezcatlipoca challenged the shaman Chaneco to a duel.
"Show me someone swift, brilliant as a shooting star. If I win, I take a human heart."

So Chaneco revealed an unassuming Chicana completing her daily chores.

Enojado, the trickster god said, "Show me someone ferocious like El Huracán."

Chaneco again showed her, blazing to meet her deadlines.

Tezcatlipoca roared, "Show me something as neverending as me!"

Thereupon Chaneco held up her heart, resounding with love for her gente's cultura.

"What is this supernatural demon?"

Materializing herself, she declared, "I. Am. Flo."

Humiliated by this colibrí cafecita, Tezcatlipoca fled the Earth.

And left her heart where it belongs.
With Manuel.

es todo, hoy,
RudyG