This year’s Celebrating Words Festival theme, “Uniting Through Flor y Canto,” will be represented by live musical performances, spoken word and poetry, a children’s section with activities, an artisan marketplace, and local foods, making it the Northeast Valley’s largest such family festival and celebration of literacy and the arts.
“Literacy
and the arts bring communities together to discuss creative and innovative ways
of enhancing our quality of life,” said Councilman Felipe Fuentes of Council
District Seven, whose office is supporting the festival. “Investing in the arts
and literacy is an investment in the community and I am grateful for the work
of Tía Chucha’s for their continued support of this annual family event.”
Kicking
off the festivities will be an opening ceremony by Tía Chucha’s resident mexihca
dance group, Danza Temachtia Quetzalcoatl, followed by a lineup
of musical performances by Tía Chucha’s guitar and Son Jarocho youth students,
local recording artists including hip-hop artivist Maya Jupiter, urban cumbia
trio Viento Callejero, soulful, modern-day torch singer Irene
Diaz, and popular banda/norteño singer El Gavilán con Banda.
Among
the notable poets featured at this year’s event are the American Book Award-winning
and acting San Francisco Poet Laureate Alejandro Murguía, and Mayda
del Valle, cast member of the Tony Award-winning Def Poetry Jam on Broadway
who has toured with Norman Lear’s “Declare Yourself Spoken Word” tour and
performed at the White House for President Obama and the First Lady. Also
featured on the main stage will be Antonieta Villamil, poets performing
their works in Spanish, youth poets and those published by Tía Chucha Press.
San Fernando Valley artist and muralist Rah Azul will create live art on-site, welcoming attendees and community members to participate. Other festival attractions include the Mercado Pochtecayotl, offering hand-crafted items, food and refreshments from Pollo Pelón, an interactive poetry booth, and informational booths presented by various community resources.
“The
arts and literacy, with their blend of creativity and consciousness, are
catalysts for enhancing and transforming the quality of life of our
communities. We invite everyone to enjoy a festive day designed to tap into and
draw out the innate beauty and creative expression in us all,” comments Tía
Chucha’s co-founder, Trini Rodriguez.
Visit
the Facebook Event for more information: http://bit.ly/CWFfbevent.
Want
to volunteer?
Sign up here: http://bit.ly/CWFvolunteerform.
For
festival related inquiries, please contact CWF Coordinators Liana Cabrera &
Natalia Hernandez at celebratingwords@gmail.com.
IN OTHER LITERARY NEWS…
◙
If you missed my recent interview with Cristina Henríquez over at the Los Angeles Review of Books regarding
her beautiful new novel, The Book of
Unknown Americans, look
no further.
 |
| Cristina Henríquez at AWP 2014. |
◙
Héctor Tobar reports on a wonderful East L.A. bookstore, Seite Books (not Siete), in this
Los Angeles Times piece.
◙
I have become a Twittering fiend…follow me at https://twitter.com/olivasdan.
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