La Bloga News ‘n Notes

Michael Sedano

This second week of 2015's only May brings bustle and last-minute hustle for gente only just now finding out about a reading, a conference, or a conjunto. A pair of calls for submissions open now or soon and have long-opened windows of opportunity.

The weekend conference at Cal State LA--the one in El Sereno--promises invigorating panels and interesting teatro. The grandchildren of los de abajo have Ph.D.s now, and are studying their antepasados from interesting points of view. The conference is free but parking is fee.

Here are notes from a variety of La Bloga friends' emails for this week.


Late-breaking news
Librería Martínez Hosts Santiago Vaquera-Vasquez

The author presents his new book of cuentos, the first in English, One Day I'll Tell You the Things I've Seen (UNM Press, 2015), in Santa Ana California.

Libreria Martinez Books & Art Gallery is still at 216 N Broadway, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Phone:(714) 954-1151. The organization now exists under the umbrella of Chapman University.



Call For Submissions
“Pariahs: Writing From Outside the Margins” anthology

Editors Mónica Teresa Ortiz and Sarah Rafael García invite creative non-fiction, prose, poems and short stories up to 4,000 words or a maximum of three poems. All submissions will be read blind; thus, your name or contact information should only appear on your cover letter. Please submit previously unpublished work only. We accept simultaneous submissions, but please notify us as soon as possible should your work be accepted elsewhere.

The theme for this anthology is “Pariahs.” We encourage submissions that provoke thought or discussion about this topic from the writing perspective and address one of the following questions: as a writer, have you ever felt left out and expected to only write from the place where you stand (specific to gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, geography, education, etc)? Has academia, such as the MFA experience, limited you and your perspective? Have you been left out from “mainstream” literature or the writing industry? Do you feel silenced as a writer?

We require a $5 submission fee. Call for submissions runs from May 31st through September 1st. Submissions will be accepted through Submittable. The Submittable link is scheduled for activation on May 16.

Please email the editors at  pariahsanthology2015@gmail.com with any questions.

Mónica Teresa Ortiz was born and raised in Texas. Her work has appeared in Bombay Gin, Sinister Wisdom, Huizache, Pilgrimage Magazine, Paso del Rio Grande del Norte, Borderlands, As/US, The Texas Observer, Autostraddle, and Black Girl Dangerous. A two-time Andres Montoya Letras Latinxs Poetry prize finalist, Ortiz is the Poetry Editor for Raspa Magazine, a Queer Latinx literary art journal.





Sarah Rafael García is a writer, community educator and traveler. Since publishing Las Niñas in 2008, she continues to share her passion by founding Barrio Writers and hosting Wild Womyn Writers workshops. Her words have been featured in Connotation Press, EXSE Spoken Word Showcase, Label Me Latina/o, La Bloga, Brooklyn & Boyle, LATINO Magazine, Santanero Zine, Flies, Cockroaches and Poets, IN MY BED Magazine, E4rth is my Flesh Zine and has a forthcoming publication in theContraPuntos III anthology. Sarah Rafael is the Editor for the Barrio Writers annual anthology.








Call For Submissions
Origins Journal Seeks Shame

Origins Journal explores the narrative arts through the lens of identity. We’re interested in distinct voices. Writing that tells us something about a character's roots or what makes her unique. Stories that transport us across town and country, beyond and within borders both physical and abstract, to discreet moments that change or define us. We publish poetry, prose, translation, interviews and flash fiction. Our fall issue will focus on the theme of shame. For full guidelines, visit us here: http://www.originsjournal.com/submit/.




Free Conference
Cal State LA Hosts Conference on Mariano Azuela and Novels of the Mexican Revolution

from the event's website: Mariano Azuela (Lagos de Moreno, Jalisco, 1873-1952) was a medical doctor by profession and by mid-century one of Mexico’s leading writers. The author of novels, plays, biographies, and literary criticism, Azuela served as field doctor under Francisco Villa during the Mexican Revolution and, after Villa’s military defeat, published Los de abajo (The Underdogs) while in exile in El Paso, Texas. This conference on Azuela commemorates the first centenary of the publication of Los de abajo (1915) and aims to trace its narrative affiliation to twentieth-century autobiographies, memoirs ,and, more specifically, narratives of the Mexican Revolution.

Click here for the details of this event.



SanAnto Conjunto Festival Kicks Off With Seniors Dance

Check the organizer's website for contact information to attend the kick-off event, a dance for senior citizens featuring Tim Rodríguez y Oro de Tejas (San Antonio). The major musical happenings are Friday through Sunday.

Scheduled at the reasonable hour of 10 a.m. to noon, the dance--free for seniors--is Wednesday, May 13 at Guadalupe Theatre. 

Go to the Guadalupe site for the full schedule.