Frida, latino author interviews, new books, kids' book publisher

We can never get enough Frida

From the Huffington Post: "Kahlo was not a prolific artist. Due to her long list of health problems, she had a lot of time on her bed. That's why [many works appear in] small format. She had a whole stretcher built specially so she could paint on her bed. Kahlo was very particular, only completing around 130 paintings and an additional hundred or so drawings."

Latinos put politics into fantasy

From The National Book Foundation's interview of Daniel José Older:

"People of color need stories about history and about how we’ve gotten here, and we also really want magic and fantasy and excitement. We can tell great, adventurous stories and talk about painful truths in a contemporary context. Racism and racial violence are still abundant today, and we need to address it in literature, in a realistic setting, and sometimes we need to address that in a fantastic setting."

a Triangle Square book

Publisher of children's fiction books on social justice

From Authors Publish: "Triangle Square focuses on publishing high quality, children's books that focus on education and social justice, even if they are fictional." They accept unagented submissions.

Inclusive literature & the future of genre fiction

From Geekachicas' interview of Chicano author David Bowles: "I wrote The Smoking Mirror in just a couple of months. Then, as you can imagine, shopping it around was a lot of fun--it got rejected by several agents who didn’t see it as very marketable. There’s not a single Anglo character in the book. Most of it happens either on the border with Mexico, in Mexico, or in the Aztec underworld."

Marx predicted the age of Internet technology?

From a new book, Postcapitalism by Allen Lane: "In 1858 Marx wrote The Fragment on Machines. He imagined an economy in which the main role of machines is to produce, and the main role of people is to supervise them; the main productive force would be information that did not depend on the amount of labor it took to produce them, but on the state of social knowledge. Organization and knowledge made a bigger contribution to productive power than the work of making and running the machines.

Recent releases & discount from Arte Público Press

Houston Public Media interviews author Raquel Ortiz for its website's Arte Público Press Author of the Month. Along with the transcript, their conversation is available through on-demand audio streaming here.

"Young Sofía walks to the bodega near her apartment to buy milk for her mom. From the sidewalk, she becomes entranced by a vibrant public mural that celebrates Puerto Rican culture. The dancers in the mural pull Sofía in, and she finds herself transported to Puerto Rico, listening to the island's music, singing traditional songs, and dancing with new friends." - Kirkus

There’s a Name for this Feeling: Stories / Hay un nombre para lo que siento: Cuentos

These short and accessible contemporary stories are alternately amusing and poignant as they explore issues relevant to today’s youth. Teens deal with everything from grandparents suffering from dementia to difficult customers at a first job. In one story, a young girl grieves the loss of her baby, a miscarriage her mom calls a blessing. The stories highlight the emotional tailspins of living in a complicated world."

New edition of the bestseller, Y no se lo tragó la tierra:

"One of the first major novels of the Chicano literature revival." - The New York Times

"Rivera is the finest Chicano writer to appear on the scene from the beginning of the Chicano movement." - The Texas Observer 

Take 35% off your entire purchase when you buy books by calling 800-633-ARTE, from now until Aug. 21, 2015. Mention coupon code SUMMER15 when placing your order.

Arte Público Press is the nation's largest and most established publisher of contemporary and recovered literature by U.S. Hispanic authors. Its imprint for children and young adults, Piñata Books, is dedicated to the realistic and authentic portrayal of the themes, languages, characters, and customs of Hispanic culture in the U.S. For more information, please visit our website at  www.artepublicopress.com.

Es todo, hoy,

RudyG