Another La Bloga anniversary

Beginning our 12th year

Today marks La Bloga’s 11th anniversary. No presents, please, other than your continued literary contributions and feedback.

11 candles might be lit for the current, regular contributors of La Bloga. But don’t blow them all out at once. Instead, read a passage, article, story, poem or novel that each of them wrote. [Sorry for not featuring something on every bloguista.]

La Bloga's Em

There won’t be a party, since the contributors are scattered across Aztlán, something they describe in their cultural works. Old or younger, each contributor might at least be toasted with un Salud!

The faces of the contributors are featured on the masthead above, though they’re not named, nor linked to their websites. [fotos appear in the order each person joined up] But you can dig a little, into the right sidebar where all should be available.

El Ramos

Through 11 years, La Bloga has had its highs, lows, panic-attacks and recognition, mini-charlas and a couple of break-ups. But it’s always been bigger than any one of us, encompassing much of the length and breadth of Chicano/Latino lit and culture.

With an albeit misnamed thanksgiving day just passing, I’m grateful to have had the chance to play a small role in the Chicano literary website that became a Latino cultural website.

A fat candle should be lit for Michael Sedano, a.k.a. Em, who's operated as surgeon when necessary to keep the website alive. Just don't blow his candle out yet.

bloguista Olivas

And two brown candles should be lit for Manuel Ramos and Daniel Olives who literarily sustained La Bloga in its infancy, and continue to propel its growth.

At the same time, meeting some of its obligation to decolonize machismo, La Bloga now boasts roughly a 50% participation de embras literarias.

bloguista Melinda Palacio

Given recent events like the neo-fascist rise of Trumpisms, the #RedNBlackNBrownLivesMatter, the U.S.-created Syrian refugee crisis and yesterday’s shooting at a Colorado Planned Parenthood Center, La Bloga’s political orientation and articles find more reasons to raise its voice and provide analyses.

bloguista Lydia Gil

While publicizing and encouraging readers to seek out our cultural works, La Bloga has remained non-commercial, no ads marring our side-bars. We’ve all been involved for reasons sometimes romantic or dutiful.

So, before the commercial season takes hold, post something here or send a La Bloga contributor a message of your choice.

bloguista Amelia Montes

Should you forget to, no deben tener miedo—next week more La Bloga articles will appear under your tree or on your feed.

Feliz El Año Doce que sigue, y esperamos, muchos más,

RudyG