Virtual Events -- For The Reals

Here's a handful of upcoming events that cover a broad spectrum of interest: Teaching Gloria Anzaldúa, digging the be-bop king Charlie Parker, a launch party for a book of pandemic poetry, and advance notice of a 24 hour scholarship fundraiser that will feature autographed books and a visit to a local brewery. 

Teaching and Celebrating Gloria E. Anzaldúa, Thursday October 22

Join editors Margaret Cantú-Sánchez, Candace de León-Zepeda, and Norma Elia Cantú, and contributors of the new book, Teaching Gloria E. Anzaldúa: Pedagogy and Practice for Our Classrooms and Communities, to discuss this volume's practical and inspiring ways to deploy Anzaldúa's transformative theories with real and meaningful action.

Thursday, October 22, 2020, 4:30 p.m. Pacific Time
This is a free online event, but registration is required. Please visit here to register.

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Bird at 100—The Charlie Parker Centennial
Steve Chavis



Denver jazz radio station KUVO and iconic saxophonist-composer Charlie “Yardbird” Parker share the same birthday, August 29. This year, KUVO turns 35. Charlie Parker would have been 100.

On Friday, August 28 and Saturday August 29, KUVO hosts will celebrate the music of Charlie Parker with hourly selections performed or written by Parker. On Friday afternoon, host Rodney Franks will celebrate the legacy of Bird with quotes, recollections, and musical gems from his own personal library.

Since Charlie Parker died in 1955 at age 34, numerous tributes and salutes to Bird and his music have been produced and played on KUVO Jazz, most recently “Bird at 100” (2019, Smoke Sessions Records) featuring three alto saxophonists: Vincent Herring, Gary Bartz and Bobby Watson (also a Kansas City native). As part of the centennial observance, Bird’s longtime label Verve is issuing several vinyl reproductions from Parker’s Howard Theatre concerts in Washington D.C. (1952-53) and Clef Records’ 10-inch 78-rpm releases, and there’s a new Savoy CD box set (also available on vinyl). This year Parker’s estate is also releasing collectible album cover art, videos, bound sheet music and a graphic novel, “Chasin’ The Bird: Charlie Parker in California.” (Z2 Comics)

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Virtual Book Launch for Pandemia & Other Poems , Aug 30th @ 3pm central

Join us on the Aztlan Libre Press Facebook page on Sunday, August, 30, 2020, from 3-4pm (central time) for a conversation and reading with the author. Moderated by Juan Tejeda.

Pandemia & Other Poems comes to us as a salve to a trifecta of crises - a virus that has crippled the world forcing us to reevaluate and test our resolve as survivors; border issues of children in cages and immigrants being held in tent cities to wait with little or no hope; and the ongoing issue of racism and police brutality stirring protests around the world.

Vidaurre’s writings have appeared or are forthcoming in The New York Times Magazine, The Texas Observer, Grist, Poet Lore, The Acentos Review, Poetrybay, Voices de la Luna, as well as other journals and anthologies. Vidaurre is the author of seven collections of poetry. He is the 2018-2019 City of McAllen, Texas Poet Laureate, a four-time Pushcart-nominated poet and publisher of FlowerSong Press. Vidaurre is from Boyle Heights, California and now resides in McAllen, Texas with his wife and daughter.

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More info to come.

REFORMA'S mission is to improve the full spectrum of information services for Latinos, Hispanics, and Spanish-speaking persons in the United States. Our goals in support of this mission are:

* To promote development of Spanish-language and Latino/Hispanic oriented library collections
* To support active recruitment of bilingual, bicultural library staff
* To increase Latino/Hispanic awareness of available library services and collections
* To advocate on behalf of the information needs of the Latino/Hispanic community

Later.

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Manuel Ramos writes crime fiction.