The good news today includes the announcement from the Colorado Authors Hall of Fame that Abelardo "Lalo" Delgado has been selected for induction into the Hall of Fame as one of the Legacy recipients for 2023. No one is more deserving of this award than Lalo, and the literary and Chicano communities of the Southwest welcome this acknowledgement of Lalo's writing, impact, and influence. Below is the write-up used by the Hall of Fame. La Bloga congratulates Lalo and his family. We will celebrate at the induction gala on September 11. If you have the opportunity, please join us.
Also, keep reading for details about CALMA's anthology fundraiser. Support Colorado writers by helping with the publication of a groundbreaking collection of fiction, essays, poetry, and more. Congrats to CALMA. We are eager to see the finished product.
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Abelardo "Lalo" Delgado
The following is from the Colorado Authors Hall of Fame website at this link.
Abelardo “Lalo” Delgado (1931 – 2004) was a university professor, community organizer, and prolific writer. Lalo is considered el abuelito (grandfather) of Chicano literature. His poetry, frequently anthologized, is part of the lexicon of Chicano Studies programs on college campuses and the basis for his posthumous appointment as Poet Laureate of Denver.
Upon his death, the Los Angeles Times declared Lalo Delgado a “seminal force” in the development of Chicano literature, and the New York Times hailed him as a writer of “vivid descriptions of the injustices suffered by many Mexican-Americans.”
He was the author of 14 books, most of them self-published because publishers failed to accept Chicano literature as a legitimate literary art form. Delgado wrote in Spanish, English and a combination of the two. In so doing, he showed that Spanglish was “a legitimate form of communication.” He strived to make poetry available to his community by xeroxing his poems and selling them for 10 cents. He recited his poems in a booming voice everywhere - protest marches, meetings, picket lines, rallies, college classrooms, and in the streets.
After attending a conference where white educators blamed Chicanos for their failures in school and refused to recognize their creativity, Lalo poured out his anger in stupid america, one of his earliest and best-known poems, published in 1969. He wrote:
stupid america, remember that chicanito
flunking math and english
he is the picasso
of your western states
but he will die
with one thousand masterpieces
hanging only from his mind.
The following is from our good friends at CALMA. For more info and to donate, go to this link.
Partner with us in this groundbreaking effort to create what promises to be an historic overview of Latino literature. CALMA—the Colorado Alliance of Latino Mentors and Authors—is raising funds to publish Ramas y Raíces: The Best of CALMA, its first such anthology from the home of the Chicano movimiento. Twenty-four writers offer an illuminating collection of poems, short fiction, and essays, giving readers compelling insights into familia, love, duty, tragedy and triumph, the search for self, and the never-ending struggle for justice
We draw upon memories that refuse to remain buried and forgotten, from recollections dating back centuries to others as recent as yesterday. This is a triumph of inspiration filtered through lived experience and fantasy, and brought forth through hard work and devotion.
We will give regular updates about the publication schedule as we progress. And we will be hosting book launch celebrations with the community in various locations throughout the state. Visit our website to learn more about us at www.calmaco.org
Later.
Manuel Ramos writes crime fiction. Read his latest story, Northside Nocturne, in the award-winning anthology Denver Noir, edited by Cynthia Swanson, published by Akashic Books.
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