Latina Writers Conference Convenes Chingónas

July 31, 2023 

Altadena Library fills with high voltage energy and gente from across the Los Angeles basin. Every chair fills leaving standing room only. The biennial Latina Writers Conference has begun this year's week of programming. 

It's fitting the conference begins with this commemoration of legendary Latina writer, tatiana de la tierra, her person, her arte, and more than all, her total chingónaness: Mujer Peligrosa: Life and Work of tatiana de la tierra.

Here at La Bloga, tatiana de la tierra once shared the Sunday column with Olga García Echeverría. Tonight, García moderates the panel and begins the event invoking la Sirena's spirit calling three times "tatiana de la tierra", and each time the audience in unison answers for the absent soul, "¡Presente!"

"tatiana de la tierra?" "¡Presente!"

"tatiana de la tierra?" "¡Presente!"

"tatiana de la tierra?" "¡Presente!"

Sharing the floor with García are writers Caribbean Fragoza, Maylei Blackwell, and Myriam Gurba. On screen via Zoom, from Bogotá, Colombia, publisher Rocío Del Pilar Cely Herrera, and the artist who "discovered" tatiana for Colombian publication, Laura Arenas. 

Joining the panel is artist and cultural worker Angie. Apologies, I did not capture Angie's last name. Angie was supposed to translate if needed and wasn't. She laughed that tierra had "got me" one more time by having to sit there with little to do.

The evening gets going with García'a asking the panel to read a sample of the poet's work that illustrates their first meeting or awareness of tatiana de la tierra.

The moderator's question evokes the Colombian publisher to recall reading Para Las Duras was like a punch in the face. This is amazing valuable literature. Rocio instantly recognizes she has to publish the work. The publisher reads, in English, "mambo queers."

The poem offers one essence of tatiana de la tierra's sensibility: humor. LGBTQ before those intitials emerged, each line plays on adjectivally joining "queer" to quotidian entities, always with incisive humor, "the grass is always greener on the queer side...it was a dark and queery night." Rocio's reading perfectly understates tierra's outrageousness. The publisher reveals tonight's Zoom is her debut reading in English.

For Arenas, reading tatiana de la tierra was "finding a place where I belong." She wasn't alone; Arenas describes an emerging public voice influenced by tierra. Open mics, gatherings, places lesbians gathered found words and voice sharing, reading, tatiana de la tierra. Arenas reads "literatura lesbiana" in Spanish, giving a corresponding page for audience following along in their English language version.

Thanks to new media and Altadena Library's technical expertise, todo el mundo has access to the recorded zoom of the entire event. Here's the link to the library's publication of the zoom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGwMsBEmZGg

Do bookmark and view the entire Zoom, if for no other reason than to hear really effective, full-frontal readings, of work you probably haven't yet enjoyed. The readings reflect not only understanding of the words but love for the writer. Like the entire evening, love has everything to do with it.

Ave Atque Vale: Portraits of the Artists Commemorating A Friend

Masks optional and in use by some in the audience

Moderator Olga Garcia

Caribbean Fragoza

Maylei Blackwell

Olga García Echeverría

Myriam Gurba

Q&A engaged the audience and panel

García and tatiana de la tierra at the 2010 Festival de Flor y Canto:Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

August 6, 2023 

Energy charges the ambiente at Los Angeles' Plaza de la Raza with gente bustling busily getting the stage and seating area prepared for throngs of people who already wander into the venue an hour early, their presence signalling their own excitement at the capstone event of this year's Los Angeles Latina Writers Conference. 

Eight days of Conference, free to all, held in venues from Blythe to Venice, are coming to a momentous conclusion at Plaza de la Raza.

The final day's events cascade against time and people and scheduling. Like any good conference, people have to choose and skip the others.

I chose the panel on submitting your work and getting published. I attend with Golden Foothills Press publisher, Thelma Reyna. The panel consists in publishing professionals including Cybele Garcia Kohel, who moderates the panel; writer and managing editor at Kaya Press, Neelanjana Banerjee; and story-diviner, singer, and creative nonfiction editor at Exposition Review, Ramona Pilar. (as described in event literature).

There aren't enough kudos and laurel wreathes to recognize the labor and love demonstrated by the organizers of the every-other-year literary event. Leading this year's effort are Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo, above, Luivette Resto, Jessica Ceballos y Campbell, Rebecca Nevarez. Particular recognition goes to grant-writer Tomas J. Benitez, whose proposal garners funds for this fabulous event.

Neelanjana Banerjee publishes books. Submissions for book-length ms are her forté.

Ramona Pilar edits a journal. These publications' submission process may have greater interest to today's audience. The panel discusses becoming a "slush" reader to periodicals. Unpaid work screening submissions from hopeful writers will inform anyone's understanding of what it takes to submit and get into the editorial churn.

Cybele Garcia Kohel and colleagues remind these writers that "submitting" isn't just for publication but events like a college admissions letter are "submissions."

The Conference wraps with a pachanga in the parque, an honor to writer and innovator Sarah Rafael García, and una comidita. 

Just barely behind the scenes of this year's organizing leaders is the Los Angeles writer organization Women Who Submit. Word is, next year, WWS will be organizing another conference. Considering the leadership of WWS includes the women who put together this year's Latina Writers Conference, next year will bring bold programming befitting the chingonas who lead WWS and this year's Latina Writers Conference.

Órale, Xochitl; Luivette; Jessica; Rebecca! Tomás, órale indeed.