Friday, February 20, 2026

APPLICATION FOR MACONDO WRITERS WORKSHOP 2026



For more information and to apply visit, 

https://macondowriters.com

 

 

Workshop applications/registration for the 2026 workshop are now for everyone. All essential information is detailed in the application form which is made available on this link, https://macondowriters.com/workshop/


 

MACONDO WRITERS WORKSHOP 2026

JULY 20- JULY 26, 2026

TRINITY UNIVERSITY

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS



The Macondo Writers Workshop is an association of socially-engaged writers working to advance creativity, foster generosity, and serve the community. Founded in 1995 by writer Sandra Cisneros and named after the town in Gabriel García Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude, the workshop gathers writers from all genres who work on geographic, cultural, economic, gender, and spiritual borders. An essential aspect of the Workshop is a global sense of community; participants recognize their place as writers in our society and the world. We are also seasoned writers who demonstrate a professional or master’s level of writing. Qualified applicants must meet both criteria. Excellent writing does not excuse poor community spirit; vice-versa, an impressive record of community involvement does not excuse poor writing. Macondo is a gift we give to one another, with willing hands and open hearts. 




The deadline to submit your online application and non-refundable registration fee is February 22, 2026. Accepted participants will be notified by April 1, 2026.




Looking Back To Move Forward

Thirteen Years Later

by Thelma  T. Reyna  

Oil painting by @ Victor Cass

 

These harrowing times feel familiar to me.  Our basic human and Constitutional rights are assaulted daily by federal agents deployed by Trump. In 2013, I wrote a book titled Life & Other Important Things (only published one author’s copy). The book addresses issues in our nation at that time, when President Obama was at the beginning of his second term, with the GOP in control;  and Trump was active on the sidelines. It’s a collection of excerpts from my published writings, print and online. Here are some:

 

A nation that systematically, arbitrarily denies to a class of citizens its Constitutional rights to equal protection under the law, and equal access to the rights that other citizens enjoy, is a nation in danger of losing its soul. 

                                                                                                            ••••

 

Ideologues evidently believe that if they tell their lies often enough, consistently enough, with all the ideologues agreeing to cite the same script, like banging a giant drum that deafens rationality, the people will believe them, and the ideologues' policies will prevail. They'll win because their lies won….The only antidote is education.

                                                                                                            

••••

 

When the people unite and speak out together against injustice, discrimination, greed, and inhumanity, the perpetrators of these ills will eventually listen. It's silence that perpetrators crave, silence from those who suffer at their hands. 

••••

 

Our nation is at a dangerous crossroads: ….Conservative legislators say that the poor must give up more. Now Social Security is targeted for partial dismantling, and Medicare is in the Republicans' bulls-eye for termination and deliverance to corporate control. Now school funding is gutted, and children are packed like sardines into decaying buildings. Now poor children's food is taken away, and poor mothers' healthcare and family planning are stripped as well. Women's sovereignty over their bodies is stolen. Brilliant, motivated students who happen to be poor are excluded from colleges due to termination of grants and other funding that could have helped them improve their lives. Now our environment is also being delivered to corporate control so they can do with it as they wish: pollute, poison, ignore...whatever is best for their bottom line. Our nation is headed to a more dire bankruptcy than the economic one we face: bankruptcy of humanity.

 

••••

 

When millions of voices roar together--­the voices of old and young, rich and poor, gay and straight, middle class and disadvanta­ged, men and women, brown, black, yellow, red, and every other color in the spectrum--­it's a mighty roar indeed! Again and again, history has proven, in nation after nation, that the power of the people marching in the streets, united in their rejection of oppression­, cannot be overcome. It may take time, and it may take bloodshed, . . . but the magnitude of the people's collective voice is difficult to nullify.


 

••••


Looking back to 2013 now, it’s also harrowing to realize how history repeats itself, how injustice recycles itself like the proverbial bad penny coming back, how slow meaningful change can be…how fragile and vulnerable democracy is. But we the people must always believe that solidarity in defending our freedoms is a viable alternative. The march goes on.

                                                                                          

Thursday, February 19, 2026

Chicanonautica: Sacrificing for the Aztec Empire with Chano and Cantinflas

  

by Ernest Hogan



I think we need a break from all the infernal politics and shameless self-promotion, so why not some chatter about a weird Mexican movie?


I was scrolling down Facebook when I saw a photo of Cantinflas—(I shouldn’t have to explain who he is, but kids and gringos may not have heard of him) a famous Mexican comedian—posing like he was carrying the Aztec Sunstone. From the size of it it could have been the real thing. It was from a movie with a tantalizing title: El Signo de La Muerte.


I Googled it. It was directed by Chano Urueta—a favorite of mine. And it was on YouTube. Sometime I want to make a blood offering to this wondrous age . . .


Once again, Chano delivered. 


It’s a pulpy tale shot in shadowy black&white from 1939. A professor has a cult and underground teocalli (they use the word) where he’s sacrificing virgins to Quetzalcoatl as part of a ritual to “resurrect the Aztec Empire.” Fun!


And some peculiarities:


Cantinflas, and Mendel (first name Manuel) --looks like a Charlie Chaplin wannabe--have star-billing, their names appear before the title, but seem to be included as an afterthought. They never interact with the rest of the cast, and if their scenes were all cut, the plot would remain intact. The way it is with a lot of lucha libre movies, of which Urueta also directed his share. You can imagine the producer saying (in Spanish, of course), “This crime thriller needs something. Call Santo and Blue Demon!”



The only thing that’s missing is a nightclub scene where we’re treated to an entire song and dance number.


During the sacrifices, the virgins’ breasts are bare. Taboos about nipples were different across the border back then. The breasts are also quickly splashed with blood–that was probably chocolate syrup, which would have come in handy for a different kind of ritual.


Also, a bourgeois matron exclaims how wonderful it would be to be sacrificed to the gods!


There are also scenes where actual Aztec artifacts–the Sunstone, the Grand Coatlicue, and others–are shown.


If that weren’t enough, in the inserted comedy scenes, Cantinflas bamboozles Mendel--who plays a typical bumbling investigator--by demonstrating magic powers that are not explained or figured into the story.


So, it’s not just a fun oddity, but has cultural significance, too!


I keep thinking that it would have been better with some additional scenes in which Cantinflas turns out to be an avatar of Quetzalcoatl (or maybe Tezcatlipoca) who has his own ideas about resurrecting the Aztec Empire.


Maybe a remake is in order.


Ernest Hogan is getting ready for the release of his latest story, “A Wild and Wooly Road Trip on Mars,” (another adventure of Paco Cohen, Tejano/Martian mariachi) in Xicanxfuturism: Gritos for Tomorrow / Codex II

Wednesday, February 18, 2026

A Sea of Lemon Trees: The Corrido of Roberto Alvarez

Written by María Dolores Águila 


*Publisher: Roaring Brook Press

*Language: English

*Print length: 304 pages

*ISBN-10: 1250342619

*ISBN-13: 978-1250342614

*Reading age: 8 - 12 years


Based on the true story of Roberto Alvarez and the Lemon Grove Incident, this vivid and uplifting middle grade debut novel in verse about one young child's courage to stand up for what is right, and the determination of the Mexican community is perfect for fans of ESPERANZA RISING and INSIDE OUT AND BACK AGAIN. 



WHEN INJUSTICE GROWS, RESISTANCE BLOOMS.

Twelve-year-old Roberto Alvarez is the youngest of his siblings, born on United States soil. He’s el futuro, their dream for a life away from the fire of the Mexican Revolution.



Moved by anti-immigrant and anti-Mexican propaganda, the Lemon Grove school board and chamber of commerce create a separate “Americanization” school for the Mexican children attending the Lemon Grove Grammar School. But the new Olive Street School is an old barn retrofitted for the children forced to attend a segregated school.



Amid threats of deportation, the Comité de Vecinos risk everything to stand their ground and, with the support of the Mexican Consulate, choose Roberto as the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit against the school board in this vivid and uplifting novel in verse based on true events.



From award-winning author María Dolores Águila (Barrio Rising) comes an inspiring novel in verse set against the backdrop of the Great Depression and Mexican Repatriation, based on the true story of the United States' first successful school desegregation case, two decades before Brown v. Board of Education ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.


Review

John Newbery Honor Book 


Pura Belpré Honor Book 


Jane Addams Children's Book Award Winner 


Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction Winner 


NCTE Charlotte Huck Children's Book Award Winner 





“This impeccably researched account imparts timely, heartening messages about community activism that will resonate.” ―Publishers Weekly



"This National Book Award longlisted title is both a history lesson and a spotlight on a century of advocacy by the Latino community in the United States." ―Shelf Awareness

"

This well-written story of underexplored history makes a large impact . . . sure to entrance readers.” ―School Library Journal

About the Author


María Dolores Águila is Pura Belpré Honor and John Newbery Honor-winning author from San Diego. Deeply inspired by Chicane history and art, she seeks to write empowering and inclusive stories about everything she learns. She also loves drinking coffee, browsing the bookshelves at her local library, and spending time with her family. She is the author of the critically-acclaimed picture book, Barrio Rising, illustrated by Magdalena Mora, and the award-winning middle-grade novel in verse, A Sea of Lemon Trees. 






Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Poetry As Remembrance, Place, Being

Altadena Poetry Resilience and Renewal

Michael Sedano

I am enjoying observing at a distance as the 2026 Altadena Poetry Review Anthology comes into being. It’s a detailed, painstaking process that looks deceptively simple:

  • November/December call for poetry from the Poet Laureate Editor in Chief
  • December, deadline passes, all material submitted.
  • January-March, assemble the accepted poems into a book
  • April/May, “Poetry & Cookies” Book launch (link) as selected published poets read their work 

Looks deceive. Putting together the anthology is an intense fast turnaround publication process that requires the professional eye and skill of a seasoned editor, and comes together only after two years preparation and five months in actual production of a book. That's the work of Laureate-emerita Thelma T. Reyna, publisher of Golden Foothills Press.

Altadena’s Poetry Review Anthology forms as an idea from public events, individual engagement, and the creative forces of the region over the two-year term of the region’s Co-Poets Laureates. During their term, one Laureate, the  Poet Laureate for Community Events, takes charge of organizing and scheduling performances and workshops. The other Laureate, designated as Editor in Chief, engages audiences during the various public events, springs into high gear as the call for poetry brings a flood of mail and submissions.

Sehba Sarwar and Lester Graves Lennon are wrapping their Laureateships after numerous beautiful readings and then the Eaton Fire destroyed the community. Across the empty hillsides and razed homesites, a keening sadness echoes through the greening hillsides, joined by the sound of poetry. 

That fire burns in the hearts of poets, who celebrated themselves, their community, the places left in the aftermath of the fires, in poems in a powerful reading, “From the Ashes to Renewal: Voices of Resilience In Altadena,” (link), and a fabulously accessible online journal, https://altadenapoetryreview.com/2025-anthology/ 

The Altadena Library District just closed its call (link) for nominees for the 2026-2028 Laureates. Past Altadena Laureates include:

Ralph Lane | May 2006 — April 2008
Marcia Thompson | May 2008 — April 2010
Alene Terzian | May 2010 — April 2012
Linda Dove | May 2012 — April 2014
Thelma T. Reyna | May 2014 — April 2016
Elline Lipkin | May 2016 — April 2018
Hazel Clayton Harrison & Teresa Mei Chuc | May 2018 — April 2020
Jessica Abughattas & Khadija Anderson | May 2020 — April 2022
Peter J. Harris & Carla R. Sameth | May 2022 — April 2024
Lester Graves Lennon & Sehba Sarwar | May 2024 — April 2026

Interviews for the new Laureates take place in coming weeks. The new Laureates will be announced with release of the 2026 Altadena Poetry Review Anthology at Poetry & Cookies.

Poets selected to be published in the upcoming Altadena Poetry Review are receiving notice now. There’s poetry in the air, new Laureates in the offing. La Bloga looks forward to Poetry & Cookies, the new anthology, and many years of Altadena poetry rising from ashes. 


Sunday, February 15, 2026

“Hija de la espuma / Daughter of sea foam” by Xánath Caraza

“Hija de la espuma / Daughter of sea foam” by Xánath Caraza

 


“¡ay! que bonito es volar

a las dos de la mañana,

a las dos de la mañana

¡ay! que bonito es volar”

 

Vestida de cempasúchiles

dejas tu aroma en los caminos

de nacarada niebla.

 

Mexicana de bronce

emerges de las montañas

y sierras del tropical Veracruz.

 

Del corazón de la jungla

donde Chalchiuhtlicue y Oshún 

entrelazan sus conjuros.

 

Naces con los mágicos ritmos

de la conga y el huehuetl

en el torrente sanguíneo.

 

Mulata de Córdoba,

tu erudición y belleza

atemorizan a los hombres.

 

Tus hechiceros ojos

encadenan a quien

los vea, estremecen

el alma quieta.

 

La obsidiana, piedra sagrada,

la que deja ver el futuro y el pasado,

la llevas incrustada en la mirada.

 

Cargas contigo el humo de copal.

Te abre camino en la espesura

de la húmeda jungla de jade. 

 

En noches de luna llena

buscas la yolloxochitl,

la vainilla y la pasionaria

para pócimas de amor.

 

Vestida de cempasúchiles

dejas tu aroma en los caminos

de nacarada niebla.

 

Las frondas de la hoja santa

te guían en la oscuridad.

 

El árnica, el tabaco

y la salvia deslavan

tu largo y silencioso andar.

 

El toloache, el floripondio

y la hierba de San Juan

fluyen en las rojas venas.

 

La ruda, la hierba buena

y el anís, mezclados en

la bronceada piel.

 

Mujer de poder:

traer a otros al mundo

como partera es una

de tus tareas diarias.

 

Revelar el futuro,

lectora de caracoles

y conchas, es un

precioso don.

 

La belleza de tu larga

y rizada cabellera

hace temblar a cualquiera.

 

Por esto y viperinas lenguas,

la Santa Inquisición

te condenó.

 

Con destreza divina

dibujaste un galeón

en la pared de tu celda.

 

Solo tú faltabas para

zarpar hacia el profundo

y gélido mar.

 

Hija de la espuma,

de Chalchiuhtlicue

y Oshún, linaje de

hechicera, de ti nunca

más se volvió a saber

hasta el día de hoy.

 

“…volar, volar y volar’

a las dos de la mañana,

a las dos de la mañana

¡ay! Qué bonito es volar”

 

 


Daughter of sea foam by Xánath Caraza

 

Translated from the Spanish to the English by S. Holland

 

“¡ay! que bonito es volar

a las dos de la mañana

a las dos de la mañana

¡ay! que bonito es volar”

 

Dressed in marigolds,

your scent lingers along pathways

shrouded in pearly fog.

 

Mexicana de bronce,

you emerge from the mountains,

range of tropical Veracruz.

 

From heart of the jungle

where Chalchiuhtlicue and Oshún

entwine their spells

 

Coursing through your veins,

you are born with magical

conga drum and huehuetl rhythms.

 

Mulata de Córdoba,

your enlightenment and vision

of loveliness daunt men.

 

Your bewitching eyes

trap anyone

who sees them.

 

Sacred Obsidian stone,

allowing to see the future and past,

is embedded in your gaze.

 

You bear the smoke of copal,

making a path through the thickness

of the damp jade jungle.

 

On evenings of full moons,

you seek talauma flowers,

vanilla orchids, and passion

fruit vines for love potions.

 

Dressed in marigolds,

your scent lingers along pathways

shrouded in pearly fog.

 

Root beer plant foliage

guides you in darkness.

 

Arnica, tobacco,

and sage shower

your long and silent gait.

 

Jimson weed, angel’s trumpet

and St. John’s Wort

flow through your red veins.

 

Rue, spearmint

and anise combine on

your bronze skin.

 

Woman of power:

As midwife,

bringing others into the world

is one of your daily tasks.

 

Seashell and sea snail reader,

revealing the future

is a cherished gift.

 

Exquisiteness of your long

and curly hair

can make anyone quiver.

 

For this reason and wicked tongues,

the Inquisition

condemned you.

 

Divinely and adeptly,

you drew a galleon ship

on the wall of your cell.

 

Only you were missing

for the launch to the deep

and frigid sea.

 

Daughter of sea foam,

of Chalchiuhtlicue

and Oshún, mystic

lineage, nothing again

has been known of you

until today.

 

“…volar, volar y volar’

a las dos de la mañana,

a las dos de la mañana,

¡ay! Qué bonito es volar”

 

Imagen de E.D.H. C. Oyarzabal

Xanath Caraza



Friday, February 13, 2026

Poetry Connection: Connecting with a Santa Barbara Institution

 

Poetry Connection: Connecting with the Poetry Zone, a Santa Barbara Institutuion

Melinda Palacio, Santa Barbara Poet Laureate 2023-2025



Suzanne Frost, Virginia M. Dale, Björn Birnir,  



The Poetry Zone still meets at the Karpeles Manuscript Museum though these days, only a few gather around a patio table in the museum’s atrium. During Covid, Bjorn Birnir kept the series alive through zoom. Last week, the featured reader couldn’t make it but regular Virginia Mariposa Dale was in attendance, along with Suzanne Frost. Virginia Mariposa Dale also ran the series for several years and assists Bjorn when he is unavailable. The intimate group is very dedicated to keeping the series going. With the Karpeles Museum up for sale, perhaps there will be a new chapter or new location for the poetry reading that’s been in Santa Barbara for over half a century.


Walt Hopman founded the Poetry Zone in the 1970’s with his wife, where the readings were held at the storied Earthling bookstore on State Street. Bjorn Birnir started attending in 1985. The readings are always held on the second Sunday of the month at 1:30 pm. On March 8, Mary Freericks will be the featured poet. Bjorn mentioned that Walt Hopman would collect poems from the open mic readers and make Poetry Zone chapbooks. Virginia and Dale still have copies of Hopman’s Poetry Zone chapbooks.


I have fond memories of the time when Sojourner Kincaid Rolle ran the series, in the early 2000’s, upstairs at the Karpeles, the large room was often filled with poets eager to participate in the open mic. I’ve even had a short go at running the Poetry Zone. David Karpeles was very kind with his support for poetry. He provided the large room upstairs, a sound system and tables for selling books and providing snacks.


Bjorn, Suzanne, and Virginia took turns reading into Bjorn’s computer for the benefet of poets tuned in on zoom, a tradition from Covid days. They asked me to read. I, at first declined, but ended up reading a poem. Poets always have poems in their pockets, or phones.


This week’s poem comes from Bjorn Birnir, Professor and Chair of Mathmatics at UC Santa Barbara, and keeper of the Poetry Zone.





Girlfriends

Björn Birnir



They move over the dancefloor

In unison  

So different and yet so close

Two friends from a distant island

In the old roman city

In the dance studio of the opera 

And their whole past materializes 

To dance with them



They are distinct

One is tall and quiet 

The other spontaneous

One a singer 

The other a nurse 

But when they look at each other 

They form a whole 

A common experience 

With two outlooks 

And now out in the world 

Exploring the legacy of that empire




By the campfire together 

In the small tent listening

To the rain 

They sing the songs on the dancefloor

They feel each other’s

Hurt and joy 

Their hearts quicken together 

And they are immediately aware 

Of what is going through

The other’s head

But they also know 

What it signifies from way back

And how it will play

In the future





And how gracefully and swiftly 

They move 

To protect each other’s psyche

To protect their girlfriends

But themselves at the same time



Their part of this holy trinity



Of two girls 

And their friendship

 

 

This column was previously published in the Independent