¡LA CELEBRATES MACONDO! AWP OFF-SITE READING

 #AWP25: March 26-29, 2025 

Los Angeles Convention Center

 

The AWP Conference & Bookfair is the essential gathering for writers, teachers, students, editors, and publishers. Join thousands of attendees, explore hundreds of events and exhibitors, and immerse in four days of vital literary community and celebration in Los Angeles!

 

 

From  macondowriters.com:

If you plan to attend AWP 2025, please swing by and visit us at Booth #1027, which we are sharing with Women Who Submit. You can find a map of the LA Convention Center here.

 

Also, please join us for a lively, unforgettable evening of readings by Macondistas at the LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes. The night will be filled with poetry, stories, and the spirit of Macondo, accompanied by light refreshments and snacks. Bring your friends and help us celebrate the launch of the workshop's 30th year!

 

Date: Thursday, March 27, 2025

Time: Doors open at 6:00 PM | Event from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Location: LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, 501 N. Main St., Los Angeles, California 90012

 

This year, 2025, marks the 30th anniversary of the Macondo Writers Workshop. Stay connected through our website for the latest updates, Macondista news, writer opportunities, and more.

 

The Macondo Writers Workshop is an association of socially-engaged writers working to advance creativity, foster generosity, and serve 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.

FREE TWO NIGHTS OF MACONDO READING

  

From https://macondowriters.com

 

The Macondo Writers Workshop is an association of socially-engaged writers working to advance creativity, foster generosity, and serve community. Founded in 1995 by writer Sandra Cisneros and named after the town in Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude, the workshop gathers writers from all genres who work on geographic, cultural, economic, gender, and spiritual borders and who are committed to activism in their writing and work.

 

 

JOIN US FOR TWO NIGHTS OF MACONDO READING THIS SUMMER. 

Macondista Open Mic reading

Thursday, July 25, 7:00-9:30 pm

Dicke Hall 104 at Trinity University

San Antonio, Texas

 

Guest Faculty Reading

Saturday, July 27, 7-8:15 p.m.

Ruth Taylor Recital Hall at Trinity University

San Antonio, Texas

 

Free and open to the public. Free parking is available. We are committed to ensuring our event is accessible to all participants. If you have specific accessibility needs or require accommodations to fully participate, please contact us at macondowriters@gmail.com as soon as possible. Your request will help us create an inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone.

MACONDISTA READINGS 2023

 

From macondowriters.com

 

JOIN US FOR THREE NIGHTS OF MACONDISTA READINGS. FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

 

The Macondo Writers Workshop is an association of socially-engaged writers working to advance creativity, foster generosity, and serve community through their writing. Founded in 1995 by writer Sandra Cisneros and named after the mythical 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 for an annual summer workshop with leading guest faculty from around the country. A guiding principle of our community is generosity and we are sustained by the ongoing support of donations like yours. As an entirely volunteer-run organization, all donations and gifts are used to fund and support the annual summer workshop. For more information, please visit www.macondowriters.com. If you have questions please email info@macondowriters.com.

 

 

MACONDO WRITERS WORKSHOP OPEN MIC READING

Thursday July 27, 7-8:30 p.m. CST

Trinity University, Dicke Hall, Room 104

1 Trinity Pl, San Antonio, TX 78212

 

MACONDO WRITERS WORKSHOP OPEN MIC READING

Friday, July 28, 7-9 p.m. CST

Trinity University, Dicke Hall, Room 104

1 Trinity Pl, San Antonio, TX 78212

 

 

MACONDO WRITERS WORKSHOP GUEST FACULTY READING AND PACHANGA

Featuring:

Rigoberto González

Sharon Bridgforth

John Phillip Santos reading work by Ishmael Reed and Richard Blanco. 

 

The MC will be Nely Galán, with music by DJ Despeinada.

 

Saturday July 29, (doors open at 6:30pm) event begins at 7 p.m. until 10 p.m. CST

The Esperanza Peace and Justice Center

 922 San Pedro Ave, San Antonio.

Macondo Celebrates National Poetry Month

The Macondo Celebrates National Poetry Month is taking place this Friday, April 28th at 6:30pm CST!  

Here is the link to sign up for the webinar:

https://trinity.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_aHd-iDi0RFukbgmKDcHvyA

This virtual reading and scholarship fundraiser will support writers attending the 2023 Macondo Writers Workshop in San Antonio this summer.  Please support your fellow Macondistas by attending, donating and spreading the word far and wide.

Thank you so much,

Board Members

Norma Elia Cantú

Olivia Mena

Charles Rice-Gonzalez

Pat Alderete, Applications Administrator

The Macondo Writers Workshop is an association of socially-engaged writers working to advance creativity, foster generosity, and serve 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.

www.MacondoWriters.com

Ten Wonderful Years As A Published author

From the Macondo Newsletter

Reyna Grande

Macondista Rene Colato Lainez is celebrating his 10th year anniversary as a published author. Congratulations to Rene, and here's to many more years and many more books!

Ten Wonderful Years

By Rene Colato Lainez

At the end of 1999 many people were setting goals to accomplish in the new millennium. I was one of them. At the time, I was already an elementary teacher and had written several books to share with my students. I still remember those "classic books" that my students enjoyed reading such as, "Fabiola, Fabiola", "El número uno", "Un cuento de colores." 

My students enjoyed my books so much that I began to wonder what I had to do in order to publish my work. I wanted to see my name on the cover of a book. I met children's book authors Alma Flor Ada and Isabel Campoy at the teacher's writing workshop "Teachers in the Classroom." They read some of my books and told me that yes, my work was publishable! Then I met the wonderful macondista, Amada Irma Pérez. She shared the submission guidelines of her publisher, Children's Book Press, and told me to give it a try. She told me that some day in the near future we could be signing books together. 

At that time, this was a sueño. After meeting Alma Flor, Isabel, and Amada, I set my own goal, to submit my manuscripts for publication. I started to submit my stories in March 2001. Soon, I received my first rejection letter. It was painful to read it but on the bottom of the letter someone had printed, "Your story has a big heart. We wish you luck." 

I did not give up and 2001 was a year of rejection letters. I joined SCBWI, took some creative writing classes and wrote new stories. In the summer of 2002, I received an email from Arte Público Press, asking me for revise my manuscript with the promise that they might publish it if they liked the revision. I made the changes and by October 2002, I had a contract for Waiting for Papá. 

I remembered the day, I had a flu and fell sleep holding the contract. When I woke up, I looked at 

my chest wondering if the contract was just a dream. But it was still there. I read it again and shouted "I will have a book! I am an author!". 

The book was published on October 31, 2004. Now 10 years later, I have written 9 children's books, a story in an anthology, 6 books for elementary reading programs and many poems and short stories for a children's magazine, Revista Iguana. I love writing children books and I have more coming out soon. 

I organized a celebration party for my anniversary. It was a costume party and many friends came wearing costumes from characters of my books. Of course, I was René, the boy!