¡A new issue of PALABRA!

A magazine of Chicano and Latino literary art

Issue 4 of PALABRA features the work of almost two dozen writers and artists including Javier O. Huerta, Li Yun Alvarado, Harry Gamboa, Jr., Nydia Rojas, Aaron Michael Morales, and many others.

The editor, elena minor, explains PALABRA:

PALABRA is about exploration, risk and ganas—the myriad intersections of thought, language, story and art—el más allá of letters, symbols and spaces into meaning. It’s about writing that cares as much about language and its structure as about content and storytelling—and that shows awareness of and attention to the possibilities of both. Mostly it's about work with the emotional fiber that threads all honest art.

Its purpose is to provide a portal for new threads of pensamiento, language and story, to reach from the past and present and dive headlong into the future of Chicano & Latino writing—to push it, stretch it, keep it fresh, vibrant, honest and at the thumping edge of literary creativity and innovation. Its intent is to present an eclectic and adventurous array of thought and construct, alma y corazón, and a few carcajadas woven in for good measure.

PALABRA seeks to serve writing that sizzles, leaps, spits and spins—that runs backwards and forwards and sideways and inside out—that wears holey shoes and no socks and plunges fearlessly around blind corners just to see what’s there. PALABRA invites work that doesn’t neatly fit the paradigm—or that fits the paradigm and makes it scream (or at least breathe heavily).

To learn where to purchase PALABRA, visit here.

◙ PARK UNIVERSITY PRESENTS THE ETHNIC VOICES POETRY SERIES FEATURING:

Francisco Aragón with an introduction by The Latino Writers Collective

Park University, Parkville, MO, Thursday, December 4 at 6:30 p.m., McCoy Meetin’ House

Aragón has authored Puerta Del Sol (Bilingual Press), served as editor for The Wind Shifts: New Latino Poetry (University of Arizona Press), and published poetry in many anthologies and journals. He serves as the director of Letras Latinas, the literary program of the Institute for Latino Studies (ILS) at the University of Notre Dame where he oversees, among other projects, Momotombo Press, the Andrés Montoya Poetry Prize and Latino Poetry Review. More...

The Latino Writers Collective, based in the Kansas City metropolitan area, organizes and coordinates projects for the larger community. It showcases national and local Latino writers and provides role models and instruction to Latino youth. Its mission is to foster an environment where the voices of Latino students, blue collar workers, professionals and homemakers can finally be heard, sharing their experience and vision with a broad audience. More...

◙ Yvonne Villarreal, staff writer for the Los Angeles Times, reports on a wonderful exhibit that we’ve noted recently: Bold Caballeros y Noble Bandidas currently at the Autry National Center of the American West, 4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles. The exhibit ends on May 10. For ticketing and other information, visit here. Villarreal says, in part:

A framed poster of Leo Carrillo starring as Mexican caballero Francisco "Pancho" Villa in the 1950 film "Pancho Villa Returns" rests, in all its pristine splendor, on a cobalt wall. Tag lines such as "The man who made history with cyclonic fury!" and "The Robin Hood of Mexico" are splashed across the bill, luring potential viewers to witness Villa as a paragon of virtue. But this is not a theater revisiting the golden age of Mexican cinema. The poster is part of the exhibition "Bold Caballeros y Noble Bandidas" at the Autry National Center of the America West.

The show, on view through May 10 and co-presented by Arizona State University's Hispanic Research Center, explores relations between the U.S. and its neighbor to the south after the Mexican Revolution of 1910 and the evolution of Mexican pop culture that resulted.

***

Although the show focuses on testosterone-fueled caballeros, it also delves into a shift in female cultural norms, making the case that the revolution served as a catalyst in the emancipation of subservient Mexican women, said Gary D. Keller, director of the Hispanic Research Center and co-curator of the exhibit. Women took on new roles as colonels, outlaws and revolutionaries, even on the big screen. After the revolution's end in 1920, heroines often complemented the heroic male outlaws with aggressive roles, such as those of siren María Félix and Barbara Britton, famous for her role as the fictional Bandit Queen.

To read all of Villarreal’s piece, go here. [Pictured: In the 1991 serigraph “Adelita,” George Yepes depicts an ivory-skinned woman, her hands crossed, gripping two pistols pointing upward.]

◙ In yesterday’s El Paso Times, I reviewed Ray Gonzalez's Renaming the Earth: Personal Essays (University of Arizona Press, hardcover $34.95; paperback $17.95), where I note, in part, that “we are treated to the award-winning poet's exploration of his development as a writer. The essays are as lyrical as they are hard-headed.” I continue (I love quoting myself):

The eight essays that make up "Renaming the Earth" ebb and flow, touching on topics as diverse as childhood embarrassments, El Paso history, discrimination, desert heat, Minnesota winters, war and the immigration debate.

In all, Gonzalez brilliantly and with great passion renames the Earth not only for his benefit, but for ours, as well.

You may read the entire review here.

◙ That’s all for this week. So, in the meantime, enjoy the intervening posts from mis compadres y comadres here on La Bloga. And remember: ¡Lea un libro!

Like son, like father?

We at La Bloga receive so many books to review each year that we 're never able to cover them all. A year ago one snagged my interest, and I went out on a limb to suggest that Cibolero by Kermit Lopez deserved to win the Premio Aztlán Literary Prize. Apparently, the gente de Premio Aztlán paid no attention to me, but nevertheless I stand by my original post.

Six months later, following in his son's footsteps, Kermit's dad also got his novel Sirena published by IUniverse. I don't know who wrote his story first--the son or the dad--but I imagine a family dinner at this house could be worth listening in on. Do they debate which is better, more historically accurate, or more Chicano? Are there family feuds where half line up with the old man and the other half with his hijo before la comida starts flying? Or do they do a typical Chicano-family thing and never talk about that subject?

In any event, below is info on E. G. Lopez's Sirena, taken from the book itself and the publisher's website. If anyone out there has had the opportunity to read both, we'd welcome your comparative lit piece on the two. It's a sign of the current flowering in Chicano lit when two in the same family can become authors. Who knows?--maybe there's a female member of the Lopez family composing something that'll top them both.

Overview from back cover: Epic account of a New Mexico Hispanic family swept up in a clash of empires, one waning and the other ascendant. A tragic tale of parallel nations, peoples, and lovers converging nowhere this side of infinity, marching in lockstep towards disaster.

The twins see it coming. Ron and Jake Valdez, prophets without honor, hamstrung by their own demons, powerless before the juggernaut. After Guantanamo, it was easy, first baby steps, later giant steps.

Homeland Security, Patriot Act, private armies, and concentration camps. In the name of freedom, they destroyed freedom, the bright shining star imploding, devouring itself.

About the author: E. G. Lopez was born in Santa Rosa, New Mexico. He is a Navy Veteran and graduate of the Milwaukee School of Engineering, BSEE, and the University of Pittsburgh, MBA, and a retired investigator for the National Labor Relations Board. In Sirena, he focuses his experience and a 300-year New Mexico oral heritage on an issue as old as humanity that threatens the integrity and the very viability of our great nation today.

N.B.: To my recollection, neither son nor dad tend to use the word Chicano in describing themselves or their work; the use of Chicano is purely my own perspective. - RudyChG

Este y Eso

I hope you all had a peaceful and meaningful holiday. For the day after Thanksgiving, I present brief notices skimmed from the headlines that feature a few books and many people deserving our gratitude.


Junot Díaz says that Martín Solares' grim noir novel, Los minutos negros (Debosillo), translated as The Black Minutes, (Grove Press), is one of the best of 2008. Díaz is quoted in the London Times Online: "A breathless, marvelous first novel that begins with the murder of a journalist in a mid-sized Mexican city but that quickly propels the investigator-protagonist, Maceton, into a darker mystery: the savage unsolved murders of a series of young girls. This is Latin American fiction at its pulpy phantasmagorical finest, this is a literary masterpiece masquerading as a police procedural and nothing else I’ve read this year comes close."

Sounds like I should read this book. Anyone out there already done that?


Bless Me, Ultima has again been blacklisted by a school district. According to the San Jose Mercury News, Newman-Crows Landing Unified School District (California) Superintendent Rick Fauss decided the book is not suitable for teenagers and banned it for the rest of the school year. The American Library Association says that Rudolfo Anaya's book is one of the most challenged in the country. "I think there's room for exposing students to other experiences, but do we have to sacrifice the values of our families and our community to do that?" asked Fauss, a former high school English teacher. He hasn't read the entire book but said he's "read enough." Despite widespread community knowledge of his decision, Fauss said he hasn't received any complaints except from four teachers. Fauss said that proves he made the right decision, one that "reflects the values of the community." The article in the Mercury News quotes one of the complaining teachers: "This is Hispanic literature. Sixty-five percent of our enrollment consists of the Hispanic population. They can identify with this book culturally. ... The book talks about things these kids are growing up hearing. And for the non-Hispanic kids, this is something different."

Mr. Fauss should finish the book. Then he ought to check out what Dana Gioia, Chair of the National Endowment for the Arts says about Bless Me, Ultima, one of the books in the NEA's Big Read program:
"there was something magical about Anaya's coming-of-age story in post-World War II New Mexico. Full of dreams, legends, prayers, and folkways, it presents a world where everyday life is still enchanted. ... A great book combines enlightenment with enchantment. It awakens our imagination and enlarges our humanity. It can even offer harrowing insights that somehow console and comfort us." Have no fear, Mr. Strauss, and read on.

Paco Ignacio Taibo I died in Mexico City on November 13. He was 84. Taibo was exiled from Spain in 1950 for his socialist activism. He began his writing career as a cycling reporter and eventually wrote more than 50 novels. He won numerous awards during his lifetime including the Great Cross of the Order of Civil Merit presented by the Spanish government, one for his contribution to cultural journalism at the 2004 Guadalajara International Book Fair, and Mexico's National Journalism Prize last May. One of his sons, Paco Ignacio Taibo II, is well-known in the U.S. for his crime and political fiction, and his sponsorship of the annual literary festival in Gijón, Spain, Semana Negra ( featured here on La Bloga last summer with reporting from Thania Muñoz.) Our condolences to the Taibo family.

The Rocky Mountain News continues its celebration of 150 years of Denver history with a list of 150 unsung heroes. Of course, such a list will never include everyone who should be included, but I think it's worth acknowledging the Latinos and Latinas who are listed. I won't name them all, but on the list you will find people such as: Rosalinda Aguirre (co-owner of Rosalinda's Mexican Café, in Northwest Denver for more than 25 years; co-chair of Padres Unidos a parent organization serving Northwest Denver); Stella Cordova (owner and creator of world-famous Chubby's); Ray Espinoza (teacher, artist and one of the original founders of the Chicano Humanities and Arts Council [CHAC]); Nita Gonzales (a lifelong activist who oversees Escuela Tlatelolco, a school founded in 1969 by her late father, Corky Gonzales); Stevon Lucero (noted artist and another CHAC founder); José Mercado (actor and teacher, founder of the Labyrinth Arts Academy, a nonprofit that offers education in theater and media arts for public schools and at-risk youth) and several other very worthy "unsung heroes." You can find the entire list here.

Meanwhile, over at The Latest Word, a blog from Westword, a weekly news and arts magazine, Susan Froyd posted her own list of "Denver treasures" in the arts. Froyd says her list is of " a few folks – everyday people who’ve carved out their thriving niches – whom I’ve been lucky enough to find along the way."


Under the heading of The Denver Chicano Arts Community, Froyd says, "I thought I could name just one person, Carlos Fresquez (a personal favorite as an artist) [pictured at right]. But I soon realized that Carlos is a community member who shares with his artist compadres and comadres a certain number of traits: a 500-year-old regional history, a recognition for the bedrock importance of la familia, a politicized sensibility rooted in the populist rise of La Raza in the ´60s and ´70s, and a kind of identifiable humbleness (and the easy sense of humor that goes along with it), to name a few. And they are many, both living and departed. Along with Carlos, there are Daniel and Maruca Salazar, Tony Ortega and Sylvia Montero, santeros Carlos Santistevan and Jerry Vigil, Su Teatro director Tony Garcia, muralist Emanuel Martinez, the poets Lalo Delgado and Corky Gonzales, author Manuel Ramos and broadcaster Flo Hernandez Ramos, actor and filmmaker Gwylym Cano, literally everyone at the Chicano Humanities and Arts Council and so many more -- some elder statesmen and others on the rise. The word rich doesn’t even begin to describe this league." That's quite a list; thanks for the mention, Susan.

One of the people on Westword's list, Florence Hernandez-Ramos, published an article entitled The Revolution May Not Be Televised, But It Will Be On Radio, a think piece for Grow The Audience, a segment of Station Resource Group Online. The article was written on behalf of the Latino Public Radio Consortium and explores the future and challenges of Latino involvement and influence in public radio. Check it out.

Al fin, Happy Birthday to Daniel, Michael, René, Lisa, Ann, Rudy, and yours truly - today La Bloga is four years old- finally learning how to walk. Thanks to our contributors, all the writers who continue to write, and all of you readers who insist on reading books that matter, that entertain, that teach, that make you cry in the night or laugh in the morning; books that leave you wanting more. Here's to another year of La Bloga.


Later.

A few Thanks, for 2008

Thanks, Obama, for being around to try to help end some of the least democratic and most shameful times in our history, and for raising a lot of hope, at least for now.

Thanks to my seventeen second-graders for improving my Spanish and making me happy to be a teacher, at least for now.

Thanks that the Recession is not yet a Depression, at least for most of us.

Thank the gods I somehow moved away from consumerism and found myself more in the realm of reusing and conserving.

Thanks to groups like TODOS

I received the following E-mail since I'm a member of TODOS: Math for ALL:

At a workshop of the Equity in Mathematics Education Leadership Institute, discussing the history of standardized testing, a participant recounted the following:

Because her nephew, who is Chicano, was not doing well in school, they tested him and found that his I.Q. was about "normal", maybe a little bit below. His father went to the school psychologist for an explanation.

At one point the father asked to take the test. His score was normal. The psychologist said, "Well, you've got normal I.Q. What do you do for a living?" The father said he was an oncologist [cancer specialist]. The psychologist said, "I am surprised you ever got through medical school."

(Download an Education Week article on this subject "The SAT: Public-Spirited or Preserving Privilege?" Education Week.)

This story reminds me of my first literary conference a few years ago, where I did a reading to a packed room. It was well received and when I was done, the first question I was asked was, "Did you write that?" Later, another person asked me the same question.

While the two anecdotes are not dead-on the same situation, they are representative of attitudes that do not go away, no matter who our President is.

[The mission of TODOS: Mathematics for ALL
"is to advocate for an equitable and high quality mathematics education for all students—in particular, Hispanic/Latino students—by increasing the equity awareness of educators and their ability to foster students' proficiency in rigorous and coherent mathematics."]

I've been a TODOS member since attending one of their workshops. Getting great anecdotal material like the one above is nothing compared to loads of other great educational material I've received as a member. I'd recommend them to anyone involved in educating the non-English speaking, math, or pedagogy in general. Anyway, thanks TODOS for a great organization and a good laugh.

Thanks to the Spaniards, of all people

My wife Carmen gave me this bookmark she picked up at a conference. I tracked down the producers who turned out to be the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX) and the Spanish Association of Publishers Guilds (FGEE). They "have developed the campaign America Reads Spanish, aimed to increase the use and reading of our language through the thousands of libraries, schools and book stores of the U.S."

I don't know if this was in response to the myopic attitude toward Spanish by the English-Only crowd, but I liked it so much I got them to send me a few bookmarks and have had fun handing them out to both bilinguals and monolinguals. The usual reaction is one of surprise and/or confusion. I can see their minds going: "We read Spanish?" or even, "We don't read Spanish!"

Of course, the slogan refers to the New World, which all together is called America, and overwhelmingly does read Spanish, literally 2 to 1. Thank goodness the Spaniards were sophisticated enough not to use the wording, "America Reads ONLY Spanish."

Thanks to Mom

I managed to get to San Antonio this month for my mother's 80th. It was a quick trip, but we got to spend a few days where the weather was just like Denver, only humid.

My brother set up this outrageous dinner at a touristy restaurant on the San Antonio Riverwalk, and those of the family who could make it gave Mom a time she won't soon forget.

Most of the women on my mother's side outlive the males; consequently, I have no uncles or grandfather and am the oldest surviving male. You can see from this photo that my Mom (2nd from L.) is old, but still going apparently as well as her younger sister, to her left. (The balloon is for my brother who didn't show--it's tradition to always fill his empty spot.)

Anyway, I guess this is thanks for that trip, thanks for a mother who keeps on truckin', no matter the foibles of her progeny. Next, I'll have to give thanks for her staying around until her 90th, which I'm in charge of setting up, assuming . . .

Lastly, THANKS y un gran salud to René, Lisa, Ann, Manuel, Michael, and Dan Olivas. It's largely been their effort and dedication over the past years that made La Bloga into a distinctive literary site and something I'm proud to be associated with. Perhaps it's more than just coincidence that this great bunch of gente came together to build La Bloga, at least for now.

Rudy Ch. Garcia

Bountiful Thanksgiving To All

Highlights-Updated Wish List

Highlights editors compile a list of their current needs to share with prospective authors. Below, you will find a detailed description of the types of stories, articles, and activities Highlights editors are currently seeking. You may also find these updates at http://www.highlights.com/

Thank you for your interest in Highlights. Happy writing!

Sincerely,
The Highlights Editors

HIGHLIGHTS FOR CHILDREN
Current Needs
Winter 2008-2009

NONFICTION CATEGORIES
Nonfiction for Younger Readers (Ages 4 to 8) up to 500 words, Joëlle Dujardin, Associate Editor
All articles should have a clear focus and relevance to young kids.

* First-person accounts of fieldwork
* Photo essays
* Arts stories
* Ancient history
* High-interest animals
* Details from urban life (workers, transportation, etc.)
* Nature

Science, 800 words (two-page features), 400 words (one-page features), 50 words (activities) Andy Boyles, Science Editor

* Features about kids involved in science
* Scientists studying high-interest animals in their natural habitats
* Short, quick, easy, fun science activities

History/World Cultures, up to 800 words, Carolyn Yoder, Senior Editor

* Fun, humorous, kid-friendly articles
* Presidential (NOT Washington and Lincoln) and patriotic pieces
* Need anecdotal articles, rather than broad interviews
* American holidays, specifically Thanksgiving, Easter, Christmas, and little-known holidays
* World-cultures pieces. ALL COUNTRIES. We want intimate snapshots of life in another country.

One-page Activities of all kinds, up to 300 words, Linda Rose, Assistant Editor

* Indoor and outdoor games that involve exercise, creativity, and/or humor
* Activities and games that kids can do whether they're on their own or with others
* Projects that will result in a new hobby or skill and/or a quality finished product
* Magic tricks

We prefer activities that require neither parental supervision nor materials kids aren't likely to have handy.

Short Puzzles, Games, Recipes, and Activities, Manuscript Submissions

* Art activities
* World-cultures activities
* History and geography puzzles
* Logic puzzles
* Math puzzles
* Codes

Any activities that easily lend themselves to strong visuals are a huge plus!

Crafts, Manuscript Submissions

* World-cultures crafts (general or holiday-specific)
* Crafts that encourage play (musical instruments, costumes, etc.)
* Games
* Gifts
* Crafts for all holidays except Valentine's Day

Please send a photo or sample of the craft.

Send magazine submissions to
Highlights for Children
803 Church Street
Honesdale, PA 18431

PUZZLEMANIA

Puzzlemania, our puzzle book club for children ages 6—10, is in need of word puzzles—crosswords, word searches, logic puzzles, word scrambles, and codes. For detailed submissions guidelines, visit www.Highlights.com. Go to About Us/Contributor Guidelines/Puzzles. Send puzzle submissions to hfcpuzzlemania@gmail.com.

La Palabra Poets

Michael Sedano

"4th Sunday of Every Month," the email taunts me. Taunts, because invariably my good intentions of attending a La Palabra Monthly poetry event run afoul of some other commitment. I have subscription seats to Sunday concerts for LA Phil at Disney Hall and Coleman Chamber Music Association at Cal Tech. Often our tickets fall on a fourth Sunday. 

Or sometimes I start an early morning project that grows like topsy into the afternoon, and 2:00 p.m. comes and I'm covered in dirt or chicken poop and would make a poor seat mate to some hapless poetry lover.

And poetry lovers are whom one meets at La Palabra's monthly poetry celebration. At any rate, that's how it turned out for me when I was able to get cleaned up early enough on Sunday the 23d of November (tempus fugit!), to arrive unfashionably late.

I'm so late that I don't get a program and can show only the portraits of the gente reading their well-crafted work. I cannot tell you the names of these poets.

La Palabra evidently holds Open Mic readings to launch the afternoon, followed by scheduled poets. The Emcee pictured here with a close-up of her Open Mic sign-up board is most likely the Co-Host of La Palabra, Laura Longoria.

Despite the sign-ups of three men and a woman, one of the poets either did not perform, or, owing to my tardiness, she read before my arrival, and I missed her work.

So I am treated to readings by the three Open Mic men. It's an intimate setting, a white-walled space with twenty or so plastic chairs arranged three rows deep. Being a photographer, I zig and zag myself through the chairs to take an empty seat in the front row. The space is small enough that every word would likely be audible from the back row. This adds to the enjoyment of the verse, not straining to make out the words.

 

One gentleman, weara a "Poetry Daily" t-shirt publicizing the website of the same name.

Another reader announces he's just written the piece he'll read. He reads his work off the back of the program. 

Dog gone it, I wish I could tell you the name of the Cubana who reads several pieces about her cultura and growing up in Habana with Orishas and Yemeya and Babalaos. She weaves an entertaining narrative between her formal pieces, playing a vinyl disc and a CD that illustrate her work. Fabulously entertaining, she doesn't, or cannot, stay at the lectern but moves about. At one point she dances to the infectious beat of island drumming.

Next up is Don Newton. I can tell you his name because he's one of the sponsors of La Palabra, and Don's and Emcee Laura's name is on the publicity posted at Avenue 50 Studio's homepage, the host of the event. Don shares some autobiographical work recounting events growing up in New Jersey, Mexico, and Brazil.





It's clear that Don and la Cubana are close friends. I'm sure their bonds aren't the sole reason they read today. Obviously both enjoy the process of reading and performing their poetry.

I am relieved I finally had the opportunity of a free fourth Sunday. Here all this time I'd been castigating myself thinking I was missing a grand experience. And I was right, La Palabra is a grand experience, not to be passed by under ordinary circumstances.

Now if the Phil or Coleman would just cooperate and not schedule competing events, I'd have no conflicts and could happily attend every La Palabra. Who knows, maybe next time I have a conflict, I'll give away my concert tickets and sign up for the Open Mic.

Flor Y Canto Progress Report

I spent last week at the University of California, Riverside Tomás Rivera Library Media Center, digitizing the library's collection of U-matic video cassettes. This is a time-consuming process that is 25% completed. Next week I'll post a few snippets of work, for example, Omar Salinas, whose readings would have been the ideal accompaniment to Karen Harlow McClintock's touching eulogy of her friendship with the poet.

I am happy--make that overjoyed--to report that USC, as the Copyright owner, has granted me permission to make these copies and share them with La Bloga and Read! Raza visitors.  Rest assured I'm no Digital Millenium Act scofflaw.

I'll be conducting  a workshop in "reading your stuff" at next year's National Latino Writers Conference, and am integrating selections from some of these 1973 Festival de Flor Y Canto readings as part of my lesson plan.

With the creation of DVDs of these historic performances, planning for the 2010 Festival de Flor Y Canto is making great progress. Click here for the Call for Writers to that event. If you're an alumna alumnus of that 1973 Festival, please contact me for an invitation to the 2010 reunion!

That's the final Tuesday of November 2008. It's the week for tofu turkey loaf, if you're so inclined, or real roasted bird. My grandmother, Emilia Macias, was the best poultry dresser of the Inland Empire. People used to drive from all over southern California to DeYoung's Poultry in Redlands to get a bird prepared by my grandmother. Granma, you wouldn't recognize what they do to coconos nowadays.

Happy Thanksgiving, whether you're having tamales or turkey or tofu. See you next week, December 2, with some of those 1973 readers.

Ate, les wachamos,

mvs

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