So much happening at the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center!

As a graduate of UCLA’s law school, the husband of a woman who earned both her undergraduate and law degrees from UCLA, and as the parent of a fine, young man who will be transferring from Pierce College to UCLA this fall, I am a proud Bruin (okay, I also went to Stanford for my undergraduate degree in English, so I do have torn allegiances during certain times of the sports calendar).

UCLA is also home of the Chicano Studies Research Center (“CSRC”) where it is housed in beautiful Haines Hall which also houses the Anthropology Department (where our son, Ben, who is an anthropology major, will be spending much time...it all connects, you see?).

So, let me share some of the news from CSRC sent to me by its director, Chon A. Noriega (pictured below in photo by Mark Berndt):

◙ The CSRC has received a grant from the California Community Foundation to support public programming for Mapping Another L.A.: The Chicano Art Movement at the Fowler Museum at UCLA. Among the events planned is a half-day symposium on Sunday, November 6, and a series of “undocumented events” throughout the fall that will be announced through social media. The exhibition, which opens in October, is part of L.A. Xicano, a set four interrelated exhibitions developed by the CSRC for the Getty Foundation’s Pacific Standard Time initiative.

◙ Álvaro Huerta, CSRC visiting scholar and PhD candidate in the Department of City and Regional Planning at UC Berkeley (and frequent guest essayist for La Bloga), has received the American Planning Association’s Advancing Diversity and Social Change Award in Honor of Paul Davidoff. Huerta received his MA in urban planning from UCLA.

◙ Andrea O’Reilly Herrera’s book, Cuban Artists Across the Diaspora (University of Texas Press), measures the influence of home and history on artists like María Brito, who is featured in the CSRC’s A Ver: Revisioning Art History series. The book is listed in the New York Times’s Bookshelf for May 19.

◙ Self Help Graphics & Art will celebrate its reopening on Friday, June 24, 6:00–1:00 p.m., at its new location: 1300 East 1st Street in Boyle Heights. Chon A. Noriega, CSRC director, is a member of the event’s honorary committee. For more information about the reopening, send a query to Evonne Gallardo at evonne.gallardo@selfhelpgraphics.com.

◙ Summer operating hours for the CSRC Library will be Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m.–noon and 1:00–5:00 p.m. For research assistance, please contact the CSRC librarian, Lizette Guerra, at lguerra@chicano.ucla.edu.

◙ Over the past few months the CSRC has acquired several additions to its collections. The library recently received 3 additional linear feet of material from Father Gregory Boyle for the Homeboy Industries Papers. The large collection of photographs, artwork, correspondence, and organizational materials is related to Homeboy Industries’ outreach efforts. Maria Morales and Margarita Padilla donated an additional 8 linear feet to the Dionicio Morales Papers. These materials document Morales’s career in the Mexican American Opportunity Foundation (MAOF). Researchers who wish to consult these collections may contact the librarian, Lizette Guerra, at lguerra@chicano.ucla.edu.

◙ Malaquias Montoya, the sixth volume in the A Ver: Revisioning Art History series, will be available in July. In this first major book on Montoya, Terezita Romo offers a comprehensive exploration of the artist’s drawings, paintings, murals, and silkscreen prints, and she explores his social role as an educator, community member, and world citizen. The volume includes sixty color images and black and white photographs as well as an exhibition history and selected bibliography. Order Malaquias Montoya online from the University of Minnesota Press, the distributor for the A Ver series.

◙ Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies is currently considering submissions for 2012. Each issue of Aztlán presents three different types of articles: peer-reviewed essays, thematic dossiers, and book reviews. All submissions are considered on a rolling basis and should be sent to our submission inbox at submissions@chicano.ucla.edu. For complete information about Aztlán and the submission guidelines, please visit the CSRC Press website. To ask questions or discuss ideas with the journal’s staff, please contact Assistant Editor David O’Grady at dogrady@chicano.ucla.edu.

◙ To learn more about the CSRC, visit its website. UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center • 193 Haines Hall • Box 951544 • Los Angeles, CA 90095-1544 • Tel: (310) 825-2363 • Fax: (310) 206-1784.

OTHER NEWS:

Well, I’ve now completed a mini-book tour for my new novel, The Book of Want (University of Arizona Press). I want to thank the wonderful independent bookstores for hosting me, and also thank those who came to hear me read. I likely will have other appearances sometime this year, but nothing is planned as of now. If you’d like to purchase an inscribed copy of my novel, you may visit (virtually or in person) these bookstores:

Libros Schmibros, 2000 E. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA. Phone: 323-302-9408.

Kepler's Books, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, CA. Phone: 650-324-4321.

Vroman's Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA. Phone: 626-449-5320.

Metropolis Books, 440 S. Main St., Los Angeles, CA. Phone: 213-612-0174.

Tia Chucha's Centro Cultural & Bookstore, 13197-A Gladstone Ave., Sylmar, CA. Phone: (818) 939-3433.

If you want more information regarding The Book of Want including a chance to read some of the kind reviews we've received, visit my web page. And if you'd like to choose my book for your book club, I'd be happy to participate if you're located in the Los Angeles area and schedule permitting; just drop me an email at olivasdan@aol.com.

Lourdes Vázquez & Cybele, As She Dreams

The poet’s blogger profile has her starting the day with a cup of coffee as she fixes her gaze on Biscayne Bay. Perhaps metaphors take shape in those waters and float to the surface so that Lourdes Vázquez can snatch them up in time for her next book. This Puerto Rican writer has a lot of those, over a dozen works of poetry and prose. She also frequently publishes creative writings and essays in journals and newspapers in the U. S., across the Americas, and elsewhere. Some of her works, originally written in Spanish, have been translated into various languages. A recent publication is her collection of short stories: La mujer, el pan y el pordiosero (México D. F.: Ediciones Eón, 2010).



Today we share a poetic excerpt from Cibeles que sueña / Cybele, As She Dreams, written by Lourdes Vázquez and translated by Enriqueta Carrington. The publication of this handmade poetry book launches Taller Asiray, an independent publisher of poetry books made with recycled materials. Puerto Rican poet Yarisa Colón Torres, the founder of Taller Asiray, makes artistic books out of recycled materials to “be in planetary balance.” Forthcoming from Taller Asiray is Te vi luna, a book of poems by Leticia Ruiz Rosado, translated into Portuguese by Marilú Pérez. Books can be obtained by contacting Asirayworks@hotmail.com. --tatiana de la tierra




Cibeles que sueña / Cybele, As She Dreams

Lourdes Vázquez

Translated by Enriqueta Carrington

2.
Se encuentra Cibeles
en el pico del peñasco. Una gran piedra incrustada de Devas,
ángeles y demonios protegen
la cosecha. Se encuentra ella
acompañada del sonido del
viento y la presencia del águila
con su ojo despiadado,
además de este insomnio
que impide identificar
el olor del Otro.
Porque te vuelves cuerda
que nadie sostiene, peatón señalado
y enmudecido para siempre.

Cybele is to be found
on the peak of the crag. A great stone encrusted with Devas,
angels and demons protects
the crops. She is to be found
accompanied by the sound
of wind and the presence of the eagle
with its pitiless eye, in
addition to this sleeplessness
that prevents you from identifying
the scent of the Other.
Because you become a rope
nobody’s holding, a foot-traveler marked
and rendered mute forever.

5.

Cristal que toco con la punta de mis dedos, miedo
de que me hinquen sus pedacitos, miedo de la sangre que brote. Debo cuidar que no se rompa
como se rompe un país y así contenga todo como sigue siendo, como lo que ha sido: con su inventario de hijos ignorados, amadas
traicionadas, amigos sospechosamente maltratados.

Crystal I touch with my fingertips, fear
that its smithereens will pierce me, fear of
the blood that would flow. I must take care that it
does not break as a country is broken, that it may contain everything as it continues to be, as it has been: with its inventory of ignored children,
loved women betrayed, friends suspiciously mistreated.

7.

Tuve un sueño entre muchos.
Nada tengo que decir. Solo que lo tuve. Ahí se plantó
escena tras escena con su mismo pietaje de angustia
y sus voces delgadas de niños perdidos, incapaces de encontrar
a la madre. Trato de comprender
qué es real, cuál el reverso.

I had a dream among many.
I have nothing to say. Only that I
had it. It was stubbornly here,
scene after scene arose with the same anguished footage
and thin lost-child voices, unable to find the mother. I try to understand
what is real, what is the obverse.

15.

En la noche quieta,
salí a la calle a localizar la entrada o la salida que me conduciría a mi casa.
Sospeché de todo lo que tengo cerca incluso de aquella transeúnte sonriente que se
detiene. Aprieto mi paso rumbo a otra figura familiar
mas distante, con la esperanza de que las luces de la ciudad puedan reconocer esta sombra y conducirme a un lugar seguro.
Es curioso: reconozco este paisaje y aún así no encuentro mi destino.

In the quiet night,
I went out into the street to discover the entry or exit that would lead me home.
I suspected everything near me, even that passing woman with her smile, who
stops. I quicken my steps towards another familiar figure
farther away with the hope that the
city lights will acknowledge this shadow and
lead me to a safe place.
It's curious: I recognize this landscape and even so I cannot find my destination.

I never had to say "Go the F∆ck to Sleep, Hijos"

My two kids are in their 30s now, so I don't know how gawdawful late they stay up and whether they get enough sleep, although when Marika comes around she tends to yawn a lot, either because her dad's stories are too blasé or, well, you now.

I do remember that as toddlers they never had trouble going to nor staying asleep. No, I didn't use my curandera mamá's ancient sleeping poultice. We just had a few simple things we followed.

Going to bed is fun. Our approach to bedtime was to consider it neither a chore nor something to be feared, it was just a matter-of-fact way of ending the day. No anticipation, no anxiety. Everything was good about it, we'd tell the kids. The covers were cozy, the pillow was their favorite, their pet teddy bear would get to sleep, too (and he was tired). Singing a song, reading a book, hearing a funny made-up story were all a part of it.

Same thing went for daytime naps, with Michael sometimes falling asleep on my chest, and me often following suit and waking up to find this lump of a baby boy on top of me (until he got too heavy to bear). Later it included getting to select clothes for the next day as part of the fun, which served us well in getting them ready for school. No problem.

Staying asleep is easy. We inoculated our kids against noise to accustom them to sleeping through anything. Their bedroom doors were never closed at night. We asked visitors NOT to lower their voices when the kids were asleep and we didn't turn down the TV or stereo no matter what hour it was.

Sleeping anywhere works. During their early years, if we were at someone else's home and nap or sleep time came up, we just set the kid in his carrier or stroller and pushed it into a corner where no one would step on it. The kid slept. At a bar, the carrier would be set in a booth or under a pool table, since I shot a lot of pool then, and the kid slept through the jukebox playing. Same thing for parties at other houses: find an empty bed and lay the kid out and zoom!--Michael's asleep. To my knowledge both kids still retain the ability to zonk out within a few minutes. It worked and made having them a lot easier than some stories I've heard from other parents.

Since then I've occasionally tried to share this wisdom, with my audience usually acting like if I was describing how to properly conjugate ancient Quechua verb tenses. I rarely ask that why all the disinterest after hearing me expound my sleep-wisdom. Why they continue tiptoeing, shutting bedroom doors and shushing people while their kid tries to sleep. Yeah, I know kids are different and parents are territorial about them, but it escapes me how certain parents can deliberately set up conditions that might be creating light sleepers. The incredible difficulty encountered with certain kids fighting bedtime is part of a world that I just don't personally connect to.

Not so much for those of you who have no problems getting those niñitos to sleep, but for those who need my curandera mamá to mail them that ancient sleeping poultice, there's a book from Akashic Books by Adam Mansbach to hold you over until the shipment arrives.

Go the F∆ck to Sleep. Really, that's the title of this book, although the cover has a full moon instead of a triangle. The inside has the whole word FUCK, so yeah, it's not a book to read to your hyperkid to get him to zap out, unless you were brought up in a 60s commune with goats next to, and Che posters over your crib. Otherwise, as the cover says, consider it "a bedtime book for parents."

Here's the publisher's blurb: "Go the Fuck to Sleep" is a bedtime book for parents who live in the real world, where a few snoozing kitties and cutesy rhymes don't always send a toddler sailing blissfully off to dreamland. Profane, affectionate, and radically honest, it captures the familiar--and unspoken--tribulations of putting your little angel down for the night. Beautiful, subversive, and pants-wettingly funny, Go the Fuck to Sleep is a book for parents new, old, and expectant. You probably should not read it to your children."

And here's a taste of the text:

"The eagles who soar through the sky are at rest

And the creatures who crawl, run, and creep.

I know you're not thirsty. That's bullshit. Stop lying.

Lie the fuck down, my darling, and sleep."

Akashic Books is one of the great American small presses and we've reviewed some of their fine imprints throughout La Bloga's history. This one is not one of the great literary works. It's a fun one. It's funny. It's outrageous. It's everything but sacrilegious, and author Adam Mansbach would have had fewer sales if he'd gone there too, but it's still hilarious enough that you gotta read it. A couple of time the meter left me hanging some, but the read is knee-slapping. So long as you have little trouble saying the word FOCK, however you spell it.

Brooklyn artist Ricardo Cortés's illustrations are great and fitting for the children's rhyme theme. (He's involved in other works, including a kids' marijuana book and one on Coca-Cola and cocaine, so if you like walking this trail of irreverence, you can continue with him.

My advice is to read the book out loud out on the patio. The dissonance of reading children's rhyme along with the word Fock works better if done orally rather than silently reading it to yourself. Or have some friends over and take turns reading stanzas. Drinking Negra Modelo at the same time will guarantee you laugh harder with each new page. Then neighbors come over and you gotta share.

There's an intriguing background to how the book reached publication and its history since then. You can go here for the NY Times review and here for the New Yorker's detailing some of that.

Maybe in one of those or others you'll find a psychological analysis of why irreverence and profanity in the context of toddler-trouble can make Americans laugh so deeply, whether it's an indication of the generational brink we've allowed our society to bring us to, or if parents the world over delight equally in such extreme humor. I won't attempt that here.

As the publishers say, the book's for anybody. It's just been released in paperback and you can get it for about $8. Order extras 'cause it's a great perfect cheap gift you can have ready to turn those baby showers to-come into something genuinely human, in the American way. Or it could be therapeutic for already-parents who tiptoe creepily past that shut door throughout the night; they probably could use a poultice like this.

Es todo, hoy

RudyG

A Western In Less Than 500 Words

Texas Afternoon

©Manuel Ramos, 2011

The back of his neck itched from the sun. He scratched but the rough skin of his fingers did nothing to help.

The summer haze made him squint. Heat vapors wiggled against the horizon. His hat slumped around his ears, and his horse moved to the torpid rhythm of the desert – slow, steady, dying. The pistol hanging from his belt was hot to the touch. He considered using it one last time. It had been a long ride.

The burst of light from the top of the dune jarred his eyes. He fell from the horse and rolled next to a boulder. Streaks of pain ran from his lungs to his groin. He pulled the gun.

“Mateo! Surrender or we kill you! Vamos a matalo."

He smiled at the broken Spanish. Do they think I don’t understand? They want me dead, that is all I need to know.

“Aquí estoy. Come and get me.”

He licked his cracked lips. Breathing burned his lungs. A broken rib when the crazy horse kicked me. Spooked by the gunshots. But what an animal. Ran until her heart gave out.

He aimed his pistol at the light. He would wait until he saw their hats.

Juanita. Carlos. María. His memories had become names only. He could not see their faces anymore, or hear the music in their voices. He prayed their names to himself a hundred times a day. He chased their ghosts as the men chased him. Outrunning the men through the arroyo, then the hills, and now the desert, he shouted the names and heard the lonely echoes, and believed that he had lost his mind.

He had enough. He stood up.

“¡Ya basta!”

The first shot exploded the dirt in front of his ragged boots. The second whizzed by his ear. He fell to his knees before the third one tore through his shoulder. He dropped his gun and shouted his memories.

He heard a rattlesnake’s warning, a hawk’s squeal, the hot wind gasp. He opened his eyes. Blood soaked the remains of his shirt.

The light was gone. He struggled to his feet and stumbled to the dune.

The blood of three men streamed over sand and rocks. Across the ridge he saw the Comanches. They laughed at him, turned their horses and disappeared below the haze. He picked up a dead man’s canteen and poured water down his throat. He choked, sputtered, coughed. He prayed the names of his memories.

Esto también pasará...

Soy la única heredera de las fotos de mis padres. Historias en blanco y negro de lugares fantásticos. Espuma de los días vividos antes de que tuviera vida...

Mami y dos amigas en alguna playa de Santiago de Cuba

Me sorprende que tras la muerte de mis padres esas fotos amarillentas de momentos que yo no presencié se hayan convertido en los recuerdos más concretos que me quedan de ellos. Veo las sonrisas plasmadas en el frágil papel y pienso ¡qué vida más dichosa! ¡Tan llena de sonrisas! Qué paraíso de isla, sin nubes, lluvias, ni desvelos.

Me digo que no hay foto que no mienta ni cuerpo que lo resista. Siempre engañan las sonrisas de los muertos.

Ciudamar
(la nieta es la abuela)

Escudriño las fotos y les pregunto qué quieren decirme. Acerco el oído con renovada confianza y escucho un rumor de olas y risas lejanas. Ninguna ayuda o revelación. Sólo la burla del pasado que susurra: "Esto también pasará..."

International Latino Book Awards 2011 winners

¡Felicidades! Congratulations!

To to see the complete list of winners visit  http://www.lbff.us/international-latino-book-awards.html

A. CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULT BOOKS

Best Educational Children’s Book – Spanish
First Place, Quiero Ser Chef, Mary R. Dunn, The Rosen Publishing Group
Second Place, Quiero Hacer Peliculas, Mary R. Dunn, The Rosen Publishing Group
Honorable Mention, Quiero Ser Piloto de Carreras, Katie Franks, The Rosen Publishing Group

Best Educational Children’s Book – Bilingual 
First Place, Nos Vamos a La Gran Barrera de Australia, Georgette Baker, Cantemos
Second Place, Jaguars and Other Latin American Wild Cats, Zella Williams, The Rosen Publishing Group
Second Place, Coqui Frogs and Other Latin American Frogs, Zella Williams, The Rosen Publishing Group
Honorable Mention, Quetzals and Other Latin American Birds, Zella Williams, The Rosen Publishing Group

Best Children’s Picture Book – English 
First Place, Me, Frida, Amy Novesky, Abrams Books For Young Readers
Second Place, The Tooth Fairy Meets El Ratón Pérez, René Colato Laínez, Tricycle Press
Second Place, My Shoes and I, René Colato Laínez, Boyds Mills Press
Honorable Mention, La Noche Buena, Antonio Sacre, Abrams Books For Young Readers

Best Children’s Picture Book – Spanish 
First Place, Manual de Piratas, Monica Carretero, Cuento de Luz
Second Place, La Gallina Cocorina, Mar Pavon, Cuento de Luz
Honorable Mention, Kiki Koki, La Leyenda Encantada del Coquí, Ed Rodriguez, Idearworks

Best Children’s Picture Book – Bilingual 
First Place, From North to South/Del Norte al Sur, René Colato Laínez, Children’s Book Press
First Place, Grandma’s Chocolate/El Chocolate de Abuelita, Mara Price, Arte Publico Press
Honorable Mention, Let Me Help!/¡Quiero Ayudar!, Alma Flor Ada, Children’s Book Press

Best Young Adult Fiction – English 
First Place, When the Stars Go Blue, Barbara Caridad Ferrer, Thomas Dunne Books
Second Place, The Red Umbrella, Christina Diaz Gonzalez, Alfred A. Knopf Publishing
Honorable Mention, Masters of the Sea: The Adventures of Jules Verne’s Mathias Sandorf, George J. Rios, iUniverse
Honorable Mention, Father Knows Best, Lynda Sandoval, Bold Strokes Books, Inc.

Best Young Adult Fiction – Spanish or Bilingual 
First Place, Tigre, Tigre, Lynne Reid Banks, Editorial Bambu
Second Place, El Último Muerto, Fernando Lalana, Editorial Bambu
Honorable Mention, Kid Cyclone Fights the Devil and Other Stories/Kid Ciclon se enfrenta a El Diablo y otors cuentos, Xavier Garza, Arte Publico Press

Best Young Adult Nonfiction – English
First Place, East Side Dreams, Art Rodriguez, Dream House Press

Best Young Adult Nonfiction – Spanish or Bilingual 
First Place, El Secreto para adolescentes, Paul Harrington, Atria Books
Second Place, A Bailar, Maria Villegas/Jennie Kent, Villegas Editores

Best Young Adult Sports/Recreation – Spanish or Bilingual 
First Place, Mexico/México, José María Obregón, The Rosen Publishing Group
Second Place, Argentina, José María Obregón, The Rosen Publishing Group
Honorable Mention, A Bailar, Maria Villegas/Jennie Kent, Villegas Editores

C. FICTION

Best Popular Fiction – English 
First Place, Vida, Patricia Engel, Grove/Atlantic, Inc. Second Place, Breathing in Dust, Tim Z. Hernandez, Texas Tech University Press
Second Place, The Moses Expedition, Juan Gomez-Jurado, Atria Books
Honorable Mention, King of the Chicanos, Manuel Ramos, Wings Press
Honorable Mention, The Name Partner, Carlos Cisneros, Arte Publico Press
Honorable Mention, Café Dulcet, Chiquis Barrøn, Chiquis Barron
Honorable Mention, Try to Remember, Iris Gomez, Grand Central Publishing
Honorable Mention, Three Kings, Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, St. Martin’s Press

Best Popular Fiction – Spanish or Bilingual 
First Place, Egon, Edgard Westendorp, Villegas Editores
Second Place, El Orden Natural de los Cosas, Fernando Olszanski, LinkGua USA
Honorable Mention, Técnicamente humanos y otras historias extraviadas, Cecilia Eudare, Letra Roja

Best Novel – Adventure/Drama – English 
First Place, This Time Tomorrow, Michael Jaine-Becerra, Thomas Dunne Books
Second Place, The Moses Expedition, Juan Gomez-Jurado, Atria Books
Honorable Mention, King of the Chicanos, Manuel Ramos, Wings Press

Best Novel – Adventure/Drama – Spanish or Bilingual 
First Place, Egon, Edgard Westendorp, Villegas Editores
Second Place, Virginia Casta, Patricia Castañeda, Villegas Editores
Honorable Mention, Plumbago Torres y el Sueño Americano, Ani Palacios Mc Bride, Contacto Latino Libros
Honorable Mention, Entre Encajes y Cadenas, Victor Paz Otero, Villegas Editores

Best Novel – Historical – Spanish or Bilingual 
First Place, Entre Encajes y Cadenas, Victor Paz Otero, Villegas Editores

Best Novel – Mystery – English 
First Place, The Black Minutes, Martín Solares, Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
Second Place, The Superman Project, A.E. Roman, Minotaur

Best Novel – Romance – English 
Honorable Mention, Getting Rid of Stupid: Culprit of Their Depression, Lisa Lynn Ramos, iUniverse

Best Novel – Romance – Spanish or Bilingual 
First Place, Virginia Casta, Patricia Castañeda, Villegas Editores

Best Graphic Novel – English 
First Place, Pepito, Harold Jessurun López, Third Eye Publications

Best Graphic Novel – Spanish or Bilingual 
First Place, Los Chistes de Pepito, Harold Jessurun López, Third Eye Publications

Best Poetry Book – English 
First Place, Camino del Sol: Fifteen Years of Latina and Latino Writing, Edited by Rigoberto González, University of Arizona Press
Second Place, Flamenco Hips and Red Mud Feet, Dixie Salazar, University of Arizona Press Second Place, Glow of Our Sweat, Francisco Aragón, Scapegoat Press
Honorable Mention, Torch Song Tango Choir, Julie Sophia Paegle, University of Arizona Press Honorable Mention, Each and Her, Valerie Martinez, University of Arizona Press
Honorable Mention, Furia, Ire’ne Lara Silva, Mouthfeel Press
Honorable Mention, Flexible Bones, Maria Melendez, University of Arizona Press

Best Poetry Book – Spanish or Bilingual 
First Place, Grandes Poemas de Amor, Ana Galán, Club Mosaico
Second Place, Acandilados del Sueño, Antonieta Villamilc, Caza de Poesia
Honorable Mention, Mañanayer, Miguel Falquez-Certain, Book Press NY

* * * *

Join Top Latino Authors for a Celebration 

of Children's Latino Literature

The Kansas City Public Library hosts the Latino Children’s Book Festival on Saturday, June 4, 2011, and Sunday June 5, 2011 at the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St.

The Saturday event begins at 2:30 p.m. with the key note speech titled, From Immigrant Child to Published Author: Dreams Come True by bilingual children’s author René Colato Laínez. A 2 p.m. reception will precede his presentation.

In 1985, Colato Laínez arrived from El Salvador in the United Stated with a backpack full of dreams. Come and discover his successful journey from the immigrant child lost in a strange new world, to the teacher full of stories, and the published author. René will share the books he wrote in the classroom, his process for publication, and his bilingual books. Learn his three rules of success: never give up, study hard, and believe in yourself.

The Book Festival continues on Sunday, June 5 at 1:30 p.m. with a panel discussion titled How to Select and Effectively Use Bilingual Books featuring: René Colato Laínez; local children’s book authors Rafael Filion and Anthony Oropeza; Plaza Branch children’s librarian April Roy, and, I.H. Ruiz Branch manager Julie Robinson.

During the 1:30 p.m. panel discussion there will be art and writing workshops for children under 12 facilitated by the Latino Writers Collective. At 3 p.m. members of the Latino Writers Collective will entertain with Latin American Folktales.

Admission is free. RSVP online or call 816.701.3407.

Co-sponsored by the Latino Writers Collective.