American Latina/o Writers Today

2011-12-12T16:22:00.000-08:00

Latinos to Be the Majority

of U.S. Population by 2050:

Implications for Latina/o Authors

The face of America is changing rapidly, according to the latest U.S. Census data. If prognostications bear out, Hispanics (the term used in the Census) will be the dominant ethnic group in our nation by 2050. This would be a sea change for our country and one with many implications that we must seriously consider, as discussed below. (The article below first appeared in Aurelia Flores' blog, http://www.powerfullatinas.com/ last month, and is posted here with her permission.)

One of the ramifications is the increased opportunities this new majority group could and should present to Latina/o authors nationwide. Modern Hispanic-American literature, as I've previously written about here, has grown significantly since the early 1960s. With a future nation whose majority is Hispanics, the demand for inclusion of our writings in America's English classes in kindergarten through the university level, in literary anthologies and textbooks, should be more pronounced. This, in turn, could and should have a ripple effect on the entire publishing industry, with its concomitant marketing programs, speaking engagements, and all the trappings that come with big publishing house releases.

But we Hispanic authors must lay the groundwork for this new era of higher literary visibility and prominence. Not only must we continue to hone our craft and increase our productivity, but we must be sure to groom the new generations of writers. This will entail, as discussed below, investing our time and attention more heavily in our children's education. Not only as parents, but as participants in a democratic society, we need to insure that our educational system receives all the resources necessary to boost it, to make it a strong vehicle of growth and enlightenment for all our nation's children, and particularly for our Hispanic children, who often lag behind others.

We need to keep abreast of educational issues and concerns more strongly than has been the case in the past. We need to monitor that educational programs are not the first tier of budget slashing as an automatic political response when economic times are hard. This has been the case this year and last, and most other times of crisis that I can recall. Cutting education is often a knee-jerk response by politicians; and, unfortunately, the citizens oftentimes just go along with it quietly. This must change.

Education in the United States is hurting a lot right now. Critics abound on the left and right of the political spectrum, and Congress often makes decisions that run counter to what educators know is the right path to take. Besides cutting education budgets, Congress, and many states as well, jump to charter schools, or vouchers, or other "silver bullets" that they mistakenly believe will result in better educational outcomes for our students. But--as a lifetime educator and school administrator--I can tell you that a good educational system is one that literally "takes a village": well-trained educators, devoted parents, and an engaged community. Let us work toward establishing this in each of our communities, and collectively, we can build an educational system that will prepare our children for the changes that we will all face in America.

As individual authors, we must engage with our reading public more than we now do. Can we mentor young writers? Can we visit schools and community writing groups to share our knowledge and inspire others? How can we individually and collectively pass our knowledge to aspiring writers and help a new wave of authors come to the fore? Yes, these are things we already do. But how can we expand these strategies? Again, we need to lay the groundwork for a broader pool of Latina/o authors to step up to the plate in the coming decades, to contribute greatly to the fabric of American Literature, and to expand the body of literature created specifically by Hispanics for the betterment of all.

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The post from Powerful Latinas follows:

LATINO VOTERS: INCREASING VISIBILITY, INFLUENCE

by Thelma T. Reyna

The face of America is undergoing vast changes, and most of these pertain to “Hispanics,” as the 2010 United States Census referred to the Latino population. Because the growth of the White population in our nation is very small (one percent) and is decreasing, Whites are predicted to be a minority in about 40 years. At that point in our nation’s history, Hispanics are slated to become the largest ethnic group.

The shift has been rather rapid, with much of the change occurring in the last decade alone, in which Hispanics accounted for more than half of our nation’s growth. One out of every six Americans—over 50 million people—are now Hispanic. Latinos are expected to comprise one-third of America’s population in 40 years. In other words, one out of every three Americans will be Hispanic.

We must all be highly aware of the ramifications of this sea change. Our American society has been predicated throughout our history on the pre-eminence of the White culture, largely because our White population has consistently been the largest demographic group. Along with our country’s historical beginnings and historical evolution, plus the establishment of English as our nation’s language, a Eurocentric culture has flourished, has led our nation in all aspects of life, and has been the face of America to the world.

Hispanics and American Diversity

Diversity is one of our country’s greatest strengths, however, and the infusion of increasingly diverse populations through the centuries has caused other cultures to slowly take their proverbial place at the table. Traditionally, the Hispanic culture, the Hispanic people collectively and generically, have been more of an afterthought, however. There has been a diminished focus on the Hispanic peoples in the United States, and this oversight of Hispanics has often been linked to the public’s association of this demographic group with a foreign language, with Spanish.

Inclusion of Hispanics in the social, economic, and political fabric of American life has been slow, as data regarding Hispanic representation in many American institutions and endeavors have consistently shown: professorships in our universities, the halls of Congress, municipal governments, school district leadership, judicial posts, corporate board rooms, and so on. In fact, Hispanic representation in these and other significant areas of participation and leadership has lagged behind representativeness attained concurrently by other ethnic minority groups, even in areas in which competent Hispanics were ready and available to step up to the plate.

Preparing for Future Influence

In a democracy, when a given group of people predominates in numbers, it is incumbent upon them to willingly take up the mantle of leadership, of responsibility for the well-being and prosperity of their society. Our White fellow Americans have done this throughout our history; they have led and shaped our society through crises, wars, immense change, and needed growth. They have predominated in government and in all our institutions, in public and private sectors, and have gone out into the world to represent our nation in good times and bad.

It goes without saying that none of this predominance would have been possible, or would have been effective, without perquisite education, training, and preparation for such roles. No society can flourish without its leaders being absolutely the best they can be in every facet of their work on behalf of the people they represent and are a part of. If indeed, Hispanics become the majority group in America by 2050, as the projections indicate, and if they are to have great, positive influence in the course and fate of our nation, there is much work that must be done.

The Advocacy of Professor Pachón

If Hispanics needed to listen to any one individual regarding their future lives in America, it was Professor Harry P. Pachón, whom the University of Southern California’s Tomás Rivera Policy Institute called “among the most influential voices of his generation in public discourse about the Latino population.” Until his death earlier this month, Dr. Pachón was a USC professor of public policy and former Executive Director of the National Association of Latino Elected Officials Educational Fund.

Dr. Pachón researched and wrote about Latinos’ education, political participation, electoral practices, and racial justice. For 40 years, he examined how public policies affected Latinos and their roles in society. Not partisan or demagogic, he quietly advocated for Latinos and studied their voting patterns....He worked tirelessly to educate Latinos about the importance of voting, to register them to vote, and to promote naturalization. He also focused on public education, informing Latinos of scholarship opportunities and of how they could rise to the middle class. His influence was tremendous.

Who will fill Dr. Pachón’s shoes? This remains to be seen, but the reality remains that many Latinos are still not accustomed to being a part of the political process in America, of having a voice that will be heard and valued....

What Happens Next?

The implication of Hispanics becoming a critical mass is even more compelling when we consider that they now comprise 23% of all people below the age of 18. In California, for example, 51% of all the children are Hispanic. Nationally, the average age of Hispanics is around 35. Consider how this Latino “population bulge”—when the present children become adults—might affect our nation.

There is time to prepare American Latinos for their future as the largest demographic group, but molding young Latinos to be good citizens in our democracy involves acculturating them and affording them ample opportunities for assuming responsibility in school and civic affairs, of training them to participate in democratic processes and decision-making. Our nation needs to understand census projections and to accept the reality, if it indeed comes to pass, that Hispanics will predominate demographically. It is in the nation’s interest that this large group of Americans no longer be treated as an afterthought.

Citizens of a diverse democracy should always learn about, respect, and appreciate the cultures of others. Only by understanding what other groups value and yearn for, what their goals, priorities, and needs are, can we assure that no group shall be left behind in our nation’s progress and prosperity. Knowing one another well serves as a deterrent to discrimination and exclusion. We must do this not only for Latinos but for all our people. Starting with providing the best education we can for all children, and holding high but reasonable expectations for them, we must involve parents in our schools and partner with them to prepare all our children to be bearers of the torch, to take our nation forward.

As I said, we have much work to do, but let us engage in it with an open heart and mind willing to embrace change, because, surely, change will always keep us on our toes.

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2011-12-02T13:07:00.000-08:00

44th Anniversary of Ground-Breaking Latino Book:
Down These Mean Streets, by Piri Thomas

Piri Thomas just died last month after a long, successful career as a novelist, poet, motivational speaker, educator....and very inspiring human being. He is best known for his memoir, Down These Mean Streets, one of the first books by a Hispanic author in modern-day American literature. His gritty, heart-wrenching memoir lives on in many languages all around our world.

My book review of Piri's book was first posted last week on www.Latinopia.com . Jesus Trevino, editor of that blog, gave gracious permission for cross-posting it here.

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BOOK REVIEW:

Down These Mean Streets, by Piri Thomas

Reviewed by Thelma T. Reyna, Ph.D.

Two milestone events regarding the vaunted Puerto-Rican American author, Piri Thomas, occurred recently: He passed away last month in Northern California at the age of 83; and his iconic memoir, Down These Mean Streets, celebrated its 44th birthday. Though the first event breaks our hearts, and the second uplifts us, both attest to the longevity of Thomas’ artistry and influence and the wonderful luck our society has had in having Piri Thomas in our midst for all these years.

He died an icon, a proverbial legend in his own time. When Mean Streets was published in 1967, Thomas was one of the first modern-day Latinos to publish a book in English. He followed this break-out with two novels, a collection of short stories, and many poems, which he termed “wordsongs” and performed in varied venues all over the world. Yet it’s Mean Streets, which has been continuously in print, that cemented Thomas’ reputation as a literary tour de force and which readers most associate with Piri Thomas.

The book’s enduring fame is strongly warranted. One reviewer calls it “three books in one”: a coming-of-age saga chronicling the tragedies, crimes, and entanglements in Thomas’ life; an examination of the identity crisis many disadvantaged, mixed heritage youths undergo; and a story showing readers the bristling underside of Piri’s six years in the infamous Sing-Sing Prison of New York. Yet the author expertly weaves these separate themes together in his fast-paced, brutally authentic recreation of his difficult life growing up poor, half-Black, half-Puerto Rican, in an era of entrenched racism uglier than it now is.

The book begins in 1941, shortly before Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and dragged the United States into World War II. To 12-year-old Piri in New York’s Harlem during the “Great Hunger called Depression,” the big “rumble” means that his father now has a decent job in an airplane factory. Otherwise: “Life in the streets didn’t change much. The bitter cold was followed by the sticky heat....War or peace—what difference did it really make?” Indeed, there is no distinction between Piri’s world before and after the great rumble, because his wars with his family, peers, racism, violence, drugs, crime, and society in general are just beginning and will disrupt his world for decades to come.

Piri is a dark-skinned child in a bi-racial family where, other than his Black father, everyone is light-skinned and can pass for White. He frequently clashes with his father, who treats him with less love and harsher physical discipline than Piri’s four younger siblings receive. Convinced that his father doesn’t truly love him because of his darkness, Piri seeks solace in the streets, where he navigates the unwritten laws of survival in the barrio: Prove yourself to be tough. Survive beatings at the hands of racist kids and rival gang members. Fight back hard. Don’t rat out enemies, and be “cool.” Above all, be loyal to your friends, going with the flow, “playing it smooth.” He emphasizes: “Never punk out.”

So by the time Piri is 16, he belongs to a gang, beats up rivals, uses drugs, slugs a teacher, engages in homosexuality, and robs a store: all in the name of group loyalty. When his parents move the family to Long Island for “better opportunities,” Piri is reviled by racist schoolmates, and he drops out of school to return to Harlem, often living on the streets. It breaks his mother’s heart, but Piri yearns for the security of the old neighborhood. His life of crime in Harlem, filled as it is with hunger, poverty, drug addiction, and isolation from family, is nonetheless tied to camaraderie, to unconditional acceptance, and is a siren’s song Piri cannot resist. He states: “All for the feeling of belonging, for the price of being called ‘one of us.’ Isn’t there a better way to make the scene and be accepted on the street without having to go through hell?”

Piri undertakes a double-layered odyssey to discover who and what he is. On the one hand, it’s a physical journey that takes him, as a teenager, through the Deep South, around the world with the Merchant Marines, and back and forth between Harlem and Long Island. Outside of Harlem, he faces discrimination almost everywhere he goes. It seems that Piri seeks a place that will prove his worldview wrong, that he wants proof that his skin color does not determine his value as a human being. Unfortunately, in these journeys, Piri does not find such a place.

On another layer, his odyssey is highly personal and emotional as he struggles to believe that he is loved fully in his own family. He tries to reconcile his affection for his family with his bitterness toward their “whiteness.” It’s an eternal battle in his heart. His utter devotion to his mother opposes his antipathy toward his father, whom he sees as having rejected his own Black heritage with lies about his lineage. Piri’s hatred of Whites is profound, but this creates immense conflict. He says: “It was like hating Momma for the color she was and Poppa for the color he wasn’t.” He also states: “It ain’t just that I don’t wanna be what I’m supposed to be, it’s just that I’m fightin’ me and the whole goddamn world at the same time.” It’s one of the book’s great ironies that, as Piri struggles to win full acceptance from his family, he rejects them and ostracizes himself.

An armed robbery in which Piri shoots a police officer and is almost shot to death lands him in prison, where, with time, he finally finds himself—through carefully choosing his con friends, studying every major religion, attending classes, and eventually turning to writing. “Every day,” the author writes, “brought a painful awareness of the sweetness of being free and the horror of prison’s years going down the toilet bowl.” He sought “a release from the overpowering hatred against a society that makes canaries out of human beings.” In a heart-wrenching reflection, he adds: “I wanted to tell somebody I wanted to be somebody.” The peace and release he ultimately finds are an apt denouement to his evolution.

Down These Mean Streets is a gritty, unflinching portrayal of one man’s decline and renascence. Piri Thomas’ rat-a-tat-tat dialogue injects a sensual immediacy that grabs the reader and doesn’t loosen up. The economical descriptions of the people, good and bad, who cross Piri’s path and fill his life are true-to-life. But the greatest treasures between the book covers are Thomas’ thoughtful, lyrical passages that underscore his renown as a poet. When Piri most doubts himself, when he most fervently fishes in his mind for answers to his fears, when he most reflects upon his learnings in prison—and his realization that, as he says, “Nothing is run the same, nothing stays the same. You can’t make yesterday come back today”—the author’s poetic words soar through the air and lend a gentle, almost spiritual layer to his book.

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2011-10-04T00:50:00.000-07:00

PART II: The Evolution of American Latina/o Writing: Some Current Authors

Part I of this topic reviewed the early years of Hispanic literature in the United States, starting with one of the first books published in English, a novel printed in 1872 by María Amparo Ruiz de Burton, writing under the pen name C. Loyal. I discussed recurrent themes in previous centuries and focused on the "Chicano literary renaissance" of the 1970's and 1980's. Part II carries us forward into the latter part of the 20th century and contemporary times.

This article was first published recently in Aurelia Flores' blog, "Powerful Latinas," under a different title and in a slightly different form.

Some of the best-known Latina/o authors today got their publishing start in the 80’s, 90’s, and in the early 2000’s. Many of these literary stars graduated from university creative writing programs, which afforded them better access to publishers and other influential contacts in the writing industry. Examples are Denise Chavez, actress, playwright, and novelist; Sandra Cisneros, whom many consider the best-known American Latina author today, and author of the iconic House on Mango Street; Julia Alvarez, author of the best-selling How the García Girls Lost Their Accents (1991); and Oscar Hijuelos, the first American Hispanic, male or female, to win the coveted Pulitzer Prize for fiction, with his sexy novel based in Cuba, The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love (1990). The prequel to this bestseller, Beautiful Maria of My Soul, was published this year.

Some modern authors have become national best-selling authors in the recent past, and their stars are rising fast. This includes New York attorney Caridad Piñeiro, author of the SIN Series of compelling paranormal romance books, including Sins of the Flesh; Daniel Silva, writer of the five blockbuster political thrillers starring Gabriel Allon, such as Prince of Fire; and Junot Díaz, highly lauded author of the short story collection, Drown (1996) and the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (2008).

Other prominent Latina/o authors today, as was sometimes the case with our early literary pioneers, are college and university professors and thus perhaps have a more steady access to publishers. Examples are James Diego Vigil (University of California, Irvine); Susana Chávez-Silverman (Pomona College, California); Teresa Dovalpage (University of New Mexico, Taos); Mike Padilla (UCLA); and Sandra Cisneros (Our Lady of the Lake University, San Antonio, TX).

THE TALENT AND PRODUCTIVITY CONTINUE!

There must be a new Renaissance going on! Here are some of the exciting, highly talented American Latina/o authors today who are winning awards, winning fans, and making their marks on our literary world in different genres. (This list is by no means comprehensive, and I apologize for my omissions. I plan to continue learning about as many of our Latina/o authors as I can and share information about them in future blogs here.) Authors’ names are followed by only one title, which is meant to be a sampling of their work. Many of these authors have published multiple works. Some authors appear in more than one genre, a testament to the versatility of our Latina/o writers:

• MEMOIRS: David Pérez, WOW! A South Bronx Memoirito of Growing Up in Catholic Schools; Randy Jurado Ertll, Hope in Times of Darkness: A Salvadoran-American Experience; Susana Chávez-Silverman, Scenes from La Cuenca de Los Angeles.

• “CHICK LIT”: Marta Acosta, Casa Dracula series; Margo Candela, Life Over Easy; Mike Padilla, The Girls from the Revolutionary Cantina; Victor Cass, Telenovela; Sofía Quintero, Divas Don’t Yield; Marisa de los Santos, Love Walked In.

• NOVELS: Montserrat Fontes, Dreams of the Centaur; Reyna Grande, Across a Hundred Mountains; Chuy Ramirez, Strawberry Fields; Teresa Dovalpage, Habanera: A Portrait of a Cuban Family; Daniel A. Olivas, The Book of Want; Victor Cass, Love, Death, and Other War Stories; Melinda Palacio, Ocotillo Dreams; Raul Ramos y Sánchez, América Libre; Ana Castillo, The Guardians; Sandra Cisneros, Caramelo.

• SHORT STORIES: Stephen D. Gutierrez, Live from Fresno y Los; Mike Padilla, Hard Language; Stella Pope Duarte, Women Who Live in Coffee Shops and Other Stories; Daniel A. Olivas, Anywhere but L.A.; Toni Margarita Plummer, The Bolero of Andi Rowe; Daniel Alarcón, War by Candlelight; Sandra Cisneros, Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories.

• POETRY: Luis J. Rodriguez, Poems Across the Pavement; Vanessa Libertad Garcia, The Voting Booth After Dark; Ricardo Lira Acuña, Greetings from Heaven and Hell; Yago S. Cura, The Rubber-room; Melinda Palacio, Folsom Lockdown; Luivette Resto, Unfinished Portrait.

• NONFICTION: Roberta Martínez, Latinos in Pasadena; Manny Pacheco, Forgotten Hollywood, Forgotten History; Alex Moreno Areyan, Mexican-Americans in Los Angeles; Sandra Gutiérrez, Teatro Chicana: A Collective Memoir and Selected Plays; Laura Contreras Rowe, Aim High: Extraordinary Stories of Hispanic & Latina Women; Mayra Calvani, The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing; James Diego Vigil, Barrio Gangs.

• CHILDREN’S LITERATURE: Daniel A. Olivas, Benjamin and the Word; Rene Colato Lainez, Rene Has Two Last Names; Amada Irma Pérez, My Very Own Room; Meg Medina, Tía Isa Wants a Car; Mayra Calvani, Frederico, the Mouse Violinist.

• YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE: David Bueno-Hill, Mr. Clean’s Familia; Gary Soto, Dreams of the Onion.

• MISCELLANEOUS (Humor, Graphic Novels): Gustavo Arellano, Ask a Mexican!; Philip Victor, Jaguar Spirit.

This is just a sampling of what our Latina/o literary landscape looks like at this moment in time. You can learn much more about the evolution of Hispanic literature in the lands destined to become the United States, and in the early centuries of our nation, by reading Reference Library of Hispanic America (Chapter 16, Literature): Volume III, edited by Sonia G. Benson.

Also, please visit my other blog, “The Literary Self,” where you can read my reviews and feature articles about other authors not mentioned here. Finally, my own two books—The Heavens Weep for Us and Other Stories and Breath & Bone—are reviewed by others on my website, on amazon.com, and in various other blogs. See the links below, and thanks for dropping by!

www.ThelmaReyna.com
www.Latinowriterstoday.blogspot.com
www.TheLiterarySelf.blogspot.com

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2011-09-27T00:24:00.000-07:00

A Brief Overview: The Evolution of Hispanic-American Literature in the United States

In this posting, PART I, I'll briefly discuss the writings of early Latinas/os in the United States. PART II, soon to come, discusses contemporary Latina/o authors in our nation and lists their works by genres, with a bit of background about them and/or their writing. Today, let's go back in time to our beginnings as American writers.

[These articles were first posted this month, with different titles, in the blog, "Powerful Latinas," hosted by Aurelia Flores. Visit her dynamic blog at http://www.powerfullatinas.com/ .]

PART I: THE EARLY WRITINGS OF HISPANIC-AMERICANS

In 1872, a Hispanic author from Southern California, María Amparo Ruiz de Burton, published one of the first English-language books written by a Latino, man or woman, in our nation, a novel titled Who Would Have Thought It? She followed this up in 1881 with another novel, The Squatter and the Don. She used a pseudonym, C. Loyal, and funded the publications herself.

Her books were inspired by the experiences of “Californios”—native Californians of Hispanic descent—at the hands of greedy, land-grabbing politicians, corrupt officials, and squatters intent on claiming lands from coast to coast under the “manifest destiny” policy. In fact, many of the early writings by our Hispanics, both before and soon after the lands became part of the United States of America, were imbued with political, social, and cultural concerns about the role and place of Latin peoples in the new America.

LATINO/A WRITERS IN THE 20TH CENTURY

The Mexican Revolution of 1910 triggered tremendous waves of Mexican immigrants to the U.S., including upper-class, well-educated people who played critical roles in publishing and thus helped create a Latino literature. Revolutionary and counter-revolutionary themes prevailed in the journalism and passionate writings of these newcomers, but the groundwork was being laid—through their political consciousness and outspoken defense of the Mexican culture amidst a different “Yankee” worldview—for the literary “awakening” of American Latinos in the 1960’s and beyond.

And what an awakening it was! Many factors contributed to this “renaissance” among Latino writers: greater college attendance rates; a sense of belonging spurred by Latinos’ brave, heroic fighting in World War II, where Latinos earned more medals for bravery than any other American ethnic group or race; the young generation’s wide participation in the civil rights movements, including those for farm workers and women’s equality; and involvement in social protests, such as against the Vietnam War.

New generations of Latinos, in other words, were better-educated and more aware of social issues that caused them to examine and question the Establishment. This newfound awareness and courage affected Latinos’ ability to simultaneously be part of the system and, through their marginalization by certain forces, to be alienated by the system.

THE GROUND-BREAKERS: PIONEER STARS

So early publications by American Latinos were often in English, Spanglish, and Spanish, or any combination thereof. Themes centered on cultural disconnects, prejudice against Latinos, inequalities, suffering and loss. Affinity with the Mexican culture were prominent in a number of early Chicano writings, such as by the poets Abelardo Delgado, Alurista, Luis Valdez, and Rodolfo “Corky” González, author of the hugely popular epic poem, “Yo Soy Joaquín/I Am Joaquín.” Poets, in fact, were the rock stars of the early Chicano literary movement.

Other literary pioneers of the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s were the novelist Tomás Rivera, the first national award-winner among Chicano authors; Rudolfo Anaya, author of the internationally-acclaimed Bless Me, Ultima (1972), which ranks as the most-read Chicano book of all time; Estella Portillo de Trambley, the first American Latina author to win a national award for her writing. Her book, Rain of Scorpions (1972) championed women’s rights and encouraged a new generation of American Latina writers. Estella was the first modern Latina author to gain prominence. Finally, Cherríe L. Moraga, poet and essayist, was one of the first avowed gay authors to gain prominence in Latino letters. She is best known for the now-classic, Loving in the War Years (1983).

Three early pioneers in poetry are still active and popular today: Patricia “Pat” Mora, also an essayist and children’s book author who has won numerous awards for her work. Author of Agua Santa: Holy Water and countless other books, she ranks as one of the most distinguished, best-loved Latina poets in America today. Also, Ana Castillo, author of 11 books, writes short stories, essays, and novels in addition to her poetry. Finally, another outstanding, highly lauded poet is Gary Soto, who is likewise known for his children’s and young adults’ books. In 2000, he wrote his first adult novel, Nickel and Dime.

The impact of all these early authors cannot be overstated. They broke the glass ceiling, paved the road, opened the door. Clichés cannot do justice to the contributions of these and many other Latino/a writers of these decades that laid a strong foundation for a wave of authors to come as the 20th century drew to a close. A number of these literary trail-blazers were honored in the recent past by having their early works re-issued by mainstream publishers. Examples are Oscar Zeta Acosta, of “Brown Buffalo” fame; Richard Vasquez, author of the seminal novel, Chicano; Piri Thomas, Nicholasa Mohr, and Victor Villaseñor, author of the highly lauded Rain of Gold.

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Soon I will post PART II: SOME TOP CURRENT LATINA/O AMERICAN WRITERS. You'll meet talented, dynamic, engaging authors in all genres who are definitely enriching our American literary landscape. Stay tuned!

TWO EXCITING CALIFORNIA POETS TO KNOW, READ, AND HEAR!

2011-09-07T10:50:00.000-07:00

“Welcome Back, Thelma, to Your Blog!”

Funny. This is what a friend told me recently when I mentioned that, after months of focusing on other writings, marketing my two books, and taking care of other commitments and NOT writing this blog, I would be returning to it. “Welcome back!”

And I’m glad to be back. In the time I’ve been away, I’ve read a number of outstanding, inspiring, highly engaging books by Latinas and Latinos that I’ve got to tell you about. This literary treasure I’ve discovered, or rediscovered, includes writings in all genres: poetry, short stories, memoirs, and novels. The authors span the United States and write with humor, pathos, and insight. What a mother lode of excellence!

TWO OUTSTANDING CALIFORNIA POETS YOU SHOULD KNOW

In today’s blog, I’m focusing on poetry and have chosen two Latinos whom I have seen at readings and with whom I’ve shared the stage. These poets read with total passion and bring their audiences energetically into their work.

Meet Ricardo Acuña: Cosmopolitan Poet from L.A.

You can’t see Ricardo at a reading, or listen to Ricardo, or read Ricardo’s poetry without being deeply moved. He’s all body language, fire and thunder, and razor-sharp insight. He tells it like it is, like his hero, poet Charles Bukowski, did: unvarnished truth, dark secrets, deep despair, brilliant humanity, and an unflagging appreciation for each precious or precarious moment of life. Ricardo speaks of everything: the good, the bad, and the ugly; but his optimism wins out every time, or at least by the end of his books.

Highly educated, with two college degrees (Stanford University in California and Columbia University in New York), Ricardo is truly bi-coastal in formal training and cultural experience. He was, as he says in his bio, “born and raised dirt-poor in Nogales, Arizona.” But he rose above such hardscrabble beginnings, winning a scholarship to a prestigious prep school as a teenager, and later living and studying in Paris, France. His artistry extends to photography, and his books are enriched with his photos from all over the world. Ricardo is the most cosmopolitan poet I know.

Yet his life has been filled with challenges that are amply reflected in his poems. In his book, Greetings from Heaven & Hell (Pichin Publishing, 2009), he speaks of “day jobs to pay for that high-faluting education.” He recounts mundane jobs he’s held, including working for farm workers and teaching high school English. But he’s never lost sight of his mission in life: “[I] know for certain that the only thing I need to do in life is write (or if not, I will drop dead.)”

Ricardo’s poetry is passionate and fast-moving, as this stanza from “let’s not argue, love” shows:

let’s not argue

love

let’s not dig the trenches

that turn into oceans

that turn people into their own islands

that turn lovers into enemy nations

for God’s sake

let’s not argue

love

let us go to sleep now....

that we may dream a good dream

when we awake together

Ricardo’s poetry speaks to today’s times, such as in “temp work”:

i fill out their applications take

their tests answer their

questions i watch them stuff

their faces at their desks joke

about birthday cake complain

about leaving early and

it reminds me of

denver-dog-days when

desperation gnawed at my

skinny belly because

of another bitch and i

don’t even want their jobs anyhow sad

and meaningless their impersonal

pool their clammy hands and bloodsucking

smiles when all i want is a

job

He paints literary portraits of people who appear to be loved ones, and of family events, oftentimes poignant and heart-breaking, as when he describes his father’s death, or broken love, or misguided youth. His poems are haunting in their starkness and reality, their sensitivity and pathos, whether they capture a moment in time, or describe a cycle of loss. Ricardo’s heart and soul are on vivid display in both of his books: Greetings from Heaven & Hell; as well as under the influence (Pichin Publishing, 2007).

Ricardo Lira Acuña’s books are available through his website, www.writeracuña.com

Meet Yago S. Cura: Soccer Fan & Poet Extraordinaire

Yago Cura describes himself as an “American-Argentine poet, librarian, and futbol cretin.” Indeed, his poetry chapbook, Bestias Inberbes (Hinchas de Poesía Press, 2009), in which Yago is co-author with Abel Folgar, is a series of “odes” to soccer stars, such as Pelé, Thierry Henry, and Daniel Passarella. These poems are bursting with colorful language as Yago addresses each athlete directly, citing his flaws and glories, in words that are alternately intellectual and slangy, burbling with machismo and good humor. To Thierry, for example, Yago says: “My, how this ode about a goofy French kid with/sniper-dreams makes for a troublesome entretemps?/....You flopped around like a/ gangly Wahoo slurping oxygen through a coffee stirrer.”

Yago’s poetry book, Rubberroom (Hinchas de Poesía, 2006) is quite distinct in tone and theme. In this autobiographical work, Yago recounts the trials and tribulations of teaching hard-headed, troublemaking teens in a New York City public school. The book is illustrated by Carlos Folgar with amazing hilarity and appropriateness, though the cartoon art is a foil for the seriousness of the protagonist teacher’s plight.

The title Rubberroom refers to a stigmatized holding room for teachers who are being investigated for disciplinary purposes, who are still on the school’s payroll, but who are not allowed back into the classroom until the individual investigations are completed and the teacher is cleared of charges. As Yago explains in “Act III: Prologue,” “...they call it the Rubberroom/ because you get to bounce/ off the walls/ like a regular retard.”

The book describes in gritty language the events leading up to the teacher’s banishment into the Rubberroom. The students, it turns out, were, from the get-go, the proverbial wild bunch: “malcontents, parolees/ ...medicated for bipolarity, pícaros, spazzes, rufianos,/ those with O.C.D./ wards of the state, stoners, the anti-social/ godfathers, and the clique-indigent.” In another poem, “Animalitos [Little Animals],” Yago further describes the students thus:

Los animalitos are antsy

and restless; that is their charge.

They sit there brawling....

like feral geezers....

And if they so desire

to melee in the lunchroom

they turn the lunchroom out....

because their puny teeth

are always beginning

to show.

Things quickly decline for the beleaguered teacher, whom the kids deride as, “Teacher Lost His Shit!” He throws a desk at the board one day, and the desk nicks a nearby kid. Hence the teacher is relegated to the Rubberroom, where a motley crew of malcontent teachers, incompetents, and burnt out folks pass the time till their disciplinary cases are settled. In the poem “Taking Attendance,” Yago describes his compatriots in a litany of adjectives, powerful words that hammer home the dysfunction of disciplined teachers: “Martyrs nailed by their principals/...marijuaneros/ rageoids, deadbeats..../ loose-cannons; the grimy/ & remorselessly insubordinate/....dilettantes, debutantes,/ shovelers-of-shit....” It’s a sad scene indeed.

Without a spoiler alert, let me say that Rubberroom marches trenchantly to its conclusion, like a small play. Yago creates a very human, very frustrated, insightful Everyman in his teacher character. He sheds light on the plight of urban education in the big city, in areas of disadvantage and—most likely—inadequate parenting, inadequate resources. Yago also shows us how the grind of daily challenges eventually burns the spirit of young, eager teachers. We see the beginning, the middle, and the end of teaching careers through the various “detainees” in the infamous Rubberroom.

Yago’s books can be purchased through www.amazon.com . His website is www.ycura.magcloud.com .

2010-11-28T13:53:00.000-08:00

MEET MAYRA CALVANI:
AUTHOR, BLOGGER, & BOOK REVIEWER EXTRAORDINAIRE!

One of the most exciting things that is happening in our American literary world today is the increasing numbers of Latina bloggers. Many of these bloggers are published authors who utilize their blogs as additional forums for their creativity. In addition to posting a new poem or article, writers often discuss their books and other works, their writing routines, their book tours or speaking engagement calendars, their reviews of other authors' literary creations, and generally take time to show themselves to their public as fully-rounded folks with many interests and passions in addition to writing: families and pets, authors they idolize, their travels far and wide, etc.

Through these increasingly sophisticated and numerous blogs, authors are continually rediscovering themselves and sharing these journeys with us. In the pre-internet era, learning about the backgrounds and personalities of authors whose books we read could be challenging. When we found such information, it was often dry and locked in cement, brief and accompanied by faded black and white photos. Now, Latina bloggers (and a goodly number of male Hispanic authors as well!) are putting recognizable, amiable, respectable human faces on their literary selves and showing us the people they are in engaging, dynamic, constantly updated ways. What a delight it is to know the human spirit behind the artistry!

Mayra: A "Renaissance Woman" Among Writers

One of my favorites among this relatively new, evolving cadre of Latina writers is Mayra Calvani, a native of Puerto Rico and a longtime New Yorker. As I've read her blogs throughout this year and kept up with her publications, I've come to regard Mayra as the epitome of a “Renaissance Woman” regarding writing. When you think of a versatile writer, you might imagine someone who writes poems as well as novels. Or someone who creates dramas as well as short stories. And so on. Mayra goes beyond this.

She’s been writing since the age of 12, when she began creating paranormal stories. She majored in Creative Writing in college, where her passion for writing solidified, but she never limited herself to one genre of writing. In fact, as she has evolved as an author, so has her predilection for publishing in different genres. She has written "literary" (as opposed to "commercial") short stories; parody/satire, as exemplified by her novel, Sunstruck; paranormal vampire fiction, represented by her novel, Embraced by the Shadows; nonfiction, focusing on book reviews and culminating in the recent award-winning book, The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing, which Mayra co-authored; and 6 children’s books.

Mayra is most enamored of children’s literature, which she describes thus: “I love writing for children. It’s like walking on a rainbow. A world of color where I can exaggerate and let my imagination run totally wild.” Her latest child’s book is Frederico, the Mouse Violinist, to be published this fall. She has six children’s books scheduled for publication in 2011-2012! Mayra is also working on a young adult novel and is halfway finished.

Writing books in multiple genres is challenging enough for any author, and one might think that this keeps Mayra too busy for anything else. Not so. She has written over 300 book reviews, author interviews, and articles in the past decade, publishing these in print media as well as online. She reviews for The New York Journal of Books, the National Latino Books Examiner, SimplyCharly.com, and Blogcritics Magazine.

In addition, Mayra maintains her two author websites and writes four blogs (addresses are below). She says: “It’s fun switching from one genre to another depending on my mood. I love it.” A lifelong high achiever, Mayra also speaks four languages: English and Spanish, of course, plus French and some Turkish. She lived in Turkey for a while and is now based in Belgium.

Visit Mayra’s websites at http://www.mayracalvani.com/ , http://www.mayrassecretbookcase.com/ . Her blogs include http://www.mayra’ssecretbookcase.blogspot.com/ , http://www.thedarkphantom.com/ , and http://www.violinandbooks.wordpress.com/ . Her book reviews appear most often in www.examiner.com/latino-books-in-national/mayra-calvani . Please drop by her sites and leave her your comments. It will be time well-spent for you!

In future posts here, I'll discuss other bloggers, male and female. Also, keep your eyes out for my upcoming book review of Mike Padilla's rousing, humorous, big-hearted novel, The Girls from the Revolutionary Cantina. Take care, check out all these authors' wonderful work, and make literature an eternal part of your and your families' lives!

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2010-11-23T01:15:00.000-08:00

CATCHING UP WITH OUTSTANDING AUTHORS WHO ARE MAKING US PROUD!

So much has happened since my last posting. Here are two literary events in which I was honored to participate with fellow authors I've known or recently met. I am always filled with pride and delight when I meet new authors or get to reconnect with literary friends. In these past two events, I did both.

PALABRA Literary Magazine:

Reading in Los Angeles, October 23

Talented author and editor, Elena Minor, introduced Issue 6 of her prestigious publication, PALABRA: A Magazine of Chicano & Literary Art, 2010. It is packed with poems and stories by 25 Latino authors, including myself and three poets who attended the reading at the REDCAT Lounge at the Walt Disney performing arts complex. At the reading, the poets held us spellbound with their dramatic, heartfelt readings of their poems published in this issue. The talented group were:

--Manuel Paul Lopez, author of Death of a Mexican and Other Poems. A secondary school teacher and resident of San Diego, CA, Manuel's poems in the magazine are "Brother, Sister," "The Hay Bales," and "How to Live with Rudy."

--Yago S. Cura, co-author of the book, Odas a Futbolistas (Odes to Soccer Players); and co-editor of the online literary journal, Hinchas de poesia. His poems have appeared in various prominent literary journals, including Borderlands, The New Orleans Review, and U.S. Latino Review. The poems that were published in PALABRA are "Los Namers" and "Angelinos."

--Ricardo Lira Acuna, author of two books of poetry and photography: Under the Influence; and Greetings from Heaven and Hell. A graduate of Stanford and Columbia Universities, Ricardo plans to publish his first novel, Prodigal Son, in the near future. His poem in PALABRA is "Narrow is the Gate."

I was the fourth reader at this event. I read my short story, "Paris," which will also be included in my second book of short stories, recently completed and aimed for publication in 2011. "Paris" is set entirely in my hometown of Pasadena, CA, and takes place in one day, from morning till night, with what some have called a surprise ending.

All in all, this was a successful event for us all, and I was pleased to meet three more poets. Poets enrich my life...everyone's life! PALABRA Magazine can be ordered online at its website: http://www.palabralitmag.com/ .

Pasadena Latino Authors:

Social Mixer & Panel Discussion--Pasadena, CA

On November 10, six Latino authors held their first communal public event. Many attendees felt this was a "historic" event for the city, since, to our knowledge, a contingent of six published Latino authors is a first for Pasadena. All the authors, born and raised in the United States, write in English; and five have published at least one book. Collectively, these authors have over 60 years of publication experience. All the authors are also community leaders, holding positions of leadership in Pasadena civic organizations, including city commissions, a city governmental agency, and local non-profits. In addition, the group of authors represents at least three different generations and five different literary genre. The authors are:

--Randy Jurado Ertll, author of the memoir, Hope in Times of Darkness: A Salvadoran-American Experience. Randy is Executive Director of El Centro de Accion Social, a prominent Latino advocacy group. Randy's book has been praised by prominent civic leaders and numerous book reviewers and other authors. His book has been reviewed on this blog as well.

--Victor Cass, author of three books: Pasadena Police Department: A Photohistory, 1877-2000, a nonfiction book; Love, Death, and Other War Stories, his first novel; and Telenovela, his second novel. Victor's third book has also been reviewed on this blog. Victor's academic articles, columns, and opinion essays have appeared in a historical journal and in regional print media for over a decade. He has recently completed a fourth book and plans to publish it in 2011. He is a Pasadena police officer and loves his city: all his books are set in Pasadena.

--Manuel Contreras, archivist and journalist/editor, who has devoted 20 years to compiling a history of Pasadena via newsletters, advertisements, articles, and other ephemera that trace the city's social evolution since the 1930's. An octogenarian, Manny's historical collections are housed in the Pasadena Central Library, where they serve as reference for many people, young and old. Manny is a former City Commissioner.

--Sandra Gutierrez, author and co-editor of the award-winning book, Teatro Chicana: A Collective Memoir & Selected Plays. Sandra's book has been used in university and high school classes throughout the United States since its publication in 2008. She and her co-editors, Laura E. Garcia and Felicitas Nunez, are often in demand as speakers regarding the historic Chicano feminist awakening that their book details. Sandra is active in various civic organizations, including Adelante Mujer Latina.
--Roberta Martinez, author of Images of America: Latinos in Pasadena. This book has also been reviewed on this blog. Through carefully selected archived and personal-collection photographs and meticulous narration, Roberta captures the contributions that Latinas and Latinos made to the development of Pasadena. An independent historian, Roberta contributed significantly to the greater understanding of California history in general with her book. She is the Director of Latino Heritage in Pasadena and is also a City Commissioner.

I was the sixth Pasadena author at this event. My book, The Heavens Weep for Us and Other Stories, was named a Finalist in the 2010 National Best Books Award by USA Book News. My writing has been published off and on since 1972 in literary journals, textbooks, anthologies, blogs, and regional print media. I also serve as a City Commissioner and Executive Board Member of One Community Think Tank in Pasadena.

The Pasadena Author event was attended by approximately 60 people: young and old, people of various cultural backgrounds, and also by community VIP's. Stay tuned for follow-up events! All the books by these authors are available through amazon.com and other booksellers.

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2010-10-24T22:34:00.000-07:00

LITERARY FESTIVALS: GETTING OUT AND ABOUT AMONG MY FELLOW LATINA/O AUTHORS!

October has been a literary feast for me and for many of my friends and colleagues who also happen to be authors. Here's the lineup of places I've been this month, plus some writers with whom I had the pleasure of appearing and who were great to talk to:

OCTOBER 2: DUARTE (CA) FESTIVAL OF AUTHORS

Set in a beautiful senior residential complex, we were among tall pine trees, winding paths, and green patches of grass that define the parklike boundaries of the complex. Approximately 75 authors participated, but only about 7 are Hispanic. Two of us--my son, Victor Cass, and I--spoke on a panel. Our topic was "Mystery and Fiction."

The following Latinos were participants in this well-regarded festival:

Alex Moreno Areyan, author of Images of America: Mexican-Americans in Los Angeles (Arcadia Publishing, 2010): Through hundreds of archival photos and meticulous narrative, the book chronicles 100 years of contributions by Mexican-Americans to the development of L.A., including iconic U.S. Congressman Edward R. Roybal. Alex also participated in the prestigious 13th Annual Los Angeles Latino Book & Family Festival (see below).
Victor Cass, author of Telenovela (Outskirts Press, 2009); Love, Death, & Other War Stories (iUniverse, 2005); and Pasadena Police Department: A Photohistory, 1877-2000 (Herff-Jones, 2000): Victor's newest book, Telenovela, is a fast-paced, engrossing romantic comedy/drama in which two beautiful daughters of immigrants form a deep friendship that withstands romantic troubles with a mutual love interest.
Randy Jurado Ertll, author of the memoir, Hope in Times of Darkness: A Salvadoran-American's Experience (Hamilton Books, 2009): Randy's book details his hardships in violence-torn El Salvador and his rise to a better life when he emigrated to America as an adolescent, though he first had to survive life in a gang-torn section of Los Angeles. His journey is filled with political insights and courage.
Vanessa Libertad Garcia, author of The Voting Booth After Dark: Despicable, Embarrassing, Repulsive (Fiat Libertad Co., 2009): Vanessa's book details the angst of young, gay Latinas and Latinos in Los Angeles against the backdrop of the 2008 American presidential election campaign. She alternates between poetry and prose vignettes to capture her characters' desperation, romantic interludes, and realizations about life.
Roberta Martinez, author of Images of America: Latinos in Pasadena (Arcadia Publishing, 2009): From the early unheralded pioneers, men and women, who helped found Pasadena, to the various leaders and community activists who helped shape Pasadena into the world-class city it is today, Roberta teaches us some modern history that is often ignored in local classrooms.
Philip Victor (Philip Victor Colon), author of Jaguar Spirit ; Soul Assassin; and other graphic novels (Aerosol Press: 2004, for these two): A Puerto-Rican American writer from East L.A., Philip is an award-winning comic book writer who also produces and publishes his novels. His creations are based on Mayan mythology, are bilingual, and are appropriate for readers of all ages.

I'm the seventh Latino author at the Duarte Festival. My book, The Heavens Weep for Us and Other Stories (Outskirts Press, 2009), has been positively reviewed by various Latina/o authors. It is a compilation of 12 short stories set mostly in Texas, California, and Chicago. You can learn more about it on my author website at http://www.thelmareyna.com/, which includes its title story in its entirety, as well as samples of my other publications.

Victor Cass

Vanessa Libertad Garcia

Below: Randy Ertll & Roberta Martinez (l-r)

LOS ANGELES LATINO BOOK & FAMILY FESTIVAL

On the weekend of October 9 & 10, the campus of California State University, Los Angeles, became the stage for the largest gathering of Latina/o published authors in the history of the United States. Over 120 authors from all over America came together to serve on panel discussions, solo presentations, and booth displays of their books. Previously described on this site, the festival was a huge success with strongly established pioneer Hispanic authors, emerging writers, and everyone in between sharing their collective experiences and creativity with thousands of attendees that represented the spectrum of multicultural, multigenerational America. There were readings, signings, and Q&A's galore! Indeed, this was the literary feast of the year.

Here are some photos of participating authors:

Working hard and having fun!

Award-winning nonfiction author,
Laura Contreras-Rowe (r)

I served as moderator on a panel with the following
engaging authors, from l-r:
David Bueno-Hill, Vanessa Libertad Garcia,

Manny Pacheco, & Ed Rodriguez

I felt very honored to meet Chuy Ramirez, Texas author of Strawberry Fields,
a very thoughtful, poignant novel about a family of migrant workers
whose children rise above their poverty and come to understand
the dichotomies of their bi-cultural world.

Here are the wonderful women of Teatro Chicana:
A Collective Memoir & Selected Plays--
(l-r) Felicitas Nunez, Delia Rodriguez, &
Laura Garcia with me, their fan!
(Felicitas, Laura, & Sandra Gutierrez, not shown,
were the editors of the book.)
* * *

One of the highlights of this year's Latino Books & Family Festival was the presentation of the First Annual "Latino Books into Movies Awards," an exciting new venture. Two or three books were chosen in several different movie categories (Action & Adventure; Animation; Comedy; Documentary; Drama; Kids & Family; Romantic Comedy; and Suspense & Mystery). Professionals in the entertainment industry served as judges and selected winners and runners-up. Click here to read all about it: http://www.box.net/shared/avl3g1fhpx#/shared/avl3g1fhpx/1/53508294/522850838/1
Congratulations to these authors whose works we may someday see on the "big screen."

All in all, these two author festivals gave our Southern California community ample exposure to some of the greatest literary talents in Latino literature today. I was humbled and honored to have been included in their company and came away inspired and motivated to learn more about my colleagues. Kudos to author Reyna Grande and to Cal State LA Professor Roberto Cantu, Ph.D., for their leadership in organizing and staging the Latino Book & Family Festival, with the collaboration and support of their outstanding team of volunteers, including Latino Literacy leader, Jim Sullivan.

2010-09-28T14:47:00.000-07:00

THE LARGEST GATHERING OF LATINA/O PUBLISHED AUTHORS IN OUR NATION'S HISTORY!

We Latino authors are so fortunate to live in Southern California. Other than the remarkable weather, access to culture, wonderful population diversity, forward-thinking mindset, artistic ambience, etc. etc. that Californians usually rave about, there is one even more important reason to celebrate California:

American literary history will be made in Los Angeles on the weekend of October 9 and 10, 2010, at the 13th Annual Latino Book & Family Festival (LBFF).

Why? More than 130 of us Latina/o published authors will come together at this event to present workshops and panel discussions, do book readings and signings, and dialogue with readers and fans. This is one of the largest literary festivals in America, but definitely the one with the largest contingent of Hispanic authors.

This public event is free and highly popular with mult-cultural and multi-generational audiences growing in number each year. It will be held at California State University, Los Angeles. Though a large number of the Festival's writers live and work in California, several are coming from other parts of our country, such as two Texans--Chuy Ramirez, whose new book was recently reviewed on this site; and Daniel Chacon, a lauded fiction writer who teaches at the University of Texas, El Paso--and a novelist and short fiction writer from Arizona, Stella Pope Duarte.

Great Diversity of Publications

The Festival authors represent the spectrum of genres in literature: novels and novellas, short stories, poetry, drama, screenplays, children's literature, young adult literature, memoirs, essays and other nonfiction, graphic novels (comic books), scholarly writing, and so on. Many of the Festival's writers are prize-winning authors, such as:

the Festival's Director, novelist Reyna Grande
novelist Montserrat Fontes
Pulitzer-Prize finalist Sonia Nazario
emerging historian and longtime radio personality, Manny Pacheco
poet and fiction writer, Melinda Palacio
New York Times best-selling "chick lit" author, Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez.

Many more award-winning writers will be present at the festival, including established, renowned authors such as Daniel Olivas; and emerging young adult literature author, Sandra Lopez. You'll learn more about this exciting pool of talent at the Festival. Read on....

Some Latino Literary Icons: Luis Rodriguez & Victor Villasenor

One of the early modern Latino writers in our country, author of 14 books and countless other writings--including fiction, poetry, and nonfiction--Luis Rodriguez' astounding literary career has spanned over 30 years. He has published in every major genre, and has conducted countless workshops and book talks in venues spanning academic settings, community settings, prisons, and Native American reservations. Luis is perhaps best known for his 1993 memoir, Always Running: La Vida Loca, which has sold more than 300,000 copies; has won numerous awards, including the Carl Sandburg Literary Award; has been adapted into plays performed across America; and was performed for two years as a play at Los Angeles' famed Mark Taper Forum.

Luis' website (http://www.luisjrodriguez.com/bio) details the many media appearances he has made, including appearances on PBS and the Oprah Winfrey Show. He has been interviewed and his works have been reviewed by major media, including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, Entertainment Weekly, LA Magazine, and La Opinion. Luis is often considered one of the leading Chicano writers in the United States today.

Another literary icon who will be present at the LBFF next month is Victor Villasenor, best-selling, Pulitzer-Prize nominated author of Burro Genius. Victor's highly-acclaimed Rain of Gold, a book inspired by his family that took him 16 years to research and write, will be part of an HBO mini-series scheduled for filming in Spring 2011. His website (http://www.victorvillasenor.com/ ) also talks of his "nine novels, 65 short stories, and 265 rejections" prior to selling his first novel, Macho!, which has been compared to the writing of Nobel-Prize winning American author, John Steinbeck.

Victor's long literary career has been an inspiration to many generations of Mexican-Americans and others. His works are studied in schools across America, and he was featured as an "American Latino TV Hero" in May 2010. In addition to his novels, Victor has written short stories, nonfiction, and the screenplay for "The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez," which starred Edward James Olmos.

The Authors in Action: Workshops and Panel Discussions

On Saturday, October 9, panel discussions (with almost all of them having 5-6 authors) will begin at 11 a.m. and end at 6 p.m. Then, on Sunday, October 10, the same timeframe will be followed, with these panel presentations lasting one hour each. In almost every time slot, four panels will be going on simultaneously in different rooms of Salazar Hall on the campus. See the website for a map of the Festival's location.

The weekend will be filled with literary fun and enlightenment, with a total of 53 presentations scheduled. The audiences will have the opportunity to ask questions of the authors and engage in discussions of their work. Topics of panel discussions range from children's literature, poetry, filmmaking, self-help, short stories, novels, getting literary agents, self-publishing, to history of folklorico dancing and cartoon books. It's a buffet of literary delights!

When we aren't presenting, many of us authors will be available on the festival grounds at our own booths to sell and autograph our books and chat with fans. What a great opportunity to meet your favorite authors or to meet new ones to expand your horizons!

More Information at the Website

Go to the festival's website at http://www.lbff.us/ to see photos of last year's festival, photos of this year's author participants, bios of these writers, their websites, and the schedule of the panel presentations. See you at this historic festival!

2010-09-16T03:14:00.000-07:00

BOOK REVIEW: STRAWBERRY FIELDS
A DEBUT NOVEL BY CHUY RAMIREZ

One of my goals in this blog is to bring attention to the writings of emerging Latina/o authors. In today's blog, I am reviewing the newly-released book by Texan author, Chuy Ramirez. According to fellow blogger, Maria Ferrer, whom I will highlight in an upcoming blog in the near future, Chuy is presently hard at work on his next literary project, a novella about the relationship between a terminally-ill woman and her attorney as they make final preparations for her death. Enjoy the review, and check out this gem of a debut book!

                                               *     *     *     *     *

CHUY RAMIREZ, a Texas attorney and emerging Latino writer, devoted 10 years writing part-time to create his debut novel, Strawberry Fields (First Texas Publishers, 2010). What he has as a reward for his decade of effort is a marvelous, engaging, poignant book that strongly heralds him as a writer to watch.

Ramirez centers his book on Joaquin, who is the anthithesis of another Joaquin of Latino literary fame, the Joaquin in Chicano pioneer author Corky Gonzalez’ epic poem, “I Am Joaquin/Yo Soy Joaquin” (1964). Whereas the latter Joaquin railed against the oppression of Chicanos by Anglos and asserted his Mexican ethnic pride, Ramirez’ Joaquin, an American-born child of the 1960’s, feels strong ambivalence about his Mexican heritage. Strawberry Fields is as much an examination of a bi-cultural person’s inner struggles regarding ancestral and adopted homelands as it is of this particular character’s coming of age in America.

The book covers several decades of Joaquin’s life. We see him as a young boy trying to navigate the temptations and mischiefs of childhood under his mother Manda’s caring, watchful eyes and his father’s stern stare. We see him as an adolescent with years of experience under his belt as a migrant farm worker, traveling with his mother and siblings in caravans of trucks through the Midwest and other states with crops to harvest. We see him in adulthood as a successful attorney in Texas, his home state, haunted by recurring dreams connected to his adolescence and the strawberry fields of Decatur, Illinois. These fields thus become symbolic on many levels: symbolic of Joaquin’s family struggles with poverty and his disaffection with his lot in life; symbolic of the carefree childhood moments he salvaged in the migrant camps when he and his brother could savor moments of freedom and exploration; symbolic of his eventual rejection of his cultural roots and thus, of his father.

Throughout Joaquin’s life, his father, Benancio, looms as a figure that puzzles him, chastises him, and stirs elemental struggles between them involving love and hate, and culture clashes that cut to the bone. Benancio is a proud Mexican, his hubris and stubbornness turning him into a disapproving parent who beats his children for mild transgressions, who calls them derogatory names, and who can never be pleased. As a major antagonist in the book, Benancio represents to his sons the backwardness of a country and a culture they cannot embrace, as their father wants them to do. Their rejection of his culture, of his beloved Mexico, is ultimately their rejection of him, from which the unflinching Benancio can never recover, and for which he can never forgive them. He abandons his family, leaving them to wonder for most of their lives where he went and why he couldn’t love them.

Besides his father, the key figures in Joaquin’s life are his mother Manda and his two siblings: Bennie, his younger brother; and his sister, who is simply called “Sis” in the book. Manda is a strong, patient woman born in America but closely attached to immigrants through her family’s business. She is attracted to the tall, taciturn, handsome Benancio, whom she meets while at work one day and eventually decides to marry. Despite her children’s conflicts with their father, and his seeming lack of tenderness toward her, Manda is devoted to Benancio, even after he abandons his family. As the matriarchal touchstone, Manda is defined by the extreme sacrifices she makes for her children in the name of progress, their progress, their future. Her gentleness and understanding are but an undertone throughout the book; but toward the end, we realize the extent of her sacrifices for her beloved family.

Bennie, who is very close to Joaquin, grows up to become a school principal, a man with a vivid memory that serves as Joaquin’s link to his past. The studious Sis, sheltered from the hardships of the migrant life once she reaches adolescence, is largely in the background but serves as a stabilizing voice of reason and neutrality. She becomes a teacher and, in her adulthood, reminisces with her brothers about their father’s whereabouts and their checkered family history.

The book shifts continually between the present and the past, taking us from Joaquin’s struggles as an adult, to those of his childhood, to those he survived as a teenager, and so on in loops and flashbacks that keep the book non-linear throughout. Dreams and nightmares are strategically interwoven into key interludes, so that the reader’s curiosity is piqued, and the pace of the narrative is kept brisk and exhilarating. As the book marches toward its climax, the chapters are even more non-linear, with scenes alternating between the past and present more rapidly as Joaquin gains clarity and insights about his experiences in the strawberry fields and about his identity as a man and as a son.

A compelling sub-plot involves a beautiful, blonde girl of mixed heritage named Belinda who, early in the book, has disappeared. She then is absent for a good portion of the book until the adolescent Joaquin and his family are preparing to travel to the Midwest for harvesting. Joaquin sees her from a distance in one of the migrant workers’ groups and develops a crush on her, but his memory of her fades with time. We catch glimpses of Belinda throughout the book, but these are surrealistic scenes, chopped up and fuzzy, as incomplete memories can appear to be in reality. When the adult Joaquin is haunted by dreams of Belinda, which depict her with bloody wounds and missing eyes, he fears that he is somehow connected to her disappearance, and this may be why his mind has blocked out recollections of her.

But this is another piece of the puzzle that Joaquin must solve. Belinda’s fate, on a subconscious level, is another reason that the adult Joaquin journeys from his home in Texas to the strawberry fields of Illinois, to revisit them, to seek something that even he is unaware of. In the final chapters of the book, with the strawberry fields drastically changed 30 years after he worked them, and the migrant workers’ camp by the fields totally gone, Joaquin can only rely on his faint memories, his emotions, his dreams, and the present scenes that repel him to derive meaning from his experiences. What happened to Belinda? Why did his father abandon him? Two burning questions—distinct from one another but critical to understanding who he, Joaquin, is—come together upon his revisitation of the strawberry fields. In a climactic epiphany, Joaquin discovers the answers to both questions.

The author’s language in these final scenes and throughout the most critical scenes is poignantly vivid and sometimes heart-rending. Ramirez is deft with his descriptiveness, particularly in the second half of the book. In describing the Michigan of the 1960’s, for example, the first time Joaquin’s family migrated there to harvest crops, Ramirez writes:

        ...where life seemed almost perfect among the solitude of a
        spacious rural America, where topsoil was measured in feet
        and little boys dreamed of playing high school basketball and
        little girls dreamed of becoming homecoming queens....a land
        inhabited by fattening cattle and red barns and grain elevators,
        and uniquely confident, stoic men...whose canvases were the
        sky and the open spaces on which they never tired of creating
        green and lush symmetry (p. 218).

It is as if Ramirez warms up exponentially as the book unwraps and reveals its treasures to us. One wonders if the beginning parts were those writtten by Ramirez at the start of his decade of birthing this book. One wonders if the latter chapters indeed came later in the decade; and, if so, the beauty of the language, the depth of the insights in the final chapters, the power of Joaquin’s catharsis are rightfully the end products of much labor...not lost, as Shakespeare wrote, but of labors reaching their fruitful, magnificent conclusion.

Ramirez calls his work “a book of Short Stories.” If these are indeed stories (rather than chapters of a novel), then they can be said to employ intertextuality, or the literary technique of repeating characters and places from one story to another. This technique marked pioneer Chicana author, Estella Portillo de Trambley’s, short stories in her classic book, Rain of Scorpions and Other Stories (Bilingual Press, Revised Edition, 1993), as scholars Vernon E. Lattin and Patricia Hopkins described in their Introduction to that edition.

The technique was successful for Trambley’s purposes and won her admiration for her work. Similarly, Ramirez has woven his separate “stories” into a loosely-unified book, a hybrid novel to some, but clearly a tapestry of humanity that we can all relate to and embrace.
______________________________________________
To learn more about Chuy Ramirez' book, go to http://www.firsttexaspublishers.com/

2010-08-28T01:32:00.000-07:00

TAKE A LOOK AT MY NEW BLOG: "THE LITERARY SELF"

In an effort to better use my time and to stay focused on my abiding interest in literacy, I have terminated one of my former blogs ("LatinaWriter99") and have created a new one that speaks more directly to how writing impacts our everyday lives. I'm calling this new blog, which I instituted tonight, "The Literary Self" (http://www.theliteraryself.blogspot.com/). I will continue writing "American Latina/o Writers Today," since my deep interest in the works of fellow Latina/o writers is very much a part of my own writing life...or my "literary self." Stay tuned, and thanks for reading my blogs!

2010-08-17T16:20:00.000-07:00

NO SHORTAGE OF LATINA/O LITERARY TALENT TODAY!

The increasing depth and breadth of Latina/o literary talent in America today was on display at a recent Los Angeles event co-sponsored by a vaunted group called Latino Literacy Now, among many other supporters. Approximately 20 Latina/o writers were introduced and honored for their work. The onstage ceremony was filmed and broadcast by the LatinoGraduate.net Global Broadcasting.

This all occurred on August 7 at "An Evening of Literature and the Arts" held at the Pan American Bank in East Los Angeles. The authors, part of a contingent of over 130 Hispanic writers, are scheduled to appear at one of the biggest Latino literary events in the nation, the 13th Annual Latino Book & Family Festival (LBFF) to be held at California State University, Los Angeles, on October 9 & 10, 2010. The event at the bank was a preview of sorts.

This year's LBFF boasts the largest number of authors in the history of this festival, which has also been held in Chicago, in addition to L.A., in prior years. For the entire weekend in October this year, many of these authors will present panel discussions and workshops on literary topics, read from their works, and answer their audience's questions about their writing.

The festival is attended by thousands of people from diverse cultures, ages, and backgrounds and is a joyous event that includes food, music, and dancing. Renowned actor, James Edward Olmos, a major sponsor and supporter, is often the master of ceremonies on opening day. Two of the leading organizers and coordinators of this event are author Reyna Grande and Cal State LA professor, Roberto Cantu.

You'll hear more on this blog about this major literary event as we approach October. Stay tuned!

THE AUTHORS HONORED AT PAN AMERICAN BANK

The writers at the special event received special commendations and certificates from the California Senate, the County of Los Angeles, U.S. Congresswoman Grace Napolitano, and Speaker of the California Assembly John A. Perez. Each author was also interviewed onstage by Armando Sanchez, founder and head of Global Broadcasting. Armando is also leader of the Raise Literacy Campaign.

Here are the honored authors:

Lalo Alcaraz, renowned cartoonist for the Los Angeles Times and author of 3 books, including the iconic La Cucaracha (1976, 2004); Cartoon History of Latinos in the United States (1999); Latino USA (2000); and Migra Mouse: Political Cartoons on Immigration (2004).
David Bueno-Hill, an Honorable Mention Winner of the 2009 Latino Book Awards and author of the young adult novels, Mr. Clean in the Barrio and Mr. Clean's Familia.
Daniel Cano, Associate Professor at Santa Monica College, and longtime author, most recently of Death and the American Dream (2009).
Victor Cass, a decorated police officer in Pasadena, CA, and author of 3 books, including the novels Love, Death, and Other War Stories (2005), and Telenovela (2009).
Philip Victor Colon
Kathleen Contreras, author of the children's books, Braids/Trencitas and Pan Dulce.
Randy Jurado Ertll, a community activist and civic leader in Pasadena, CA, and author of Hope in Times of Darkness: A Salvadoran-American Experience (2009).
Montserrat Fontes, a teacher of literature and journalism in Los Angeles, and a much-praised author of the novels First Confession and of Dreams of the Centaur.
Reyna Grande, whose first novel, Across a Hundred Mountains, won the venerable Premio Aztlan Literary Award (2006) and an American Book Award (2007); and who also wrote the celebrated novel, Dancing With Butterflies (2009).
Javier Hernandez, cartoonist and creator of comic books including El Muerto and Weapon Tex-Mex; also the Associate Producer of the award-winning film adaptation, El Muerto (1997), starring Wilmer Valderrama and Tony Plana.
Laura Lacamara, author of children's books, including the newly-released Floating on Mama's Song (2010).
Rene Colato Lainez, author of several children's books in English, Spanish, and bilingual, including The Tooth Fairy Meets El Raton Perez (2010); My Shoes and I (2010); and Rene Has Two Last Names (2009).
Rolando Ortiz
Mike Padilla, who won a Chicano/Latino Literary Prize and a California Arts Council artist fellowship; who wrote the short story collection, Hard Language; and author of the recently-published novel, The Girls from the Revolutionary Cantina.
Melinda Palacio, whose poetry chapbook, Folsom Lockdown, won Kulupi Press' Sense of Place Competition in 2009. Also, she is a PEN USA Emerging Voices 2007 Fellow. Her debut novel, Ocotillo Dreams, will be published this Fall.
Amada Irma Perez, author of several English, Spanish, and bilingual children's books, including My Very Own Room (2009); My Diary from Here to There (2007); and Nana's Big Surprise (2007).
Michele Serros, popular "chick lit" (or, as it's sometimes called, "chica lit") writer; author of books in English and Spanish, including Honey Blonde Chica (2007), How to Be a Chicana Role Model (2000), and Chicana Falsa: And Other Stories (1998).

I felt very privileged to be onstage with this group and to listen to their engaging stories about what inspires them and how their careers evolved. I look forward to reviewing some of their books for this blog in the coming months.

I was also happy to see other authors in the audience, including emerging writer Vanessa Libertad Garcia, author of The Voting Booth After Dark: Despicable, Embarrassing, Repulsive (2009); and Roberta H. Martinez, author of Latinos in Pasadena (2009). Both of these very talented authors have previously been profiled and their books reviewed in this blog.

The types of writing represented by this group of authors covers the gamut from poetry, short stories, novels, young adult books, "chick lit," children's books, memoirs, and scholarly nonfiction, to social commentary/political cartoons. All of these authors write in English, so their literature is widely accessible to all cultures. Some of their works--such as that by Reyna Grande--are indeed taught in school settings. Several of these authors write in Spanish and bilingually as well as in English.

Many, if not all, of the authors honored at Pan American Bank have author websites. See the LBFF site for a full listing of these sites. Visit them, enjoy, and read the works of these dedicated writers!

2010-06-28T23:35:00.000-07:00

NEW BOOKS BY TWO AWARD-WINNING AUTHORS: CARIDAD PINEIRO & REYNA GRANDE

There is no shortage of Latina literary talent in America today!

One of my aims in this website is to highlight the writings of Latinas who came to the United States from different origins—often from families, and with families, who spoke little or no English. Yet these Latinas not only learned their adopted land’s tongue, but they mastered it in ways that reveal their giftedness, their artistry, and that set them apart as literary leaders in a nation that values creativity and innovation.

These Latina authors have contributed, and continue to contribute, greatly to the richness of our American literature—and they should be acknowledged as examples of newcomers to our nation who enrich our lives and our society with their intellectual gifts. Two such amazing authors are Caridad Piñeiro and Reyna Grande. These Latinas are widely different in their genres and backgrounds, yet both are masters of their art. These talented writers are the first to be honored in this section.

MEET CARIDAD PIÑEIRO: PARANORMAL ROMANCE WRITER

Caridad was born in Havana, Cuba, but was raised in Long Island, New York, where she quickly distinguished herself as a scholar, academic leader, and pioneering attorney (first woman partner in the Abelman, Frayne & Schwab law firm). Caridad recently said: “My family and I always watched scary movies, so the paranormal element always intrigued me. I was a science major in college and decided to blend that love of science with the paranormal.”

Luckily for all of us readers!

Author of 24 paranormal/suspense romance books, Caridad is often considered one of the superstars of this writing genre, distinguishing herself as a bestselling author on the New York Times and USA Today lists. In one year alone (2007), Caridad published six books and was honored with the Golden Apple Author of the Year by the New York City Romance Writers association. Other awards and honors bestowed upon her include: the Best Short Contemporary Romance of 2001 in the NJ Romance Writers Golden Leaf Contest; the Top Fantasy Books of 2005 and 2006 by Catalina magazine; and Top Nocturne of 2006 by Cataromance.

One of her newest romance novels is Sins of the Flesh (2009), in which a beautiful, terminally-ill musician, Caterina Shaw, who is of mixed ethnic heritage, becomes a guinea pig for medical experimentation that turns deadly. After she escapes from the tortures she’s being subjected to in the lab, she is targeted for death. Lonely, sardonic bounty hunter Mick Carrera is hired to kill her, but—as he learns more and more about Caterina—Mick switches his loyalty...and goes on a different mission. His loving Latino family, especially his physician sister, play a pivotal role in the plot. Caridad’s skilled weaving of mystery and suspense, spiced with scientific, futuristic possibilities of the medical world, keep the reader in suspense throughout.

Caridad’s dialogue is very realistic, and her descriptive prowess in depicting Caterina’s other-worldly transformations due to the drugs forced into her system fill the pages with excitement. Each character reminds us of someone we know, or of someone we could know; yet each character is unique in his or her presentation. Mick is a detective who rivals the classic good guys of commercial fiction for many decades past, yet Mick’s Latino heritage distinguishes him from other heroes.

At last, Latino readers have romantic heroes and heroines we bond with, we admire and root for, and these Latinos are, ultimately, the universal heroes everyone can relate to. Caridad reminds us that—even as we celebrate the cultural uniqueness of ethnic heroes—in the end, we are all the same, striving for the same dreams, feeling the same emotions, fighting the same fears.

Sins of the Flesh is available, along with Caridad’s other books, at amazon.com or from your favorite bookstore. Visit her website at www.caridad.com.

MEET REYNA GRANDE: THE HONORS ARE JUST STARTING

California author Reyna Grande was born in Mexico in 1975 and came to the United States as an undocumented immigrant when she was 9 years old to reunite with her parents. In Los Angeles, Reyna quickly flourished in school and bonded with books at an early age. She became the first in her family to attend college, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing/Film/Video from the University of California, Santa Cruz; and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Antioch University.

Reyna shares her deep love affair with literature with schoolchildren across the state and with college students across the nation, who study her books in their coursework. In addition, she teaches creative writing workshops in Los Angeles and volunteers in other literacy efforts, such as judging prominent literary competitions and coordinating the prestigious annual Latino Book & Family Festival in Los Angeles, which is slated for October 9-10 this year.

Reyna’s first novel, Across a Hundred Mountains (2006), won substantial critical acclaim, resulting in her winning El Premio Aztlan Literary Award (2006) and an American Book Award (2007). Her second novel, Dancing with Butterflies (2009), has also received wide praise and promises to become another literary pick for college course reading lists. It was selected by Las Comadres Book Club for January 2010, and it won a 2010 International Latino Book Award in its Best Women's Issues category.

In Dancing with Butterflies, four very different women, whose commonality is their affiliation with a folklorico dancing company, take turns narrating their lives. The women—Yesenia, Elena, Adriana, and Soledad—represent different generations with distinct challenges: a poignant struggle with middle age and its theft of vigor and beauty (Yesenia); the immense loneliness of widowhood and difficulty of fighting sexual temptation (Elena); the woundedness of growing up ignored and unloved (Adriana); and the sadness of severing cultural and familial roots for the sake of economic survival in a foreign land (Soledad).

Though Reyna’s characters are distinct from one another in their talents, goals, and needs, collectively they represent the suffering that surfaces in everyday life as we tackle demons we don’t always know we carry inside us. Reyna also underscores the interconnectedness of our lives, the webs that join us to one another to bring us solace, to heighten our pain, or to remind us that, for better or worse, all humanity is one.

Reyna’s language sweeps us from wherever we are while reading her book. We suddenly find ourselves on the edge of the stage as the swift, fluttering movements of butterflies, in all their color and grace, are recalled in the movements of folklorico dancers. Reyna writes: “Your feet seem to float over the floor as you twirl and twirl around and around before jumping into the arms of your partner....The stage is a flurry of dancers whirling and stomping. The audience breaks into a rhythmic clapping as they follow the lively song in 2/4 beat.” The fluidity and beauty of this iconic dance ultimately contrasts with the starkness and gracelessness of issues that litter our day and force our attention away from the grander things in life, away from love, serenity, confidence, and hope.

Reyna Grande is just getting started in making a memorable mark in our literary world. She is currently at work on a memoir. Both of her books can be purchased at your favorite bookstore or through amazon.com. Visit Reyna’s website at http://www.reynagrande.com .

[This blog was originally posted on my other blog, LatinaWriter99, in June, 2010.)

2010-06-02T00:20:00.000-07:00

NEW CALIFORNIA WRITER TO WATCH: SANDRA LOPEZ

Sandra Lopez, the author of the newly published young adult novel, Beyond the Gardens (2009), is a literary force to watch. She has been precocious for most of her life: reading books at the age of two, being the first in her family to graduate from high school and college, being one of the youngest emerging authors today. She recently received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from California State University, Fullerton, and is ready to take on the literary world.

Her first novel was published before Sandra graduated from college. This debut book, Esperanza: A Latina Story (2008), depicts a teenager from a poverty-stricken home marked by domestic abuse, alcoholism and other drug abuse, gangland connections among her father and other relatives, and a saddening absence of hope for the future. Her barrio, Hawaiian Gardens in Los Angeles, could easily defeat her, as a friend tries to tie her down to early marriage at the cost of her education. When Esperanza enters high school, she faces bullies, peer pressure to meet low expectations, and the tremendous possibility that she, too, will become just another Latina dropout. Esperanza has no role models, no home support, but she finds strength she did not realize she had and fights against obstacles to fulfill her dreams.

In her new book, a sequel, Esperanza is now 18 years old and enrolled in an art college, pursuing her dreams with financial aid. Her life is upended when friends from her past re-enter: Carlos, who is now interested in her romantically, and his sister, Carla, who had urged Esperanza to marry her brother while in high school. Esperanza also contends with her roommate, a rich Chicana; and with Jake, a hunky mechanic who seems to be her soulmate. Life becomes complicated for Esperanza as she constantly wonders what is “beyond the gardens” of her barrio, and what life can possibly hold for her.

Both of Sandra’s books are available through amazon.com. You can visit her website at http://www.sandralopez.com .

2010-03-30T16:37:00.000-07:00

MEET NEW LOS ANGELES AUTHOR, VANESSA LIBERTAD GARCIA

Sometimes "new writers," or those who have not yet attained name recognition, have been writing for years. Such is the case with Los Angeles native Vanessa Libertad Garcia, who has been filling journals with poems, stories, and screenplays since she was 11. She now has over 30 of those journals and is mining them for her second book, which will be a collection of poetry.

Vanessa's first book, The Voting Booth After Dark: Despicable, Embarrassing, Repulsive (Fiat Libertad Co., 2009), is a slim volume of 23 short pieces, some of them poems, many of them first-person or third-person vignettes that capture a few minutes or hours of a given character’s “despicable, embarrassing, or repulsive” life.

Gritty and unflinching, the tone of the book is one of desperation and starkness as each character depicted—Marta, a young, disenchanted lesbian; or Diaz Diaz, a gay fashion designer, for example—speaks to us of their heartbreak, alienation, and sometimes of suicidal plans. The personas that Vanessa invokes are products of a society that is too fast-paced, too materialistic, and too shallow for twenty-somethings or thirty-somethings trying to find a meaningful niche in life, as they struggle simultaneously to pay bills, be successful in a career, find true love, or simply forge a connection to someone or something outside of themselves that can make their lives fulfilling. Welcome to the underbelly of Los Angeles.

The voices of each persona is poignant and heart-wrenching. Vanessa describes “sweet-scented one-dimensional images that pop out at you like an early Warhol painting” (in “Longing”). There is little self-pitying though, no sugarcoating of the raw emotions that spill from her characters, many of whom are gay addicts who have seemingly accepted their sex orientations but nevertheless struggle to navigate life.

Matter-of-fact language, which contributes to the non-judgmental tone of the book and its authenticity, is often balanced against poetic descriptions or observations that catch the reader by surprise. For example: “Parasites of the night, dressed to the 9[‘s]/living off the small pints of love/stored in our words” (from “The Dead End Days”). Or: “The sun shuts its lids and the moon clocks in.” “Sadness already home invites guilt in for coffee” (both from “Lament”).

Yet, amidst the jadedness and sadness are subtle beams of hope for these young lives. In “Compassion,” toward the end of the book, Vanessa writes: “We are curious children/ with adult powers/that clumsily break the china.” She ends her book thus: “The crumbling world/ is always pieced together by time/and space....Justice eventually finds its place in line.”

Vanessa gives us a glimpse of lives in torment but also reminds us that lives are not frozen in time but are forever evolving, and we must stay open to the possibilities of change.

This book is available at amazon.com. I'll let you know when Vanessa Libertad Garcia's second book is published.

2010-02-21T00:20:00.000-08:00

Introducing: Some New Names and Books

The goal of this blog is to recognize the literary work of current Latina/o authors, most of whom were born in the United States.

In my early blog posts a few years ago, I discussed some "pioneers" of modern Hispanic American literature, authors such as Richard Vasquez, Rudolfo Anaya, Estela Portillo de Trambley, and Tomas Rivera. It's vital that our country recognize and honor the writers who led the awakening of this modern literature in the 1960s and 1970s and paved the path for generations of Latina/o authors to contribute to the greatness of American literature in all its genres. (See my archived posts.)
I've also enjoyed writing about prominent authors and their continuing achievements, folks such as Sandra Cisneros, Pat Mora, Daniel Olivas, and Gary Soto. The present cadre of accomplished Latina/o authors are changing the literary landscape; are making their presence and influence felt in literature classrooms across America; and need our support and attention so they may continue thriving.
At other times, I introduce writers making their debut on the literary scene, or folks who have not yet attained name recognition...but their merits and efforts warrant our recognition and discussion of their work.

In the spirit of the latter...

MEET SANDRA ALONZO

Sandra Alonzo is the author of a new young adult novel titled Riding Invisible: An Adventure Journal, to be officially released on March 2. I'm looking forward to reading it and talking about it on this blog. Just for you to know, however, this will be Sandra's second book. Her first, Gallop-O-Gallop, was published in 2007 and has received warm praise from her readers, who laud Sandra's "very accessible verse" and "wonderful and evocative picture book," which was illustrated by Kelly Murphy. The lovely, lyrical poems are brief enough for young readers to understand and enjoy, yet equally delightful for adults. One educator praises Gallop-O-Gallop thus: "This book is excellent for the classroom! ...The author weaves a beautiful tapestry of equine tales that's soothing for both young and old." Read more reader reviews of Sandra's book on amazon.com.

Sandra, who grew up near Los Angeles, always loved horses and had them as a child. As an adult now living in Central California, she still owns a horse and relishes nature by exploring the mountains near her home on horseback. Get in line for your copy of Riding Invisible, which is actually already posted on amazon.com for sale. Both books are available through that website. Sandra's website is http://www.sandraalonzo.com/ .

UPDATE ON DANIEL A. OLIVAS AND HIS NEW BOOK

Daniel A. Olivas, another fellow Californian, is an example of an author who has made a mark on the literary scene. His five books have received wide praise from other renowned authors, and his writing is studied and analyzed in classrooms across America. He has just released his fifth and newest book, a collection of short stories titled Anywhere but L.A. This work includes stories Daniel wrote earlier in his career ("Gordon," a whimsical story about a talking dog, e.g.) as well as new ones ("Blue" and "The Jew of Dos Cuentos," e.g.).

Daniel's effortless writing style and ability to capture a character in broad, descriptive strokes engage readers as they switch from story to story in his new book. No two stories are the same stylistically or rhetorically, and this diversity of presentation keeps the reader on his or her toes. Consider "Let Me Tell You a Story," which is told in first-person narrative by an aggressive, rough-talking young man whose family is destroyed by his carelessness. The story's language is raw and effective, and readers can "hear" the urgency of this character as he defends what he did. On the other hand, "Blue" is told cryptically by a young woman in ten distinct little segments that describe, in her words, certain seemingly innocuous events and people in her life, but these anecdotes are highly nuanced and poetic; and the reader must be careful not to miss anything between the lines. The events are not chronological, and the non-linear telling of her life story makes "Blue" mystical, poignant, and fragile.

At a recent book reading in Pasadena, California, Daniel explained how he often uses music as a means of stirring up his creativity. "Blue," he said, was inspired by Joni Mitchell's music. Daniel also discussed the challenge of balancing his everyday profession as an attorney with his great love of writing. He also visits public school classrooms and advocates for all children's literacy. Daniel Olivas is an important presence in our literature, and his works touch all people, from all backgrounds, because he portrays men, women, and children with simple but complex authenticity. Buy his books through amazon.com, and visit his award-winning blog, La Bloga, at http://www.labloga.blogspot.com/ .

SPEAKING OF ACCOMPLISHED AUTHORS...

If you want to read a lot of Sandra Cisneros' work in one place, check out Vintage Cisneros (Vintage Books, 2004). Though this is not a new book, it is exceptionally handy and inspiring. Readers not familiar with Sandra's writing can get satiating doses of her talent in this slim paperback volume. It includes excerpts from five of her books, such as The House on Mango Street, her seminal work; and from her newest one, Caramelo. Poetry, short stories, and novel excerpts are alternated through this book, keeping the pace lively and totally engaging. This book, like almost all the ones mentioned in my blog, is available through amazon.com.

STAY TUNED, AND STAY IN TOUCH!

Have you heard about Reyna Grande yet? You should, because her fame is spreading, and her talent is increasing quickly. I'll discuss her and her new book, Dancing With Butterflies, which was published a few months ago, in my next blog. Her star is on the rise!

Tell your friends, family, colleagues, neighbors, and anyone else you can grab about this website. Tell them they need to keep up with what our American Latinas/os are writing about and teaching us. There are many insights to gain, much wisdom to absorb!

2010-01-05T18:36:00.000-08:00

What Will 2010--the Proverbial "New Decade"--Bring for American Latina/o Authors?

Here's my wish: inspiration, perseverance, exposure, recognition, and continued melding into mainstream American "publication" in all its manifestations: print, electronic, and entertainment venues.

Of course, dearest to my heart is the literary arena, because this involves schools and classrooms, literature and composition courses from grade school through universities, and this is where quality is presented, analyzed, discussed, and worked with, in projects, plays, panel discussions, role-playing, etc... year after year, decade after decade, and even through centuries.

THE SPECIAL ROLE OF LITERATURE FOR US ALL...

Literature endures and forms part of a nation's cultural foundation.
Literature creates an identity for large groups of people, and helps people understand one another: our histories, our struggles and achievements, our universality and brotherhood across racial, ethnic, religious, and cultural divides.
Literature is the finest expression in words of our hopes and dreams...of our souls!

So my strongest wishes for the New Year are:

that the literary creations of American Hispanics--men and women, young and old, across all genres, across our nation--shall ever more strongly integrate into the tapestry of AMERICAN LITERATURE;
that our literary contributions shall not only be recognized and published, but that our creations shall be of such quality, they are respected, quoted, cited, and spoken of in the same breath as are the literary works of other respected "mainstream" authors today;
that our literary creations shall be read in classrooms across America and will be discussed and analyzed with all the attention and valuing that traditional authors have received in English classrooms throughout time;
that students of all colors and all ages shall be exposed to the literature of American Hispanic authors so that, in time, our literature will be--quite simply--AMERICAN LITERATURE, with all the cultural respect that term carries.

WINNING PRIZES IS IMPORTANT, TOO!

To my knowledge, no American Hispanic (Latina/o born in the United States, which is the focus of my blog) has ever won a literary Pulitzer Prize. They may have been nominated, and they may have won other respectable prizes...but not the Pulitzer. I welcome my readers to correct me. Write me an email and set me straight!

Yet the literary Pulitzer Prize is the strongest affirmation that our country bestows upon its authors. It brings with it the credibility and admiration that authors generally want. It helps to insure the longevity of that author's words, the weight these words carry, the meanings that generations of readers will dissect and reflect upon. The Prize helps authors be inducted into the realm of AMERICAN LITERATURE.

May 2010 be a year in which an American Latina/o writer is not only nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, but the year in which the Prize is won. And if this is not to be, may 2010 be the year in which many American Latina/o authors begin seriously laying the groundwork to deserve and win such an honor.

A CALL FOR AUTHORS TO "GET INTO THE ARENA"!

U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt spoke movingly about "the man in the arena"--a person who has the courage to put himself/herself "out there," to take risks, to take action to pursue his or her dreams, to make things happen. The man in the arena might get knocked down, might fail, but this person continues to actively pursue whatever goals he or she has set, continues striving toward success.

May 2010 be the year in which American Latina/o writers today shed our fears of literary rejection. May it be the year in which we shed our doubts about our abilities to make the written word sing. May it be the year in which we create, create, and create some more and send our writings by the thousands to literary journals, magazines, newspapers, and editors all over America!

May 2010 be the year in which vaunted literary journals like Glimmer Train and Tin House are swamped with story and poem submissions by American Latinas/os in numbers unseen before! May it be the year in which they--and other prominent literary venues that rarely publish Latina/o authors--realize our critical mass and take notice that our literature needs to take its place in mainstream literature...that our writings are highly worthy of being published by the best and read and adored by the best.

May 2010 be the year in which prestigious, highly exclusive annual anthologies--such as Best American Short Stories of 2009, or Best American Poems of 2009, for example--include a respectable number of American Latina/o authors in its pages...or, at least, the year in which our Hispanic authors lay the groundwork for this happening next year.

Let's put ourselves "in the arena." Let's show, in large numbers, what has been hiding in the literary shadows of America. And may it make us all proud!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
ON ANOTHER NOTE: SOME UPDATES FOR YOU

In a recent blog, I spoke about Pasadena author, Randy Jurado Ertll, who has recently published his first book, a memoir titled Hope in Times of Darkness. Randy is a Salvadoran-American, and his book is doing well, I'm very happy to say. Here is some information about an upcoming reading/discussion that Randy will hold in Pasadena. All are invited.

"HOPE IN TIMES OF DARKNESS: A SALVADORAN AMERICAN EXPERIENCE"
WHEN: Friday, January 8, 2010 12:00 p.m.
WHERE: La Pintoresca Public Library
1355 North Raymond Avenue, Pasadena , CA 91103-2235

2009-11-30T01:21:00.000-08:00

Latina/o Writers Today Are Sharing Their Talents Through Their Websites, Blogs, or e-Zines...Check Them Out!

The more I educate myself about Latina/o writers in the United States today, the more I realize that most of them are making their voices heard in the most accessible medium in the world: the internet. Famous American Hispanic authors as well as up-and-coming writers have established websites, write regular blogs, or contribute to the regular blogs of others. Included in the mix are Latina/o writers of the journalistic mold who write about other writers.

I'm an example of three of these categories: (1) Though I've recently published a book (The Heavens Weep for Us and Other Stories), I'm an emerging author (I first published in the 1970's and 1980's then stopped publishing until recently while I worked on my career). (2) I contribute to the Powerful Latinas blog, which I'll tell more about in just a minute. (3) In this blog, American Latina/o Writers Today, I take the pleasure of writing about other writers.

This use of the internet as a publishing outlet is an exciting scene and offers the general public many avenues for enjoying the thoughts and creativities of Latina/o writers. It also gives exposure to the authors, which is often hard to obtain in today's competitive society. Here are some of the websites and blogs you should check out.

Author's Websites

A prime example is that of famed author, Sandra Cisneros. Go to http://www.sandracisneros.com/and learn about where she gets her inspirations for her writing. It's fascinating. You can also learn about her works and any upcoming book readings. Sandra is one of the most highly-honored Latina authors in America today, starting with her novel, House on Mango Street. She was born in Chicago and presently teaches in San Antonio, Texas.

Another author with a fascinating website is Patricia Mora at http://www.patmora.com/. She's an award-winning author of children's books and of poetry. In 1995, she published the poetry book, Agua Santa Holy Water.

A third example of a good author website to visit is http://www.garysoto.com/. Gary Soto was born in Fresno, California, and has written 11 books of poems, as well as the acclaimed novel, Jesse. In 1993, Gary edited the outstanding collection of other Latinos' short stories called Pieces of the Heart.

Some Outstanding Blogs

I'll talk about two of them today: Powerful Latinas and La Bloga. Their links, respectively, are http://www.powerfullatinas.com/and http://www.labloga.blogspot.com/.

Powerful Latinas was started by an attorney, Aurelia E. Flores, in 2007 to compile and publish stories about prominent Latinas and how they overcame obstacles in order to succeed. Aurelia invites a number of bloggers to contribute articles on diverse topics to her blog and also interviews high profile Latinas. This blog is lively, fresh, and up-to-date with advice, book recommendations, and introspective writings on selected topics. Check it out!

La Bloga includes reviews of books written by Hispanic authors today. One of the reviewers is the well-known author previously profiled in this blog, American Latina/o Writers Today, Daniel Olivas. La Bloga is considered one of the top Hispanic blogs in America today.

Internet Magazines (e-Zines) Are Also Making Their Mark!

One of the most helpful to Latina/o writers is Latinidad: Latino Writers by Marcela Landres, an editor who wrote the e-book, How Editors Think: The Real Reason They Rejected You, which is available through her website, http://www.marcelalandres.com/. Marcela has been consulting privately with authors for many years, providing editing assistance and advice, and has helped them get published. She especially focuses on Latina/o authors, which is the mission of Latinidad. The prominent magazine, Writer's Digest, named Marcela's site "one of the best 101 websites for writers."

A relatively new e-zine is Latin Connection, created and edited by Wayne Zamora, working out of South Carolina. He first started out with a bilingual Hispanic outreach newsletter for the community but went to the digital format in recent years. It's a fulltime, family-run enterprise, with his daughter playing a prominent editorial/photographer role as well. Wayne describes Latin Connection as an "educational entertainment family magazine" that spotlights the various realms of Chicano culture and achievements, such as in music, modeling, acting, and writing. He also gives recognition to military heroes, currently serving and veterans ("We have over 1 million Hispanics in the military," he says). His e-zine is chock-full of photos, and he covers people and events from throughout the nation. He has contacts in the Midwest and the West as well as on the East Coast. His e-zine is growing.

One writer he has recently profiled is Edna Campos Graven-Horst, an award-winning author of 6 children's books who recently moved back to her native San Antonio, Texas. Edna's biographical profiles of prominent Latinas/os have been published in Latin Connections. In addition, the early-Texas historical accounts of historian Dan Arellano have also been published in Wayne's e-zine. Learn more about these acclaimed Texas authors at their websites. Edna's is http://www.ednacamposgravenhorst.com/. Dan's website is http://www.tejanoroots.org/. Wayne, like Marcela, is helping give recognition to Latina/o writers and to foster their recognition in today's literary scene.

Looking to the Future...

May our American Hispanic writers continue showcasing their writing talents on the internet in these various venues! All the recognition they can get is necessary and helpful. We as a collective group, however, need to support these writers and their continuing efforts by doing more than reading their websites, blogs, and e-zines. We also need to purchase their books, attend their public readings/signings whenever we can, subscribe to their e-zines, and, most important of all, spread the word about them!

We care about the role of Latina/o writers in the tapestry of American literature. Our caring must always be translated into direct action to help them become fully integrated into the fabric of our nation's literary heritage.

* * * * * * * * *
My new book, The Heavens Weep for Us and Other Stories, is available through your favorite bookstore, at amazon.com, or barnesandnoble.com. Also, you can read the full text of my book's title story on my blog, http://www.latinawriter99.wordpress.com/.

2009-10-19T16:42:00.000-07:00

I live in Pasadena, a beautiful mid-sized city in Southern California known for the world-famous Rose Bowl and Rose Parade, among many other landmarks and claims to fame. We also have the Jet Propulsion Lab, a critical part of our nation's space program, along with Cal Tech, one of the top scientific universities in the U.S., on a par with MIT. Pasadena has world-class museums and art galleries, the mansion where the TV Batman show was shot years ago, historic homes built by famed architects Frank Lloyd Wright and the Greene and Greene Brothers of Craftsman Bungalow fame. Pasadena is a beautiful cultural gem we're proud of!

Another thing Pasadena has that we Latina/o authors in this city are very proud of is a little core group of authors who have recently published books. (The famed police novelist, Joseph Wambaugh, lived in Pasadena, and the classic cowboy writer, Zane Grey, lived next to our city). Here are some of these authors and their books published this calendar year:

ROBERTA MARTINEZ
Roberta published Latinos in Pasadena, part of the nationwide photographic, historical book series called Images of America, issued by Arcadia Publishing. As the back cover of her book states, Roberta's ties to Pasadena are substantial. She is much more besides a writer. She is well-known as a community activist, historian, lecturer, city commissioner, television producer, arts trustee, and advisor for the Pasadena Historical Museum and local school district. In her book, Roberta culled archival photos, newspaper articles, academic research papers, a local history project completed for Pasadena in 1995, and countless oral anecdotes and privately-owned vintage photo collections. She wove all her findings into a beautiful little book that traces "the legacies of Mexican-Americans and other Latino men and women who often worked for Pasadena's rich and famous...for generations."

Each photo is accompanied with historical explanations that help readers understand the impact of Latinos in Pasadena's evolution. Early Pasadena Latino settlers were mostly migrants and immigrants, but Pasadena is now about one-fourth Latino, and Roberta's book explores "the complexity of community and individual identity" that has led to the Latino presence being felt and respected in high levels across our city today, from the superintendent of schools, to school board members, city council members, prominent professionals, and others in leadership roles.

Roberta has left open the possibility of writing and publishing additional volumes in the near future, since "there still is so much more to be shared." We wish her much success!

RANDY JURADO ERTLL
Randy, like Roberta, has made a name for himself in Pasadena, Calfornia, not just for his writing, but for his community activism and leadership. His book, Hope in Times of Darkness: A Salvadoran American Experience, was published by Hamilton Books, an affiliate of Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group. This is a memoir in which Randy details his personal evolution in America. Born in the U.S., Randy was deported with his undocumented mother to El Salvador when he was a baby. He witnessed much turmoil and violence in El Salvador and eventually was able to return to the U.S. as a young boy. He lived in volatile South Central Los Angeles, where numerous friends and schoolmates were caught up in gang violence and ended up dead, imprisoned, homeless, unemployed, or desperately struggling to make a meaningful life. Through much personal initiative, studiousness, family supportiveness, and help from mentors, Randy achieved academic success, stability, and greater hopes of living the American dream.

Randy's book not only traces his growth into the community leader and successful social activist he has become, it throws a spotlight on many social injustices that plagued our society in recent decades and that continue to create barriers to equality of opportunity for many people living and working in America, primarily immigrant families. Randy contends that elected leaders, along with dedicated community organizations, must work to erase these injustices and build hope in all people.

VICTOR CASS
Victor, born in Kingsville, Texas, is nonetheless a "true-blue Pasadenan." Like Roberta and Randy, Vic has devoted most of his adult life to serving our community...in his case, as a police officer, exhibiting fine artist, arts activist, and community volunteer as well as a writer. In 2009, Vic published his third book, a romantic, sexy novel called Telenovela, issued by Outskirts Press. This fast-paced, engaging novel is a story within a story, so to speak. The main plot is set entirely in Pasadena, but occasional flashbacks take us to Mexico. The "telenovela" of the title is actually a Mexican soap opera that some of the book's characters watch occasionally and that, ironically, parallels the events that the main characters are actually experiencing. The book alternates at times between the plot of the telenovela and the events involving the book's characters, so that the melodrama of the former underscores the drama of the latter. It's an interesting, engaging dynamic!

The book's main characters are two beautiful, intelligent young Latina women who are first-generation Americans. The parents of Miriya emigrated from Argentina, and Lorena's parents came from Mexico. Unbeknownst to these protagonists, they have fallen in love with the same man, a situation that threatens the budding, genuine friendship between the two women. There are plenty of romantic scenes in the book to compete with a racy modern movie, but there are also scenes of sadness and pathos, rib-tickling humor, and down-to-earth authenticity in how modern Latinas balance careers, cultures, and their own evolving identities.

Victor has written two other books: Pasadena Police Department: A Photohistory, 1877-2000, issued by Herff Jones in 1999; and Love, Death, and Other War Stories, published by iUniverse in 2005. The first book was commissioned by the city, and the second book was inspired by Victor's police experiences in Pasadena. He is currently working on his fourth book, which he hopes to complete before 2009 ends.

OTHER PASADENA AUTHORS TO BE FEATURED SOON!
Stay tuned. In the meantime, support these outstanding three I've introduced you to. Their books are all available through your local bookstores, or at amazon.com, among other online venues. These authors make our pride in Pasadena even stronger, with their contributions to the reputation Pasadena already has as a culturally, artistically rich city.

2009-09-28T23:39:00.000-07:00

I've recently had an opportunity to learn more about two contemporary Hispanic authors, both of whom live in California, and who are attaining quite a bit of renown not only for their writing, but for their good work in their professional careers outside of writing for publication. Their names are Rose Castillo Guilbault and Daniel Olivas. Let me introduce you to them.

I have never met them personally, but I've communicated with them via email and have learned more about them from internet postings about their work. As I mention in a previous posting, I recently published a book, The Heavens Weep for Us and Other Stories, which is a collection of 12 new short stories I've written. (See my "weRead" website at http://www.weread.com/authors, and amazon.com/books/authors for more information about my book.) Before going to press, Rose and Daniel gave me some feedback about my writing, and I included their blurbs in my book. I appreciate their support of my efforts.

Rose's memoir, Farmworker's Daughter: Growing Up Mexican in America, describes her life from the age of 5, when she moved with her mother to Salinas Valley in California. Rose faced difficult challenges in school, but she fell in love with the English language and excelled in writing from an early age. She earned a Bachelor's degree in journalism, a Master's degree in writing, and became a successful journalist, also becoming the first Hispanic columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle in the 1990s. She spent 20 years in broadcasting, including TV work at CBS and ABC.

Rose won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Programming as a journalist. She has since left journalism for an executive position, serving as Vice-President of Corporate Affairs and Publishing for CSAA, which is the Northern California/Utah/Nevada division of the AAA. What a role model Rose Guilbault is! Read about a recent talk she gave at a Distinguished Speaker Series at http://www.media.theargonaut.net/media.

Daniel Olivas is another high-achieving Latino author today. He has received outstanding reviews for his last book, Latinos in Lotusland: An Anthology of Contemporary Southern California Literature, which was published in 2008. The book encompasses 60 years of Latina/o writings from some of the top authors in our state. Daniel has written 5 other books. When he is not writing for publication, he is a very busy California state attorney. He has also written for various print media, including The Los Angeles Times. Daniel Olivas is another outstanding Latino author who enriches the tapestry of American literature! Visit his webpage on http://www.danielolivas.com and read his Monday blogs on La Bloga, at http://www.labloga.blogspot.com.

2009-05-17T21:38:00.000-07:00

A Family of Writers...Mine!

It's been a while since I've posted a blog here. Let's catch up with some news. Since my last post, I've been fostering and nurturing a particular family of American Latino writers...mine!

My son, Victor Cass, has just published his third book, a novel issued a few months ago called Telenovela. It's set in Pasadena, California, our hometown, and deals with the love lives of two beautiful, young professional Latinas who are first-generation Americans. Miriya and Lorena's immigrant backgrounds could not be more different, yet their similarities help forge a strong bond of friendship and loyalty between the two women. Their love lives are so different from one another, but fate has a way of making paths cross in more ways than we'd like. The book is fast-paced, rich with dialogue and cultural realism, and can be read in two sittings for many people. Check it out on amazon.com. It's getting rave reviews and will put a smile on your face!

I'll talk some more about Vic's other books in another blog. For now, go online and see what this young, handsome Latino (am I a biased mom?) does in his busy life: as a Pasadena police officer, an exhibiting fine artist, a community pillar, and a very busy writer. He's working on his fourth book now.

Who's the second writer in my family? My daughter, Dr. Christine Reyna-Demes, a professor at De Paul University in Chicago. She's a scholar and has had numerous research articles in Social Psychology published in academic journals over the past decade or so. In her teenage years, she also wrote soulful, intense songs and poetry. Her job requires her to "publish or perish," so her keyboard will be warm for many years to come!

I'm the third writer in the family. Though I've been fortunate to have short stories, essays, other nonfiction, and poems published in newspapers, journals, and books throughout the years, I've also just published a book, my first. It's a collection of new stories and is called The Heavens Weep for Us and Other Stories. It will be out in early summer this year. When it's published, I'll tell you more about it. In the meantime, please hold good thoughts for its success, along with Vic's book.

The title story in my new book was just published in a wonderful academic/literary journal called Chicana/Latina Studies: The Journal of Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social (Volume 8: Spring 2009). The editors of the journal--Dr. Tiffany Ana Lopez, a professor at University of California, Riverside, and Dr. Karen Mary Davalos, a professor at Loyola Marymount University in California--are themselves well-regarded Latina authors as well as academicians. (Dr. Lopez edited the excellent anthology, Growing Up Chicana/o, in 1993 and its influence is still felt today.) Their support and nurturance of Latina/o authors is tremendous!

My dream is that someday my son, daughter, and I will collaborate on a book. I have three ideas in mind, and I feel that any of them would be a welcome addition to our American literary world. The book would be nonfiction, with a social/historical bent. Its focus would be people: their dynamics, relationships, successes and failures. Why not? People are the most important element of this world.

This blog focuses on Americans who happen to be Latinos and who happen to be writers who are contributing to the literary landscape in our nation. Please pardon my immodesty in writing about my own family this time around, but I do feel satisfaction and joy in the fact that the three of us--Vic, Chriss, and I--share this great love of the written word, and that we have a genuine desire to share our ideas, feelings, experiences, and knowledge with others in the hope that we might bring a smile or chuckle, a flash of insight and understanding, or a bit of new knowledge to the lives of our fellow human beings.

2007-10-29T01:28:00.000-07:00

American Latinos Are Making Themselves Noticed More and More in Entertainment…

Yes, and this is a wonderful thing. Talented female actors such as Jessica Alba, Eva Mendez, Jennifer Lopez, and Cameron Diaz have been turning heads now for a while, not only for their outward beauty but for their charisma, energy, intelligence, and—in some cases—for their entrepreneurship and solid business success (like J.Lo). Male actors James Edward Olmos, Jimmy Smits, Martin Sheen, Benicio del Toro, and Lou Diamond Phillips—five of our modern-day American “pioneers”—have established themselves as solid performers who can definitely captivate an audience. Others, like Esai Morales or Rodrigo Santoro, may not yet have the name recognition or prestige, but their abilities and those of other up-and-coming actors are undeniable as they step more confidently into the national and international spotlight.

Singers? A bountiful harvest that is growing! It was little more than a decade ago that the electrifying Selena, a product of my childhood hometown (Corpus Christi, Texas), grabbed the national spotlight and was “crossing over” from Spanish songs to English. This Tejana met an untimely, shocking death, but she was a beautiful, humanistic beacon to the world that heralded the upsurge of Latino presence in the American music scene. In the past decade, stars like Mariah Carey, Thalia, Marc Anthony, Daddy Yankee, Christina Milian, and a host of others have shown the entertainment world that American songsters have much to give.

Television has been another fertile field for the popularity of American Latinos: “Ugly Betty” America Ferrera, Charlie Sheen, George Lopez, Paul Rodriguez, and many others build on the groundwork laid by folks like Cheech Marin and Erik Estrada. Newscasters today, like Rick Sanchez from CNN, are making their mark, expanding the work done by broadcast journalists such as veteran Californian Laura Diaz. In athletics, of course, Latinos have historically been highly visible and strong elements.

But How About American Latinos in the Realm of the Printed Word?

My prior blogs have cited some major ground-breaking writers like Rudolfo Anaya, Estela Portillo de Trambley, and Sandra Cisneros, among many other worthy writers (see my Archives). However, American Latino writers fall far behind in this category—the printed word—when it comes to making our mark on the literary scene nationally, and especially internationally.

The Latino “soul” has historically been lauded for its depth of emotion. Our culture celebrates a premium on spirituality, family, and connection with life beyond earth: all elements of much fine literature through the ages. So, as our people increase in numbers demographically, as the Latino presence manifests itself more markedly in our American social fabric, the world of “letters” is one that is hardly crossed by any notable mass of Latinos.

So How Can We Tell That Latinos Are “Missing in Action” (to a large extent) When it Comes to Writing?

Consider the following:
--Regularly-published national anthologies, such as The Best American Short Stories, or The Best American Poems rarely, if ever, include American Latino authors. (Throughout my blog, I expediently use the term “Latino” to refer to both males and females.)

--Most prominent, mainstream literary journals currently published and disseminated nationally, such as Tin House and Glimmer Train, hardly ever contain writings by American Latinos.

--Latino authors who have been widely honored for their writing at the international level, such as Nobel Prize winners Octavio Paz and Pablo Neruda, were not from the United States (which is the focus of this blog).

--Regularly-issued American bestseller lists in either fiction or nonfiction categories rarely include American Latino authors.

--The Pulitzer Prize, America’s top writing award, has been won by a Latino fiction writer only once (Oscar Hijuelos, in 1990, for The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love) since its inception in 1917.

--Other prominent American literary prizes—such as the National Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, the PEN/Faulkner Award—have not been won by a Latino author according to records I reviewed.

This dearth of representation in the American literary landscape is a huge vacuum that saddens me. One might point out that the Latino presence is still woefully lacking in various other areas of intellectual importance: math and science, for example. True. Some others might ask, “Why focus on AMERICAN LATINOS? Why be exclusionary and divisive of this vast world group of Hispanics?” My blog intends no harm, no divisiveness, or insults. In the interest of exploring the realm of Latino letters with a bit more focus, I’ve limited my comments to American Latinos.

To be a Latino in the United States (what I mean by “America” in my blog) is being in a position with great potential to achieve, to develop ourselves as we wish based on our individual hard work and determination. Doors are open to mold ourselves as we dream, despite societal obstacles to equality that still exist worldwide. So why aren’t our Latino people writing more and publishing more and taking our place on the stage of public expression that we deserve to aspire to?

Our society, and ultimately the international community, needs to hear the voices of all its people in matters of the heart and mind. Thus, America needs to hear its Latino voices on a grander scale than at present. Let’s educate ourselves regarding what these voices have said so far in history and what the current voices are expressing. Let’s nurture in upcoming generations the ability and willingness to embellish through literary expression the rich tapestry of diversity that represents the true United States.

* * * * * * *

2006-11-09T16:27:00.000-08:00

Who Were Our Pioneers, Our Trailblazers,
the “Oldies but Goodies”?

First, a disclaimer:
Since the name of my blog is “Latino Writers Today,” the emphasis is on contemporary writers, creators who are among us, still working their magic, still spinning their webs of enlightenment and artistry. There is ample diversity in this group of men and women, and my interest, hopefully along with you, is to watch these writers evolve further and to consider the impact of their work in our American society today and for the coming years.

But who started it all?
Ah, yes. Who paved the literary road? Who “broke out” and inspired followers to take up the pen, to let their voices be heard? These were very special, very courageous and dedicated people. They opened the door for the rest of us in the United States in 1970, starting a wave of Latino writing and publishing that has gathered momentum in the past couple of decades. Many of these pioneers continue to write, continue to show the way. Here are some of those early classics:

--Pocho (1959) by Jose Antonio Villareal:
Though it predates the “birth” of consistent Latino writing by more than a decade, it is mentioned here because it was the first novel by a “Mexican-American” (American-born Latino) published in the United States by a major publisher, a book that was largely ignored in mainstream media and in literary circles but was kept alive in schools as a reading assignment.

--Chicano (1st edition, 1970), by Richard Vasquez, born in Los Angeles:
More successful than Pocho but not a bestseller, this was perhaps the first American Latino’s book that was actively touted by its major publisher. It was re-published in 2003, the 35th anniversary of its initial publication, after Sylvia Vasquez, Richard’s daughter, pushed tirelessly for its reissue.

--And the Earth Did Not Devour Him (1971), by Tomas Rivera, born in Crystal
City, Texas:
A university professor, Dr. Rivera received the National Quinto Sol Literature Award in 1969-70, itself a trailblazing though short-lived literary prize. (Quinto Sol Publications, Inc. was the first wholly-independent “Chicano” publisher in the United States, founded in 1967 in Berkeley, California, and the top publisher of Latino writing in America.) The award was for this novel.

--Day of the Swallows (1971), Estela Portillo Trambley, born in El Paso, Texas:
Trambley is often considered the premier trailblazer for American Latina writers in our country. Her play, named above, was an early success and has been performed throughout the country throughout the years. She has written three books; numerous other plays, short stories, and essays; and has been critiqued and profiled in over 50 reviews, scholarly essays, and doctoral dissertations over the decades.

--Bless Me, Ultima (1972), by Rudolfo Anaya, born in New Mexico:
Winner of the Quinto Sol Literature Award in 1971 for this novel, Anaya is also the author of the novel Zia Summer (1995), The Anaya Reader, and Alburquerque [the original spelling of the New Mexico city’s name].

--The Autobiography of a Brown Buffalo (1972), by Oscar “Zeta” Acosta, born in
El Paso, Texas:
An activist attorney for the Chicano Movement in the 1960’s and 1970’s, Acosta was a self-destructive, controversial, counter-culture figure. He lived life fast and furious, convinced that he’d die at the age of 33. He went missing in 1974, and his body was never recovered, though experts believed he met foul play. Acosta’s autobiographical novel received acclaim and was followed by another book based on his life experiences, The Revolt of the Cockroach People, which was published in 1973.

--Nilda (1973), by Nicholasa Mohr, born in New York City:
This book for young readers received much critical acclaim, including the School Library Journal Best Book Award and the New York Times’ Outstanding Book Award in Juvenile Fiction. In 1975, El Bronx Remembered was published, and Mohr has continued to publish into the 1990’s. She has received numerous awards for her work, including the Hispanic Heritage Award in Literature and the Edgar Allan Poe Award.

--Rain of Scorpions and Other Writings (1st edition, 1975), by Estela Portillo
Trambley, born in El Paso:
This was the first collection of short stories published in America by a Latina writer. Quinto Sol Publications, the pioneering publisher of many Latino writers in the late 1960’s and 1970’s, became Tonatiuh International around 1976. Its national literary journal, Grito del Sol (the reincarnation of El Grito, the pioneering journal published by Quinto Sol Publications for about eight years) also published many Latino authors. Tonatiuh International issued this ground-breaking book. Trambley won the prestigious Quinto Sol Literature Award in 1972.

Some Special Words About RICHARD VASQUEZ…
A first-generation American, Vasquez took ten years to write Chicano, in what Ruben Martinez, in his Foreword to the 35-Year-Anniversary edition of the novel, refers to as “a herculean attempt…to explain his people to others.” Martinez goes on to say:

“Richard Vasquez mapped out an essential territory of
American cultural, social, economic, and political
geography: the relationship between white and brown
in the American Southwest, particularly in the city of
Los Angeles.”

The book was published in the same year that, in a huge Chicano demonstration in Los Angeles against the Vietnam War, noted journalist Ruben Salazar, the first Mexican-American columnist for the Los Angeles Times, was accidentally killed. Salazar was himself a renowned writer and trailblazer in the mass media. Pioneer followed pioneer, as Richard Vasquez was subsequently named to fill Salazar’s position at the LA Times.

Though Chicano has received negative reviews as well as praise, the book is historically significant in the birth of Latino writing in our country as Vasquez sought to create an identity for the Mexican-Americans of his time as well as a dignified identity for his forebears. Vasquez subsequently published two other novels: The Giant Killer and Another Land.

So What Did These “Oldies but Goodies” Accomplish?
What all writers, not just Latino writers, seek to do: to share our humanity. Octavio I. Romano-V, Ph.D., long-time editor (18 years) at the prestigious Quinto Sol and Tonatiuh International Publications discussed above in this blog, and himself a well-regarded Latino author of short stories and other writings, said the following in his Introduction to the notable anthology, Grito del Sol Collection (Winter 1984) :

“[This book] is a sharing of human experience, as well as
a celebration, for in these pages Mexican-American authors
share with the world their own particular vision of the past,
present, and future, memories of childhood, of living today,
of love and many problems overcome.”

Our Thanks…and Maybe a Visit to the Library, Bookstore, or the ‘Net!
Though my future blogs will tell more about Latino/a writers publishing today and will discuss “fresh voices,” I also want to share more with you about these historical people. There are many others who toiled with far less recognition in those early decades. If you haven’t “met” the pioneers above, though, that would be a good starting point for learning about Latino literature in America. Visit your local library or bookstore, or hop on the internet. Look up these folks. See what they’re up to nowadays. Learn about a bit of history that oftentimes is not covered in our schools. Enjoy!

--Thelma T. Reyna, Ph.D.

2006-11-04T15:29:00.000-08:00

WELCOME TO THIS BLOG!

You'll meet talented American writers

you've probably not read about before

but who deserve your attention.

You'll read excerpts of poetry and stories

that deserve your attention

and will win your admiration.

WELCOME...AND ENJOY!

######

Who Are These Latino Writers?

First, they are wonderfully-talented men and women--some younger, others mellowed like fine wine--who create with the same passion that has fired literary giants through the eons throughout our world. A glance at Nobel Prize for Literature listings since the inception of the prestigious international Nobel Prizes affirms that writers from throughout the Latin world have been honored for their literary achievements for more than a century. But these aren't the admirable "Latino Writers" about whom I'll write in my blog.

No. Instead, I focus on wonderfully-talented men and women, most of whom were born and raised in the United States but whose voices, for the most part, have not yet earned widespread appreciation. Some of these writers--like Sandra Cisneros, Rudolfo Anaya, Estela Portillo-Trambley, and Julia Alvarez--have rightfully attained national and international recognition for their work.

Others such as Nina Marie Martinez, author of the 2004 novel, Caramba!, have recently entered the American literary arena and are starting to make their marks.

And yet others whom I'll profile in my blogs toil in obscurity or near-obscurity, but their voices are also important, and these writers need to have a spotlight trained on them as well.

Fellow Americans all, but with experiences and perspectives that remind us how our nation relishes individuality, and of how all our diverse groups ultimately, as Rudolfo Anaya wrote, "affect each other." He goes on to say, in Tiffany Ana Lopez' book, Growing Up Chicana/o (1993): "Perhaps learning how 'we can all get along' is one of the most important functions in literature....Chicano literature...now assumes a place in the literature of the United States."

This blog aims to help us all learn more about the dynamic writers who created and are creating this exciting literature and to become more enriched as human beings in the process.

--Thelma T. Reyna, Ph.D.